Dustin Lynch Injured / Hit in the Face with Full Beer Can
Mullet Festival Facebook Page
Friday night’s otherwise peaceful festivities at the 38th Annual Boggy Bayou Mullet Festival in Niceville, FL were temporarily interrupted when a patron threw a full beer can at Dustin Lynch on stage, causing a gash below his left eye that had the performer in the hospital receiving stitches. The incident also caused a small brawl to ensue in the crowd where the beer can was thrown from.
“We had an excellent show, beautiful weather, and had a very large Friday night crowd which just kept growing,” event producer Ron Johnson explained to Saving Country Music. “We’ve been doing this for 38 years and never had an incident. There was so much energy level being created by the band and Dustin, he came back off the stage and got a large champagne bottle. We have a runway which goes out into the audience, and he shook up the bottle and sprayed it off the end of that runway onto a good bit of people. And when he did that, one of the people that got sprayed took offense to it, and immediately threw a can up.”
As can be seen in the video below at roughly the 1:35 mark, after Lynch sprayed the crowd, the beer can hit him right as his bass player came out on the runway. “I was walking down the catwalk and just wham, out of nowhere this beer can just nailed me in the face,” Dustin Lynch told People Magazine. “It was a completely full can and it felt like a baseball had hit me.”
But the show went on with blood dripping down Dustin’s face. “Dustin just handled himself incredibly,” says Ron Johnson. “After getting hit, instead of being negative and upset he said, ‘Hey, I’m not going to stop.’ He finished his show, great attitude, great show, and after he actually came out and gave out photos and autographs. It was a great night, and he handled himself very professionally.”
Meanwhile the beer thrower is still at large, though authorities have numerous videos to help track the individual down. “We have actually found him on video and pinpointed him out. Now we have a reward out just to identify him. We have a $1,000 reward to identify who this gentleman is.”
Ron Johnson says the incident is unusual for the festival. “We’ve had lots of things thrown, just people being stupid, but never where something actually landed on one of the entertainers. It just happened to be one of those freak things where it landed perfectly. And when he did that, the gentleman that threw it, the people that were around him, it ticked them off, and they started pushing him. They took retribution on the guy. And that’s when the ‘if you want to call it’ brawl happened against him. We had plenty of security everywhere, but trying to get in to those people, it took some time for police and security.”
Ron Johnson says he was at the side of the stage witnessing the whole thing close to where it happened. “We don’t even have fights here. It sounds strange when you have Niceville, but this is truly ‘Niceville.’ It’s like going to paradise. I do events all over the Southeast, and this is one of the best events we do anywhere. It just one of those things where he reacted to getting sprayed.”
October 19, 2014 @ 8:39 am
Well his music may suck but atleast he don’t let one person ruin it for everyone.
October 19, 2014 @ 8:42 am
It’s not unusual anymore. It’s creepy and cruel. The crowds have become like animals. A human wormpile.
It’s an assault. It could have been worse and hit him in the eye. A recent man on the news lost his eyesight from a paintball fight. I hope they find the creep who did this and press charges.
October 19, 2014 @ 9:07 am
Sucks for him and it shouldn’t have happened, but that’s what you get when you intentionally target the audience whose preferred pastime is getting shitfaced and acting like dumbasses.
October 19, 2014 @ 10:08 am
Agreed, if Country music and it’s “stars” want to spend every waking moment targeting the college age crowd, don’t be surprised when you get these kind of results. Not that middle aged people are any better in a lot of cases, it probably has a lot to do with targeting the low IQ crowd who can barely form a sentence together, much less have a deep, meaningful thought.
October 19, 2014 @ 11:21 am
But the question remains: do you really need to know how to string a sentence together if you can throw beer cans? 😉
October 19, 2014 @ 9:49 am
I’ve never really been a Dustin Lynch fan, but I admire the hell out of him for staying and finishing the show. Even staying to sign autographs before going to hospital. That’s pretty awesome of him.
October 19, 2014 @ 9:55 am
I hope they catch the idiot that did this and charge him. I’m sick of seeing this at shows, country, rock, jam bands, whatever. Its uncalled for.
October 19, 2014 @ 9:58 am
really?…a full beer? they couldn’t find a shoe or a half eaten hot dog to throw at him so they wasted an entire beer?..smh. you’d never see this shit at a Parker Millsap show, those craft beers are to expensive to be whipping at the entertainment.
October 19, 2014 @ 12:20 pm
That Was A Cold One.
October 20, 2014 @ 5:53 pm
Thats still like 10 bucks hitting Dustin’s Face
October 19, 2014 @ 10:01 am
The dude’s just trying to innocently transition from a Def Leppard song to a White Stripes song while pissing champagne all over everyone – and !BAM! – beer to the eye! Now THAT’s country!
