Staying Safe
Nick Jonas bolted off the stage after being flashed with the laser in the middle of the band’s show
The Jonas Brothers’ show in Prague last night, Oct. 15, was interrupted for several minutes after someone flashed a laser pointer at Nick Jonas while he was onstage.
A partial video of the incident shared on social media showed Nick glancing up at the crowd from a piano, then quickly getting up, signaling time out with his hands, and bolting off the stage. Brothers Joe and Kevin reportedly followed and the show stopped as the issue was dealt with.
A representative for the O2 Arena in Prague issued a statement to Variety, saying, “We can confirm that the Jonas Brothers’ performance had to be interrupted for several minutes due to the use of a prohibited laser pointer by the person. The organizing service responded to this fact. After a few minutes, the band continued their performance.”
A rep for the Jonas Brothers did not immediately return Rolling Stone’s request for comment.
Nick’s reaction to the laser pointer comes at a time of heightened focus on concert safety. Just last month, Green Day were quickly ushered offstage during their show in Detroit after an unauthorized drone was spotted above the venue. And in August, Taylor Swift’s concert in Vienna was canceled after authorities arrested two men accused of planning to execute a terror attack at multiple locations in the city.
Recent years have also seen an uptick in strange, sometimes violent audience behavior. Fans have taken to throwing objects at artists onstage (from phones to cremated ashes) or even crashing the stage and hitting performers.
As for the Jonas Brothers, they’re wrapping up a handful of rescheduled European dates on their “Five Albums, One Night” tour. Their final show is scheduled to take place tonight, Oct. 16, in Krakow, Poland.