In 2023, artists are still finding ways to connect with their fans. After a concertgoer threw a drink at a Cardi B performance last week, Cardi B retaliated by throwing her microphone back. Now, that microphone is apparently up for auction on eBay.
“Shure Axient digital Mic Cardi B threw at a person. Auctioned for charity,” reads the auction title. The microphone is currently going for $99,900 according to the eBay listing with just over four days left in the auction and $20 shipping. The mic was posted by Scott Fisher, owner of The Wave, which is the audio company that lent services to Cardi B’s July 29 performance at Drais Beach Club in Las Vegas. Fisher says the intention is to donate the funds from auctioning off the microphone to Friendship Circle Las Vegas, a charity helping special needs children, teens, and their families, and the Wounded Warrior Project.
“This is the Shure microphone shown in all the viral videos that Cardi B threw at a person in the crown at Drais Beach Club on July 29th, 2023. There are literally tons of links to videos all over the internet,” Fisher writes in the listing. “We provided more than one microphone for this particular show and verified with the in house crew which one was specifically used by Cardi for the show.”
Fisher did not immediately return Gizmodo’s request for comment.
The listing notes that the microphone has the same identifiable white tape stuck around the base of the device, which is consistent with videos of Cardi B performing at Drais. At the event, a concertgoer threw a drink at Cardi B while she was performing her 2018 hit “Bodak Yellow” before the rapper hurled her microphone at the culprit. According to Fisher in the posting, the microphone still works.
Clips of Cardi B launching her microphone quickly proliferated across the internet, catching attention in the wake of several celebrities becoming targets of projectiles while on stage. On June 18, while performing at The Rooftop at Pier 17 in Manhattan, an audience member threw an iPhone at pop singer-songwriter Bebe Rexha, which hit her just over the right eye, sending her to the hospital and promptly ending the show.
Around the same time, artists Ava Max and P!nk also had unnerving encounters recently, with Max being slapped by a fan and P!nk receiving the ashes of a fan’s mom. As we’ve re-emerged from covid-19 lockdowns, concert etiquette has been thrown out the window, with fans desperate for a viral moment they can post to TikTok. While many artists are left bamboozled by raucous concertgoers flinging objects at them, it would appear that Cardi B was not one to stand idly by.
Desperation for a Viral Moment Is Driving Concerts Off the Rails