Heavy/Getty "American Idol" season 10 winner Scotty McCreery.
Country star Scotty McCreery’s concert at the Colorado State Fair came to an abrupt halt on August 24, 2024, when the 2011 “American Idol” winner said he witnessed an assault in the audience.
Videos taken by concertgoers have spread online, showing the moment when McCreery, 30, suddenly stopped singing and said he’d just witnessed a man in the audience hit a woman. Though officials have not released the man’s name or said whether he was arrested, they have confirmed the incident happened and that an investigation is underway, according to USA Today.
In one widely circulated video taken by concertgoer Jessica Rosario, McCreery can be seen starting to sing his 2022 hit “It Matters To Her” when he suddenly points to the crowd and exclaims, “Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey — right here, right here! That’s a lady you just hit, sir!”
The country crooner’s band immediately stopped playing, and McCreery called authorities over to an area near the front of the stage where other concertgoers were animatedly pointing to the alleged perpetrator.
Scotty McCreery Called the Fan the ‘Definition of a Coward’ From Stage
Pointing to the area where he said he witnessed the assault, McCreery could be seen in video footage exclaiming to a group near the front of the stage, “Absolutely not! Who just hit the lady? Get — police, security. Is she okay? Get the heck out of here!”
While he waited for officials to handle the ordeal, the singer said, “On God’s green earth — at a Scotty McCreery show? What are you doing?”
After a few moments, McCreery drew cheers when he implored the group of fans, “Y’all let the cop know who hit the lady because that’s absolutely unacceptable.”
McCreery waited again before announcing, “They got him. We all good? Y’all good down there?”
“Whoever you are,” he continued, “that’s the definition of a coward, hitting a lady. Get the heck out of here, y’all.”
A spokesperson for the Colorado State Fair told local news station KKTV in a statement, “We can confirm that an incident took place at the Scotty McCreery concert where a man assaulted a woman and the performer stopped the show.
“Colorado State Fair security assisted with crowd control,” the statement continued, according to KKTV. “This incident is still under investigation and we cannot comment further. However, anyone who has video or other images of the incident is encouraged to share it with Colorado State Fair security at csf.security@state.co.us.”
Fans Praise Scotty McCreery for Being a ‘Class Act’ as Videos Go Viral
Just before the incident at his Colorado concert, McCreery — who just scored his sixth No. 1 country single with “Cab in a Solo,” which he performed on “Idol” in April — could be seen in video footage telling the crowd that he was about to perform his wife Gabi McCreery’s favorite song, his 2022 hit “It Matters To Her.”
“I have written her God-knows-how-many songs over the years, we’ve been together a long time,” he said of his wife, a pediatric nurse. “But this next one is her favorite by far.”
“It Matters To Her” is especially meaningful to the McCreerys, because the music video features their pregnancy journey with their son Avery, who turns two on October 24. The singer frequently features his little family on social media and told Everything Nash in mid-August that he has a crib on his tour bus so they can travel with him everywhere.
As videos of him stopping his concert in Colorado have gone viral, fans have heralded him for being a “class act,” including one who tweeted, “@ScottyMcCreery is a stand -up guy for sure …will not tolerate that behaviour at any cost . He handled it well without any cussing,screaming !! #CLASSACT That behaviour totally not acceptable anywhere !”
Another tweeted, “Saw you stop your show so they could take out a ‘man’…and I use the term loosely…who hit a woman. You are applauded.”
On McCreery’s Facebook page, which has been flooded with gratitude from fans, one wrote, “What you did on stage at the Colorado State Fair in Pueblo was such an awesome example of using power for good. You stood up for someone, you called someone out. It was beautiful and powerful.! That right there is how it’s done. You’re my new hero! Thank you, Scotty McCreery. You’re the Man! We could all follow your lead.”
McCreery has not commented on the ordeal. He’s scheduled to be on tour through early December.
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Investigation Launched After Scotty McCreery Stops Concert, Accusing Fan of Assault