Falling in Reverse’s Ronnie Radke was caught tossing mic stands into the Vans Warped Tour crowd this weekend, but there was a catch to the whole stunt.
This was essentially a light-hearted (and light-weighted) callback to a 2012 incident in which Radke was charged with both simple and aggravated assault for tossing mic stands into the audience, injuring two concertgoers as a result. But this time around, the mic stands were inflatable.
What Happened at Falling in Reverse’s Long Beach Vans Warped Tour Stop?
Fairly early in the performance, the band stopped down to address the crowd. The Falling in Reverse singer then commented to the side of the stage, “Bring the mic stands out.” He then commented about dropping the mic stand and how that never happens. But when it does he just gives them to the crowd.
But rather than the heavy and potentially damaging mic stand he uses to sing, Radke proceeded to launch a few inflatable mic stands into the audience which harmlessly arrived at their destination.
READ MORE: Falling in Reverse Recruit Hard Rock Singer as New Bassist
Per Setlist.fm, the group played a 15-song set opening with “Prequel” and closing with “Watch the World Burn” while exiting the stage to the triumphant Queen classic, “We Are the Champions.” See fan-shot video of the mic stand gag below.
Ronnie Radke Throws Inflatable Mic Stands Into Warped Tour Crowd
What Originally Happened With Ronnie Radke in 2012?
Falling in Reverse were performing at the FestEvil at Six Flags Great Adventure Fright Fest back in 2012. At the time, he was arrested for tossing four mic stands into the audience and injuring two audience members.
In the aftermath of the incident, Kristin Siebeneicher, spokeswoman for the theme park, shared, “This was the first metal show that we’ve ever had and will be the last. We have no plans to host another metal show … This performer was completely reckless. He had complete disregard for the safety of his fans. His actions were totally unacceptable. It’s not the type of entertainment that we want to be producing.”
The singer eventually posted bail and was released.
In 2020, while speaking on Twitter, Radke was asked how many times he had to apologize for the mic stands. He responded, “I’ve actually never apologized for the micstand event.” He added (in a since deleted tweet), “[Be]cause girl got almost a million dollars for a tiny ass cut and it helped my persona so no apologies.” In an earlier tweet, the singer listed other instances of entertainers injuring spectators, noting that it happens a lot.
Elsewhere, Radke was asked what was the worst mistake or train wreck that had occurred during a show. He responded, “I decided the fans wanted mic stands and threw them into the crowd at six flags banning all bands playing there and paying 900k to the girl that got a half inch cut on her head.”
Falling in Reverse in 2025
The Vans Warped Tour stop in Long Beach essentially served as a nice teaser for a bigger Falling in Reverse tour to come. The group will kick off their “God Is a Weapon” tour on Aug. 10. A variety of acts will provide support on the run including Slaughter to Prevail, Wage War, Hollywood Undead, Tech N9ne, Sleep Theory and Point North.
All Falling in Reverse tour dates and ticketing information can be found through the band’s website.
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Gallery Credit: Lauryn Schaffner