An Australian influencer’s bid to cause mayhem at a Lady Gaga concert failed to get of the ground when he was booted out of the arena before she took the stage.
Johnson Wen, who uses the moniker “Pyjama Man” on social media, has a history of rushing concert stages and sporting events and ambushing celebrities.
But whatever he was planning for Gaga’s gig failed to get off the ground when he was escorted from the Suncorp Stadium in the Australian city of Brisbane by security guards before the American superstar took the stage, videos posted on social media showed.
Wen, 26, did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment, but shortly after the incident he said on Instagram that he had been “kicked out” of the show before it began as fans were “booing” him.
It is unclear whether Gaga, who will close the Australian leg of her tour with a two shows in Sydney on Friday and Saturday, was aware of the incident.
Wen’s ejection came weeks after he jumped over a barricade and charged toward Ariana Grande at the Singapore premiere of “Wicked: For Good.” Video showed Wen running toward the “We Can’t be Friends” singer and briefly putting his arm around her before co-star Cynthia Erivo and others intervened.
Erivo and co-star Michelle Yeoh could then be seen comforting Grande. “I just wanted to make sure my friend was safe,” Erivo told NBC News after the incident.
Wen, who also stormed the stage at a Katy Perry concert in Sydney earlier this year, was subdequently jailed for nine days for public nuisance before the city-state deported back to Australia.
The incident drew criticism from fans of Grande, 32, who has previously spoken about dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder after a 2017 bombing at her concert in Manchester, England, which killed 22 people.
Suncorp Stadium did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment, but in a statement to The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper it said that it had been “made aware by the tour that a known serial offender may attempt to attend and disrupt tonight’s concert.”
“In the interest of the artist’s safety this individual was deemed a person of interest and not to be allowed to attend,” it said. “Due to the excellent work by the venue’s diligent security team, an individual matching the description was identified and passed on to police before the show began,” it said.
Wen has a history of rushing concert stages and sporting events and ambushing celebrities, including at a Katy Perry concert in Sydney in June.
