On Thursday night, Lizzo tweeted that shortly after performing at Summerfest in Milwaukee a security guard tackled members of her team.
Lizzo wrote that she would be filing a complaint with Summerfest and that “Racism and bigotry don’t care if you’re a headliner.” The festival replied with the statement:
Lizzo gave an incredible performance which she now feels is tarnished by events which occurred during the performance. We do not tolerate racism in any form. We will conduct a thorough investigation. We have an experienced crowd management staff who strive to protect performers & fans. While there may be challenges during a performance, we expect those challenges to be handled professionally & respectfully. If those standards were not met, we will take appropriate action.
This isn’t the first time a headlining artist has been subjected to violent racism on behalf of people working a music festival. When Dev Hynes performed at Lollapalooza in 2014, he was assaulted by security guards who had been privately hired for the stage, all while wearing a shirt dedicated to Eric Garner, Jordan Davis, and Trayvon Martin. After Lido Pimienta reconfigured her audience at 2017’s Halifax Music Festival to bring women of color to the front, a white volunteer with the event interrupted her set, angrily refusing to step to the back. And just a few months ago, Stormzy pulled out of the Austrian festival Snowbombing because security targeted him and his team after they thought they were carrying weapons.