RL Finneas praises ‘girl in red bandana’ for ‘hero’ reaction to Billie Eilish concert incident
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Billie Eilish’s brother Finneas has praised the “red bandana girl” who stood up for his sister during a recent public incident.
The 23-year-old musician was performing at the Kaseya Center in Miami on Thursday (9 October) when a fan aggressively pulled her into the barricade.
In many of the videos, the surrounding crowd can be heard expressing their shock and asking Eilish if she is OK.
One fan in particular has gone viral for her speedy response as seen in the videos. The woman in question was wearing an identifiable red bandana when she was seen confronting the person who had pulled on Eilish.
Finneas, Eilish’s brother and close collaborator, posted on social media on Saturday (11 October), praised her actions, writing: “Red bandana girl from last night’s show rules.”
The woman has since been identified as Aniyah (social media handle @Aniyahyanelly). Responding to the response on X, she wrote: “Thank you guys sm [so much] for all the love, and comments, and edits.”
The ticket selling platform Stubhub has organised to send Aniyah to another Eilish concert.
“Our hero deserves another night at [the] barricade so we got her tickets and are sending her back!! thank you Aniyah for stepping up with no hesitation,” wrote the company on Instagram.
Several fan-shot videos show different angles of the moment in question. While walking along the front of the stage, Eilish is seen interacting with the first row of fans when somebody reaches out and yanks her by the arm.
The footage shows her security team quickly stepping in, and the singer extricating herself and walking away when Aniyah steps in to go after the person who pulled on the singer’s arm.
In a statement to Entertainment Weekly, the Miami Police Department said: “The person was ejected from the Kaseya Center. That was all.”
Concerns have been raised for the safety of performers at concerts in recent years. In 2023, Adele hit out at fans who have forgotten “show etiquette” following a string of incidents in which pop artists were hit by items thrown on stage.
From Lady Gaga to Harry Styles and Taylor Swift, several musicians have had objects thrown at them by someone in the crowd during their performances. Items have ranged from food to electronics including cabbage, cell phones, and roses.
In December last year, Eilish was hit on stage by a necklace mid-performance. The singer sighed and looked disappointed at the crowd before continuing on with the song.
Billie Eilish is currently on the second leg of her “Hit Me Hard And Soft” tour.