October 19, 2014 @ 1:13 pm
Exactly. disrespecting the crowd in so many ways, not saying it should have happened but not surprised. With country musicians trying to emulate rock musician antics, what’s next, a fan ‘shower’ a la Shannon Noon?
October 19, 2014 @ 11:02 am
‘and then i got hit out of nowhere’ well no, it was after you sprayed the audience with alcohol like a tard
October 19, 2014 @ 11:42 am
Something about spraying champagne seems so un-country and out of place at a concert like this. And why did he do it at the beginning of the show? Wouldn’t it be more in line with the audience to like, I don’t know, pour beer all over himself or something? Champagne seems to luxury to fit his intended audience.
October 19, 2014 @ 11:53 am
A lot of offensives committed by Lynch in that clip – “Pour Some Sugar on Me” and instigating the crowd by spraying them with champagne – but, no one deserves a hit that close to his eye.
October 19, 2014 @ 12:27 pm
I know I’d be pissed if anybody, even a “star”, sprayed me with anything. I like to think I wouldn’t throw a full beer, but I’m not sure I’m above reacting with whatever’s in my hand. I don’t go to Gallagher shows, don’t expect that spraying at a “country” show.
October 19, 2014 @ 6:43 pm
But when Eric Church sprays beer all over the crowd it’s cool but not Dustin Lynch? Either way no artist deserves what happened
October 20, 2014 @ 9:31 am
I don’t think anybody on these comments ever said it was cool that Eric Church sprays beer at the crowd. I don’t want to be sprayed with anything at a show, especially if it’s gonna smell afterward and make.
October 19, 2014 @ 2:22 pm
I don’t blame the person for being mad because Dustin DID make the first move by spraying the crowd, but I don’t believe that he deserved what was done to him in return either. If it had been me, I would have found a way for him to hear me say to him, “Please do not do that especially if respect is what you are wanting out of us. If you want some, you have to SHOW some first.”
God bless you and Dustin always!!!
Holly in East Tennessee
P.S. I don’t understand why spraying the crowd is done at all by those do it. What are they wanting to have happen after they have done it or WHILE they are doing it? And if booze are what they choose to spray the crowds with, what they need to start doing from now on is consider the fact that not every one on this planet drinks such crap. If they want some consideration out of us, they should show some for us first!
October 19, 2014 @ 2:43 pm
This story would be better if he had sprayed the crowd with Faygo.
October 19, 2014 @ 2:54 pm
Hey Trigger, does this one go under the yankee or redneck concert violence tally list?
October 19, 2014 @ 10:15 pm
“38th Annual Boggy Bayou Mullet Festival in Niceville, FL.”
“Redneck”. 😉
October 19, 2014 @ 3:41 pm
This happens at shows all the time. Most of the time the guys on stage actually ya know, catch it.
October 19, 2014 @ 6:56 pm
Whoever threw the beer is a jerk, period. I hope they can figure out who he is and if not legally prosecute him, at least ban him from the venue. A full can of beer hitting your head can do serious damage. It is basically close to a brick. I was hit in the head with one at a Goddamn Gallows show and my vision literally went black. It was the same night some dummy threw a glass bottle up and hit Joe Perreze right in the hand. Totally uncalled for.
October 19, 2014 @ 7:03 pm
Don’t believe the BS this is a drunken fest that’s full of fights. I know I live here. To say nothing like this never has happened to total PR Bullshit.
October 19, 2014 @ 7:03 pm
Whoever threw the can had no business throwing it; it was a colossal dick move. However, I will say, that if an artist is going to be spraying any kind of a liquid into the crowd as Lynch did, he should let the venue know ahead of time so they can designate the reachable area of the spray as a potential “splash zone” so people know what they are in for.
Again, that’s not meant to justify the throwing of the can which injured him, only an observation that if “musicians” are going to make their shows more of a spectacle than about the music, then they should warn the attendance of such in advance.
October 19, 2014 @ 7:32 pm
It takes a special kind of dumbass to waste a full beer
October 19, 2014 @ 8:42 pm
He took it like a champ when it hit him. His music still sucks, though.
October 19, 2014 @ 8:50 pm
The mullet festival is nothing but a bunch of drunks on Friday and Saturday nights. I’m sure people didn’t like being sprayed with whatever. When you get a bunch of drunks together and they retaliate this is what you get. At least he finished the show and did the photo and autograph session.
