The KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas was going just fine this weekend. On Saturday, December 9th, Queens of the Stone Age were playing. I saw them on this current run and they put on a great show, and one thing that impressed me at the time was that Homme stopped the show to break up a fight in the crowd, and talked about how the evening was not about fighting but coming together.
So, much to my surprise, a video has surfaced when it is in fact Homme who is being violent. Homme was riffing on a solo very close to the edge of the stage, where you could see a ton of professional photographers. These are not fans, these are pros who got approval from the venue, and likely the band, to shoot the show. Then, out of nowhere, Homme kicks the camera of Shutterstock photographer Chelsea Lauren. In the below video, you can see Lauren drop down in pain. She noted that she ended up spending the night in the emergency room because the pain was so bad:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bcg3ffCjXBw/
Chelsea posted his point of view photos from the moment of the incident on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BciIUG4Dh1-/
Variety noted the gig also featured Homme cutting his forehead open with a knife (similar to the wrestling act of "blading") and mocking the night's headliners, Muse, and calling the audience retards. It was a busy night for Homme, and his agents claim he was not under the influence of any drugs.
He did initially issue this apology:
https://twitter.com/qotsa/status/939975357519687681
It seemed that Homme got even more backlash for what many assumed was a non-apology, so Homme recorded this video that was posted this morning:
The photographer, Chelsea Lauren, has indicated she plans to press charges.
