14 DAY TRIAL // R&B star Ne-Yo had one of the most unexpected, therefore highly mediated, onstage breakdowns of the recent months, as he burst into tears at his Manchester gig the other night, and walked out without being able to offer an explanation. He is doing so now in a post on Global Grind, blasting all those bloggers and critics who have attacked him for the outburst, claiming he was less of a man for crying in front of a packed venue.
Videos of the breakdown have, of course, made their way on the Internet (see below). Ne-Yo can be seen uncontrollable, as the 12,000-crowd continues to cheer him on, most certainly not knowing what it is exactly that is happening onstage. A few moments later, the singer tells the crowd that, while he has never had to walk out on a show, he will do so now. Then, he promises the fans that he will be back, turns away and walks off the stage to the mixed reaction of those gathered.
In the GG post, Ne-Yo says his crying outburst happened because he had just realized he could not go on with the show, because his body was simply refusing to obey him anymore – a clear case of exhaustion and a bad cold, as the star puts it. He was heartbroken for having to take this kind of decision, he continues to say, which is why he couldn’t stop crying to properly address the fans. For those who say that him showing his “softer side” like that to the public is a sign that he’s less of a man, Ne-Yo has one thing to add: “Go to hell!”
“Basically, I have an issue with not knowing when to say enough is enough, so last night in Manchester, my body said it for me. I got on stage energized and ready to go, even tho for the last 5 days I’ve been dealing with a sinus infection. […] I’ve never had to stop a show, never dreamed I’d ever have to. So when I had to walk out on that stage and tell 12,000 of the people responsible for making me who I am that I could not perform for them, it literally broke my heart. I cried harder than I have in a very long time with no shame whatsoever.” Ne-Yo writes, adding that he should not have gone on stage at all given the condition he was in.
“To anyone out there that would like to question my manhood because of this I’ll say this to you: If the one thing you cared about more than anything else in the world was threatened or even taken from you, if you knew that the people you cared for the most you had to disappoint and it was your fault... and this didn’t spark some kind of emotional outbreak within you... then with no shame I’ll say you are truly a stronger man than I. Thanks to the fans for the love and concern. And to the bloggers... go to hell.” the star concludes his post by saying.
In the same post, Ne-Yo promises again he will make up to the fans in Manchester.