Country music superstar Miranda Lambert recently found herself in the middle of a social media storm, yet it seems she remains unfazed by the criticisms surrounding her recent performances. As you may already know, Lambert is currently delighting fans with a headlining residency in Las Vegas. However, a particular incident during one of her live shows has captured widespread attention.
This story began to unfold during her heartfelt performance of “Tin Man.” Reports surfaced that Lambert stopped the show when she noticed a fan, who had eagerly bought a ticket, snapping a quick “selfie.” Seizing the moment, Lambert decided to direct her attention to this fan right in the middle of her act.
She addressed the crowd, stating, “I’m gonna stop for a minute,” and proceeded to request the woman—caught mid-selfie—to put down her phone and truly absorb the music being performed.
“These girls are worried about their selfie and not listening to the song, it’s pissing me off a little bit. Sorry, I don’t like it at all. We’re here to hear some country music tonight. I’m singing some country damn music,” Lambert firmly expressed to her fans, eliciting cheers from attendees who seemed to appreciate her stance.
After this brief interruption, Lambert picked up where she left off, continuing her performance with the encouragement of the crowd backing her call out of the “selfie-takers.”
But if folks thought this was just a one-time occurrence, Lambert’s next concert proved otherwise. Pausing her performance again, she playfully pointed out a fan sporting a t-shirt reading, “Shoot tequila, not selfies,” a phrase she clearly found amusing.
“Her shirt says, ‘Shoot tequila, not selfies,’ Lambert informed the audience with a hint of amusement. “She did it, I didn’t!”
However, not everyone was laughing along. Criticism swirled on social media, with several users expressing their disappointment. “Wow! Can’t believe this is her response to her rudeness,” remarked one individual. Others criticized Lambert for potentially alienating her dedicated fanbase. “Way to embarrass and shame your loyal fans who adore you,” one Twitter user lamented, suggesting she could have taken a lighter approach by posing with the fans first before reminding them to savor the concert experience.
“Going to a concert is about creating an experience and a memory. If someone wants to take a picture to document that memory, they should be able to,” another tweet pointed out.
The fan at the heart of the selfie incident, Adela Calin, has since spoken out. She shared her side of the story, along with her snapshots from that memorable night. Calin explained it “was 30 seconds at most,” as they swiftly captured their picture before resuming their seats—indicating their intent to swiftly settle back without disruption.
Yet, before they could, Lambert’s attention had already been drawn to them, leading to the public call-out. Calin, feeling deeply affected, confessed she was “appalled” by Lambert’s approach, which left her with an echo of her schooldays, evoking memories of being reprimanded.
“It felt like I was back at school with the teacher scolding me for doing something wrong and telling me to sit down back in my place,” Calin recounted, emphasizing their true intentions as “grown women in our 30s to 60s trying to take a picture,” rather than anything vain or immature as implied by the on-stage confrontation.
