Nick Jonas Francesco Prandoni/Getty Images
A Jonas Brothers concert at O2 Arena in Prague was delayed briefly after an attendee aimed a laser pointer at Nick Jonas, causing him to quickly leave the stage for safety.
Footage of the incident shows Jonas, 32, making a “time out” sign with his hands, meant to indicate danger to his security team. He then scrambled down the steps to the stage and ran through an aisle, past fans and out of sight.
“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 the person,” an O2 Arena Praha spokesperson told Variety. “The organizing service responded to this fact. After a few minutes, the band continued their performance.”
Jonas has not yet publicly addressed the incident.
While some mocked Jonas for his reaction, his fans jumped to his defense in subsequent posts, pointing out that while the laser pointer posed no real threat, it could have just as easily been from a rifle.
Nick Jonas, Joe Jonas and Kevin Jonas of Jonas Brothers. Francesco Prandoni/Getty Images
“That’s scary! Safety should always come first,” wrote one commenter. “It’s unsettling that someone would do that during a concert. Glad Nick took precautions and hope security handled it quickly.”
“Safety always comes first, and Nick Jonas made the right call,” another added.
“No artist should ever feel threatened while performing. It’s a reminder to respect boundaries and prioritize everyone’s well-being.”
The incident is just another in a concerning trend of performers feeling threatened on stage. It comes two months after Taylor Swift canceled three Eras Tour shows in Austria after authorities learned it was the target of a planned terrorist attack.
“Having our Vienna shows canceled was devastating. The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many people had planned on coming to those shows,” Swift, 34, wrote via Instagram on Wednesday, August 21. “But I was also so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives. I was heartened by the love and unity I saw in the fans who banded together.”
Even before the cancellations, Swift had spoken about her concerns for safety at her shows, citing the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing after an Ariana Grande concert and the mass shooting in Las Vegas during a Jason Aldean performance.
“I was completely terrified to go on tour this time because I didn’t know how we were going to keep 3 million fans safe over seven months,” she wrote in a 2019 essay for Elle.
