I’ve written several blogs that tell the tale of a public figure landing in hot water over a controversial tweet or email that should have been sent privately, that instead ended up in the public domain. The escapades of Chris Huhne and Anthony Weiner immediately spring to mind in this case.

But this week saw an audience member at a concert kicked out after they tweeted a derogatory remark about an act on stage. Mike Taylor (@AdmiralMikey) was at the Powerglove and MC Chris show in Philadelphia when, unimpressed by the opening act, he tweeted the following message:

“Dear nerd rapper opening for Powerglove/Mc Chris. You’re not good enough to pander to me. Better luck next time.”

He thought nothing more of it, but after nipping out for some refreshments, the headline act  - MC Chris – unexpectedly appeared on stage, and asked for @AdmiralMikey to make himself known. Telling his story on Reddit, Mike Taylor explains what happened next:

My friend and I looked at each other confused and heard him ask for it again. I got up, walked back onto the floor and raised my hand. He then pointed at me and yelled, ‘Security is going to take you the (expletive) out now! That’s what you get for talking shit on Twitter!’

The social reaction was varied, but the incident gained a lot of traction online after Taylor took to Reddit to recount events. Eventually he received a two-tweet apology from MC Chris, who admitted that he deserved the backlash he was getting the day after the concert, and said he would adjust his ‘hyper critical attitude’.

So it’s not only public figures who can suffer the consequences of an ill-judged tweet or message – it seems that no matter how quiet the voice of the everyman is, if it gets heard by the wrong person, they might just act upon it. Sometimes it could be better to keep your thoughts to yourself, or perhaps just share privately with friends.

But where do you draw the line? I’ve been to many concerts and festivals in my time, and on several occasions I have witnessed certain factions of the crowd voice their displeasure with particular artists – do you tell security to kick out everyone who booed? Let us know what you think about this story by leaving a comment below.