With smart phones and their advanced video recording capabilities now being basically ubiquitous, it’s foreseeable that music fans would want to document their favorite artists live. Cell phones have basically replaced lighters as the go-to concert accessory and are perfect for recording those magical moments at festivals, or a huge drop at a live show. However, DJs have recently expressed their disdain for the omnipresent devices. Just last year, Deadmau5 ranted about how the VIPs at his show were glued to their phone, and even threw a free concert for fans to make up for it.
Now, a video has emerged of Richie Hawtin apparently lashing out at a fan for video recording him during his set at Time Warp. The woman can be seen to Hawtin’s left, recording him with her phone from a modest distance. When the Richie notices her, he pushes a monitor into her which makes contact with her torso and shoves her back several feet. During the ordeal, fans in the crowd can be heard saying “Oh my god!” Since then, Hawtin has taken to his Facebook page to issue an apology (which you can read below). While Hawtin makes a valid point that while during a tense set, cell phone lights and other distractions can be very irritating, the woman’s phone didn’t have a flash on and she was standing several feet away from him, not appearing to cause any type of disruption. Justified outburst or overreaction? Check out the video and decide for yourself.