Singer Patti LaBelle rushed off stage during Milwaukee concert due to bomb threat

MILWAUKEE — Two-time Grammy Award-winner Patti LaBelle was rushed off the stage Saturday night due to a bomb threat during the singer’s concert in Milwaukee.

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LaBelle, 78, was at the Riverside Theater performing in “An Evening of Holiday & Hits” show when two men pushed her microphone and escorted her off the stage with a third person, CNN reported.

Videos on social media showed the “Lady Marmalade” singer holding a bouquet of flowers and exclaiming, “Wait!” as she was hustled away. Band members rushed behind her as concertgoers watched in confusion.

LaBelle had been chatting with an audience member who was celebrating her 70th birthday when the men, apparently security personnel, walked on stage, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

“Tonight’s Patti LaBelle show at the Riverside Theater has been postponed following a bomb threat investigated by the Milwaukee Police Department,” concert organizer Pabst Theater Group said in a statement.

According to the Milwaukee Police Department, authorities began “clearing the facility” and “everyone was safe,” WITI-TV reported.

Authorities said the investigation was “fluid and ongoing,” according to the television station.

“It happened so quickly,” Scott Pierce, who attended Saturday’s show, wrote in a message to the Journal Sentinel. “Everybody very calmly exited the theater in a disbelieving manner. I heard lots of comments about how sad it was that someone would pull such a pathetic stunt.”

”Before the incident, the crowd was really enjoying Patti. Just sad that someone does this.”

In a statement released shortly before 1:30 a.m. CST on Sunday, police said the theater was searched by K-9 units, WTMJ-TV reported. No explosive devices were found, and police said there was no threat to the public.

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