Singer abuse on stage stops show

Singer Dustin Lynch was forced to stop the show after being hit in the face by a beer can from a disgruntled member of his audience. What started out as a good time for all had a few rough moments Friday night when a fan threw a beer can at the performer. “In 33 years of producing this event, we’ve never had an incident,” said event producer Ron Johnson.

He said the crowd Friday night was “very responsive,” and Lynch was excited by how great the crowd was. At one point, Lynch went backstage and brought out a large bottle of champagne, shaking it and spraying it out over the first few rows of the crowd. “One of the guys out front took offense at being sprayed with champagne,” Johnson said.

The crowd member reacted by throwing a can of beer at Lynch, catching him in the face below the eye, he said. He noted that things often get thrown toward the stage and 99 percent of the time, they don’t make contact with anyone. “Dustin, being the professional that he is, he actually kept the show going,” Johnson said. “He was very positive, loved being here.”

After he had finished the show and signed autographs, EMTs checked the cut. Lynch elected to go onto Atlanta, where he was scheduled to be Saturday, and meet with a plastic surgeon there, Johnson said. He said Niceville PD reacted very quickly, questioning several people. However, reports conflicted and they were unable to determine who had thrown the can.