When Beyoncé and Jay Z are on stage, you know whatever is about to happen will be dramatic and unexpected; however, usually the surprises are planned. This wasn’t the case at their Atlanta show for their On The Run II tour last night when a fan ran onto the stage at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, attempting to follow the power couple backstage.
Beyoncé and Jay Z were strutting their stuff, unaware of anyone running up on the stage, after performing their joint hit “APESHIT,” when the fan can be seen coming up the stairs at the front of the stage and running after them. The couple appear to be nearly off stage by the time the fan ran up. The Carters’ backup dancers were quick on their feet and rushed to stop the bee-lining fan before security stepped in and tackled him to the ground.
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“I only want friends with Beyoncé’s backup dancers’ energy,” wrote one person on Twitter. “Why were Beyoncé and Jay Z’s backup dancers better security than their security team?” questioned another.
The fan was detained by the police, charged with disorderly conduct, and released. There has been no evidence that he wanted anything more than a once-in-a-lifetime selfie from the mega stars. The Carters’ publicist, Yvette Noel-Schure, was quick to issue a statement on her Instagram. “Thank you to all the fans for your concern. They are fine and looking forward to the show tomorrow,” she wrote. Neither Beyoncé or Jay Z have made a statement and their tour appears to be continuing on as planned. Fans flooded the comments section on Noel-Schure’s post, questioning the level of security and why the dancers needed to intervene in the first place.
Two lessons were learned today. One, if hearing Beyoncé and Jay Z makes you want to get up and dance, do it from the audience. Two, don’t mess with The Carters’ backup dancers.