Following Coldplay’s now infamous “kiss cam” fail that put two tech execs on the Internet’s viral hit list, other musicians are getting in on the joke.
Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher extended a cheeky, profanity laced, welcome to unfaithful fans at the British rock band’s reunion show in Manchester, England, on Sunday (July 20).
“Do we have any lovebirds in the house?” he asked the crowd. “Don’t worry, we don’t got any of that Coldplay snidey (expletive) camera s—. Doesn’t matter to us who you’re (expletive) mingling with…. It’s none of our (expletive) business.”
Country singer Morgan Wallen also reassured his fans at a concert in Arizona on July 18.
“Anybody in here with their side chick, or whatever, I think you’re safe here,” he told the audience, in a video shared to social media.
He added, however, “I don’t condone cheating – anymore.”
That same night, Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger issued a warning before pointing a camera at fans during his Summer of ’99 and Beyond Festival performance in Wisconsin.
“Now if you’re here with somebody you’re not supposed to be here with, just duck,” he quipped.
American Idol judge Luke Bryan also referenced the incident during a tour stop in South Carolina on Thursday, July 17.
“Who’s here with their secretary tonight?” the singer asked the crowd as he warned them of cameras in the venue, as seen in a video shared to TikTok. “Don’t get caught tonight.”
It all began on July 16, at Coldplay’s Gillette Stadium show in Foxborough, Massachusetts, where a “kiss cam” zoomed in on a couple who appeared to be enjoying the concert while in a tender embrace.
But after they abruptly pulled away and hid their faces from view as they realised they were on camera, Martin joked to the crowd that “either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.”
Internet sleuths quickly identified them as Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and the company’s chief people officer, Kristin Cabot – both of whom are married to other people.
The incident eventually led to Byron’s resignation. The New York-based company, which has offices in San Jose and San Francisco, confirmed the move Saturday (July 19), citing the importance of leadership accountability.
“Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met,” Astronomer said in a statement.
As memes flooded platforms, sports mascots across the US. eagerly jumped on the trend too.
At a Phillies game in Philadelphia on Friday, the team’s mascot recreated the moment on the jumbotron with over-the-top drama. The Arizona Diamondbacks’ D. Baxter the Bobcat embraced a Cardinals fan before mimicking the original duo’s evasive manoeuvres.
Even ESPN’s SportsCenter anchors Randy Scott and Gary Striewski gave the bit a cold-open spin, complete with dramatic camera pans and mock heartbreak.
At Coldplay’s show at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin, on Saturday, frontman Chris Martin addressed the controversy with a wink.
“We’d like to say hello to some of you in the crowd,” Martin said. “How we’re going to do that is we’re going to use our cameras and put some of you on the big screen. So please, if you haven’t done your makeup, do your makeup now.”
During The Jumbotron Song no couples were featured.
Meanwhile, Astronomer’s newly appointed interim CEO Pete DeJoy, a co-founder of the data software firm, attempted to smooth over the controversy.
“The spotlight has been unusual and surreal for our team and, while I would never have wished for it to happen like this, Astronomer is now a household name,” he wrote on LinkedIn. “But our story is very much still being written.”
DeJoy added that Astronomer has “never shied away from challenges.”
“And yet, we’re still here,” he wrote. “We’re here because Astronomer is built by people who live to solve hard problems, stay late to fix what’s broken, and care deeply about doing things the right way. We’re here because our customers trust us with their most ambitious data & AI projects. And, most importantly, we’re here because the mission is bigger than any one moment.” – San Francisco Chronicle/Tribune News Service
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