Woman Tries to Crash Musician's Set, He's Forced to Take Desperate Measures

Newsweek

21 hours ago

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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A musician was forced to take drastic action after a woman gate-crashed a recent gig, in an incident caught on camera.
Aaron W. Evans has been performing in bars and other live venues across the United Kingdom for over a decade. "I turned professional at the start of this year, and play 3-5 gigs a week, whether that be pubs, weddings, care homes or anything else in between," Evans told Newsweek.
Though it can be exhausting work, with often unsociable hours, the adrenaline rush Evans feels while on stage has never diminished.
"I love hearing people sing along," he said. "Nothing compares to playing a recognizable opening riff, or singing the first line of a huge track and hearing the collective reaction around the room. Nothing I've found in life beats that."
According to the American Psychological Association, music is capable of relieving some of the symptoms of depression and elevating mood. Research has shown that music can boost the brain's production of dopamine and serotonin, and also reduce cortisol levels.
Music can also lead to some undesirable outcomes, particularly when combined with alcohol. Evans discovered this during an incident he was able to capture on camera.
"I film all of my gigs," he said. "Mainly to extract good clips for social media and advertising, but also in the event that something does happen to me, or any of my equipment, I have sufficient video evidence to be able to claim damages through my public liability insurance."
On this particular occasion, he filmed a woman in the crowd who attempted to disrupt Evans's gig while he was singing a version of the Eurythmics hit "Sweet Dreams."
Up until that point, Evans said there was "no indication" that he would be in for a difficult set.
Aaron Evans found himself being unexpectedly approached by a woman in the crowd while singing at a pub.
Aaron Evans found himself being unexpectedly approached by a woman in the crowd while singing at a pub.
TikTok/aaronwevans
"I'm very used to groups of people enjoying themselves over a few drinks, and that night in question was immediately after the last Premier League game, so was busier than normal and rowdier too," he said.
"The lady in the video was in a group with a few other women, and weren't problematic in the slightest to begin with. They were singing along and enjoying themselves at their table."
Evans usually plays "Sweet Dreams" to finish his set and said that, as he got nearly halfway through the song, "nothing seemed out of the ordinary." As the video shows, that quickly changed, as the woman made her way over to where Evans was playing.
"She asked to use the microphone, and I shook my head to indicate I wasn't going to allow that," Evans said.
"She lingered by my side for a second and then began to dance, leaning into me as I was playing. After a few seconds, I realized she wasn't going to stop, so put a little distance between us to try and discourage her from touching me. She adjusted, and shifted her weight towards me, standing on my loop station."
Eager to avoid any "further risk" of damage to his equipment or even himself, Evans decided to cut the song short.
"She went back over to her friends and nothing further was said," Evans said. "One of her friends apologized to me through laughter as I made my way off stage."
Despite the disruption, Evans understands things like this can happen. "I suppose it's part and parcel of playing in pubs and bars where alcohol is readily available," he said.
Evans decided to share the video on his TikTok account, @aaronwevans, "in the hope of showing people that boundaries absolutely must be respected at all times."
"If one person sees the video and thinks twice before making their way into a musician's space, then it will have done what I intended for," he said.
It has certainly had a big impact, with 5.5 million views and counting.
Not all of the comments on the video have been supportive. "You should have let her sing. It's a pub and she was having a good time," one user said.
Though Evans has a "thick skin" to negative comments, he feels some crossed a line with "abhorrent" remarks about his appearance and abilities. His response to trolls is: "Be kind, be respectful, and make the world a happier place."