Aaron Lewis on Recent Onstage Outbursts: ‘I’m Not Some Sort of Diva’
Aaron Lewis has made headlines in recent months more for his onstage outbursts than his music — and he's not too happy about it.
"The hardest thing to deal with is with these situations, I am always the one hung out to dry," Lewis says in a recent interview with Taste of Country, speaking of a few incidents when he has stopped a live show to deal with someone out in the crowd. "There's no context put into it."
Lewis went off on a concertgoer at a show in Indianapolis in December after the fan repeatedly shouted requests while he was singing.
"(We're going to) remove you from this f--king club," Lewis said in a clip that went viral. "Shut the f--k up. Writing this song f--king broke me and you are yelling out a different song, you f--king piece of sh--."
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In February, the Staind frontman walked offstage after a crowd in Texas would not quiet down enough for him to begin his final song. He made headlines for an unusual remark he made before departing the stage, after a fan yelled out a request to sing a song in Spanish.
"I'm sorry, I don't know how to speak Spanish. I'm American," Lewis said.
Lewis is currently on his the State I’m In Tour, and it's important to him that he's recognized for his music. Though he does understand why videos of his stage rants have become viral videos and caught the attention of many, they don't always show what really happened.
"Most of these things happen when 90 percent of the audience is pissed at the other 10 percent," Lewis says. "I'm not some sort of diva. I don't demand silence. Everyone wants to paint me in a way that is hurtful when all I am trying to do is help the 90 percent who are here to hear my music."
The country-rocker says that the incidents have mostly occurred during general admission shows, where the crowd stands shoulder to shoulder all night, thus building adrenaline and ultimately, aggression. In these situations — the ones where Lewis has paused a song to address someone who's acting out — the moment happened deep into an encore at the end of the show. He admits he can only take so much.
"Am I supposed to let those people ruin it for everyone else?" Lewis says. "Am I supposed to not lose my patience? I do have the right to stand up for myself and anyone else."
Lewis' the State I’m In Tour continues Wednesday (March 27) in Joliet, Ill.
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