DâAngelo Fans Upset Performer is Not Shirtless During Live Shows, Threaten Lawsuit
In the midst of his world tour to promote his newest album, Black Messiah, performer DâAngelo has faced a surprising backlash from some fans. During his tour, the singer/songwriter has worn mesh tops, social-political messages scrawled across t-shirts, and ruffled tops. But the on thing he has not done is gone shirtless, and this has seemed to upset some of his most loyal fans.âI didnât come to a show for music alone,â Says Raykeesha Johnson of Cincinnati, Ohio. âIâve been waiting a long time for DâAngelo to come back around. I was fixen to throw my unmentionables the moment he took his shirt off. But he went the whole show with a top on!âDâAngelo made waves with his music video âUntitled (How Does it Feel)â off his album Voodoo in 2000. The video had DâAngelo standing naked with an all-black background, singing his song. The video was an unbridled success, but came with a price. From that point on, DâAngelo felt he was an object of desire, and his music came second.âMy songs started being drown out by women screaming for me to take my clothes off. After a while I started to just stand on stage with no shirt just to get it out of the way. That didnât help either. They always wanted more.âThe artist then went into hiding for over a decade after Voodoo, working on producing music for others rather than make his own. In late 2014, DâAngelo reemerged and released Black Messiah. The album has been a successful return to form for the artist, but the struggles on stage have returned just as quickly.âI just want some of that gorgeous man,â said enthused fan, Regina Hamilton. âI became a woman to Voodoo. And now Iâm ready to get my groove back with Black Messiah, child. I canât have him wearing no shirts on stage. I paid good money to see that manâs body. If I donât get it, Iâm going to sue the hell out of his entertainment company, producer, booker â anyone I can until I see that him without his clothes.ââI was hoping a little weight gain and time would have removed their interest,â said DâAngelo. Who has already had to stop three shows short due to fan interruptions. One show included a shower of boos and jeers until he took his shirt and scarf. âBut ticket sales are down because fans are warning Iâm not performing shirtless. I guess thereâs just no running from it. Weâre looking to change some of the dynamics of the show to fit fansâ needs.âThe dynamics DâAngelo mentioned include a two-story picture of him standing naked, as well as a hologram that will strip on stage during his shows. There is also an industrial size vacuum being used to collect undergarments thrown on stage by fans.