October 20, 2014 @ 5:41 am
Dear musical artists,
If I’m not at a GWAR show, I don’t want to be sprayed with unwanted substances. Just a heads up. Don’t pelt the crowd with something that’s going to stink for the rest of the night, create a funny situation if they’re sober enough to drive home but get pulled over, and who the fuck wants to smell funny and be sticky from getting champagne all over themselves? No one. Dustin Lynch, your concerts are not a pennant or World Series victory. Leave the cork in the fucking bottle.
Nevertheless, this is assault, and hopefully they catch the dumbass who did it.
“Cowboys and Angels” turned out to be one of the most misleading lead singles in recent “country” history. This kid hits it big with a substantial, catchy song with lots of fiddle, and then he proceeds to release pop country trash. Jackass.
For the record, he’s another artist with several great album cuts. “Hurricane” is by and far the best song he’s ever co-written and recorded, and off of his new album, “Mind Reader” is pretty damn good. I haven’t heart the rest of it, and probably won’t.
October 20, 2014 @ 12:10 pm
I agree about ” Hurricane” – problem is his career is not his own- so that song is rare.
October 20, 2014 @ 10:09 pm
I just wanted you to know that Cowboys and Angels and Hurricane have different producers than Mind Reader and most of the songs off of his sophomore album. Luke Wooten and Brett Beavers did the whole 1st album.. they’re the guys who did Dierks’ early stuff & Kellie Pickler.. now his producer is Mickey Jack Cones, who does Aldean’s stuff. Point is, I’m sure a lot of the decision to release ‘pop country trash’ isn’t his, he probably listens to the label who put him with a new producer. Just an educated guess, although I do think Dustin could’ve had more push back on maintaining more ‘country’ in his country. (His motto was “stay country”.. ) I’m disappointed in him for changing producers, but there are some gems on his new album. He hasn’t completely sold out yet. Give “Your Daddy’s Boots” “American Prayer” and “Middle of Nowhere” a listen to. Especially “Your Daddy’s Boots”.. just try that one and see what you think. It’s country. Same producers as “Cowboys & Angels”
October 20, 2014 @ 5:49 am
Props to him for finishing the show and even coming back out for pictures and autographs for fans. It would have been easy for him to get mad and leave the stage after being hit. Can’t say I blame the fan for retaliating after being sprayed with champagne – who wants to pay $$$ for a ticket and then spend half the night soaked with alcohol?
Sidenote: I’ve worked quite a few concerts (all genres) at an arena setting. Depending on the artist, there is sometimes a pour only rule where vendors have to pour the beer in plastic cups for patrons. Never really understood why, but this answers it. Plastic cups aren’t going to do harm like a full can of beer.
October 20, 2014 @ 9:12 am
I don’t see what all the fuss is about. Dustin shared his champagne with the fans, and a fan decided to share his beer with Dustin. It’s not his fault Dustin didn’t catch the damn thing.
October 20, 2014 @ 11:17 am
Dustin lynch is kinda like the best of the bad in my opinion. He’s almost like a guilty pleasure. He has some really good album cuts “cowboys and angles”, “hurricane”, “American prayer”, “world to me”, “she wants a cowboy”. His song “your daddy’s boots” is one of the best songs from a mainstream artist I can think of
October 20, 2014 @ 9:49 pm
Agreed about the album cuts. Even his poppy songs are catchy as shit (Rock You Sweet comes to mind), but She Cranks My Tractor was nearly unforgivable.
October 21, 2014 @ 10:01 am
Champagne dude? Spraying champagne? You don’t deserve the beer bottle/can in the face, but seriously…go grab a beer and drink it with the crowd. Go grab a red cup of whatever, drink with the crowd.
Champagne, might as well have walked out with Chanel No. 5 and sprayed some around.
He handled it well though… and I like the jab at the fat ass cops that finally responded 2 min. later. If they would put the bag of chips down and walk the crowd at shows like this, maybe it would deter people. You don’t like having to deal with crowds and shows like this? Then don’t be a cop.
October 21, 2014 @ 12:18 pm
BAHAWAHAHAHAAA!!!!
October 26, 2014 @ 11:05 am
It was cold out and this clown sprayed the crowd unexpectedly. Hes lucky the crowd didn’t do worse.
July 15, 2016 @ 6:06 pm
the culprit has been revealed to be…taylor swift why? two reasons
1. he completely ripped off the opening riff from style in his new single seein red
2. because his new single that rips off the riff completely sucks
March 7, 2017 @ 6:54 pm
I am too late responding this but the person should be thrown out after what he did. that was stupid what he did he could hurt Dustin Lynch. Dustin music isn’t great lately but quit throwing beer at the performer what a dickhead move on that person he should be arrested. for this.