A KRS-One performance in New Haven, CT descended into utter irony last weekend when an attendee cut the evening short by jumping on stage and throwing a bottle at KRS. Though the bottle actually hit him and even fucked him up a little bit, he urged the audience to remain calm, saying “Let it go. When negativity comes your way, let it go.” This pacifistic response was necessitated by the fact that the show was part of a tour dedicated entirely to preventing violence. KRS was later treated for dehydration and a fractured hand.
As someone who has never actually listened to KRS-One, but did listen to the Sublime song about KRS-One almost daily through high school, I was hit hard by news of the tragedy. Exactly who, if anyone, will address such issues as hamburgers and steak, Elijah, Mohammed, or the welfare state while KRS recovers is anyone’s guess. Indeed, the fans are the ones who will suffer the most and are in that sense much like Lou Dog after the untimely death of Brad Nowell in 1996. KRS canceled shows along the East Coast after the incident and will have to forego community meetings in Chicago scheduled for the end of the month.