Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, and Concert Video

June 25, 2008: "Trouble finds Tim McGraw at Washington show"
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It was the concert from hell for Faith Hill and Tim McGraw.

Lafayette, Louisiana's Cajundome was the site of a rather unpleasant evening for the couple.

First, a fan pulled a ring off Tim McGraw's hand while he was performing a song. During the song, McGraw said, "Give me my ring back," and signaled security for help.

Watch video of the incident here.

(Note: sweet4mcgraw disputes the stolen ring story reported by KATC.

"And to comment about the ring incident. The lady didn't take Tim's ring. It had fallen off earlier and Tim noticed at that moment it was gone and 'assumed' it was stolen. It was a HUGE misunderstanding. The security had found it on the stage, I believe was said. I know this bc I'm a Tim McGraw fan club member and a fan that WAS there and WAS sitting right by this girl SAW everything")

There's more.

WKRN reports:

The couple was doing an encore song at the lowest level of the stage when a female fan groped McGraw.

That set off Hill.

..."Somebody needs to teach you..."

Right the fan’s face Hill said, "Somebody needs to teach you some class my friend."

Hill paused and then said, “You don't go grabbing' somebody else's… somebody's husbands privates, you understand me?”

This is a bit inaccurate. Hill didn't say "privates." She was more specific than that.

After another pause she said, “That's very disrespectful."

It certainly is disrespectful.

In Wisconsin, I think that would be fourth degree sexual assault.

KATC3 has an interview with Lori Poiencot, the woman that captured on video Hill reprimanding the unruly fan with the wandering hands.

Naturally, that video ended up on YouTube and TMZ.

Poiencot pulled the YouTube posting, but the one on TMZ can be seen here.



So was Hill out of line to berate the fan?

Of course not.

I don't think there's any question about it.

Was her choice of words a bit crass and out of line?

Certainly not as out of line as the fan's behavior.

Poiencot's video of Hill's reaction could bring her some big bucks.

Poiencot shot the video that shows Hill spouting off on a fan who grabbed her husband's crotch on stage.

"You don't go grabbin' somebody else's -- somebody's husband's... you understand me? that's very disrespectful," said Hill to the crowd of 11,000. "It was surreal - we didn't think she was saying that but she was speaking so clearly - we realized she really was sticking up for her husband," says Poiencot.

Monday morning - Poiencot and her fiance put the video up on YouTube. Before they removed it later in the day it received 80,000 hits. It's still up on tmz.com - and now Poiencot has signed an agreement to get a share of the revenue if it's sold overseas or to the tabloids.

Lori Poiencot admits she questioned Hill's choice of words - but she believes the video shows the country star in a positive light - fighting for her husband. "I think the people of Lafayette are really good people and I don't think that incident should hold them back from coming."

The video is all over the web, and could appear on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live Tuesday night. Cajundome director Greg Davis does not expect the incident to make musicians think twice about coming to Lafayette. He says no one was thrown out of the concert, and the production went off without a hitch.

This incident brings to mind Beyonce's fall seen 'round the world, courtesy of the Internet.

Sony BMG claimed copyright infringement and tried, unsuccessfuly, to purge the web of images of Beyonce tumbling down a flight of stairs. It was a futile attempt.

As far as I know, Warner Bros., Hill's label, didn't respond in the same manner at all.

There's no difference between the two incidents in terms of a fan capturing a moment at an artist's concert and posting the video on the Internet.

Poiencot even signed an agreement to profit from her video.

Warner Bros. doesn't seem to mind.

Interesting.

Warner Bros. doesn't have a problem with footage being circulated of Hill telling a fan to keep her paws off her husband's "balls."

Sony couldn't bear the thought of footage being circulated of Beyonce falling during a concert.

Bottom line:

---The offending fan should be charged and face the consequences for the grope. The fan deserves more than just humiliation as a punishment. The price of admission to the concert doesn't include grabbing the star's crotch.

---Faith Hill did the right thing.

---Sony BMG is far more oppressive and heavy handed when it comes to dealing with fans than Warner Bros.