In an Instagram Live stream, Ari Lennox has opened up about the "tough and heavy" experience she had opening for Rod Wave during his most recent tour.
The Dreamville-signed singer-songwriter—who was subjected to tough and even aggressive crowds in her opening slot for Rod Wave—said that she was "never comfortable" throughout the tour. "I just remember every show, just racing to get off stage, racing to get through my set," she shared. "And then I found a spot where I was comfortable, and I started trying to communicate with the audience. Then I realized they were getting angry at me affirming them. I was like, 'Okay this is... You're getting angry that I'm affirming you?' This is not my crowd, and it'll never be. And that's alright."
Ultimately, she described the tour as "tough and heavy on my soul," especially the day when a member of the crowd threw a bottle at her. "That side of the stage, I felt the energy," she said. "I wasn't surprised that it happened. I felt it. It was just all darkness, that's literally the energy that was coming from the left side."
In further comments during the stream, per The Shade Room, the 32-year-old said that she could be "singing [her] ass off," but the crowd still wouldn't "give a shit." Lennox joined Wave for the 35-date tour, which also featured rapper Toosii as an opening act. She said in comparison, Toosii would get an enthusiastic response from fans.
In November last year, Lennox directly addressed the difficult crowd after someone threw a water bottle directly at her. The bottle struck her in the arm and she was later escorted off the stage early as a result of the incident.
"Bitch, don't fucking play with me, stop that shit," Lennox said. "I'll fuck you up from here. Who the fuck did it? Who the fuck did it, I'll fuck your ass up cause I don't play that. I'm a real ass bitch, and I will fuck your shit all the way the fuck up. Don't you ever disrespect a beautiful black woman on the stage like that. I will fucking fuck you up. Yes, the fuck right, we get it bitch."
The following concert, she showed up on stage with a red helmet and facemask. "I don’t know, should I keep this shit on or what?” she asked the audience.
