During a recent Jonas Brothers concert at Prague’s O2 Arena, an unsettling incident occurred when an audience member aimed a laser pointer at Nick Jonas, prompting him to abruptly leave the stage.

The incident was captured in a TikTok video reposted by Pop Base on X, showing Nick Jonas signaling a “timeout” with his hands before hurriedly exiting the stage. The concert, which also featured Nick’s brothers, Joe and Kevin Jonas, was paused temporarily due to this disruption. The Jonas Brothers declined to comment on the incident.

The venue’s spokesperson, however, confirmed to USA TODAY that the concert had to be interrupted for several minutes. “We can confirm that the Jonas Brothers’ performance had to be interrupted for several minutes due to the use of a prohibited laser pointer by someone in the audience,” stated the spokesperson. The organizing service responded immediately to the incident, and after a brief pause, the band continued their performance, returning to the stage to the relief of fans.

Meanwhile, the star performer’s wife Priyanka Chopra made her first public appearance in Mumbai after her husband faced the freak episode at the Prague concert. The actress landed in Mumbai hours after videos of a scared Nick running off stage went viral.

Historical Precedents: Similar Incidents Involving Other Artists

Incidents involving things being thrown at singers during live performances are not an unheard of occurrence. Last summer, several artists faced similar safety issues. From singer Kelsea Ballerini who was hit by a bracelet while performing, to Bebe Rexha who was on the receiving end of a ‘phone attack’ when one of her ‘fans’ threw a phone at her while she was performing, the frequency of these incidents has far from diminished.

Another performer had a fan’s mother’s ashes thrown at her. Later, American pop sensation Taylor Swift was driven to appeal to her fans to not throw things at her during a performance. “It really freaks me out when things are thrown on stage,” she said.

Similarly, Harry Styles was also hit by an object while performing, whereas Billie Eilish  had to dodge items thrown by fans during one of her performances.

Infact, this was not the first time that a laser was aimed at a performer in a live performance, in 2012 a Kanye West concert was disrupted after West stopped to yell at a fan having a laser pointer.

These incidents collectively highlight the need for enhanced security protocols at live events to ensure the safety of performers and spectators alike, and have led to repeated calls for stricter security measures at concert venues.

Recent Developments and Calls for Action

In response to the increasing number of these incidents, there is a growing dialogue among event organizers, security personnel, and performers about how to better protect artists and attendees from such unacceptable behavior. This includes improving security measures, raising awareness among fans about the serious consequences of such actions, and potentially implementing more stringent preventive  measures.