The Weeknd’s Melbourne concert took an unexpected turn on Saturday night when a stage invader tackled the singer mid-performance.
The Canadian superstar, 34, was about an hour into his set when a fan, known as “Pyjama Man,” climbed onto the stage in an attempt to hug him.
Footage shows The Weeknd, real name Abel Tesfaye, backing away before security swiftly intervened and escorted the individual offstage.
Despite the disruption, he continued his show without further incident.
“Pyjama Man,” wearing red shorts and a red T-shirt featuring the Ukrainian flag with the word “free,” later posted footage of the incident on Instagram, calling himself the “CEO of trolling” and boasting, “It was cool chatting with you while on stage.”
However, the prankster faced backlash from fans of the singer, with one commenter labeling the stunt “cringe” and pointing out the negative reaction with a “Cringe Button” comment.
The backlash against him continued to flood his Instagram after his stage invasion at the concert.
Fans expressed their outrage, with one user commenting, “I’m so dumbfounded that this is what someone does specifically for negative social media attention.”
Another bluntly advised, “Get a job,” while a third echoed, “Bruh, get a job.”
Several other comments were equally critical, with one user advising, “Seek help,” and another adding, “You suck, bro.”
One fan pointed out The Weeknd’s discomfort, writing, “He straight up winced as you ran up, wasn’t cool bro. Still, pretty amazing you got up there.”
