Spiritbox vocalist Courtney LaPlante has addressed various criticisms being directed towards her as of late for leading security to eject a rowdy concertgoer from a recent show in Phoenix, AZ. Some social media users have taken shots at her, citing the Metal Injection report on the incident. Footage of that July 15th incident made headlines earlier this week, with the band pausing their set to see the concertgoer removed.
LaPlante has faced pushback and support for her handling of the incident. Her critics have presumed the fan was ejected for moshing or crowd killing. Others have even taken issue with LaPlante labeling the the concert a ‘rock show’ (notably Spiritbox were opening for alternative metal band Evanescence during the incident.)
If you’ve yet to see the footage of ejection or need a transcription of her speech, you can find it here. LaPlante has since taken to social media to clarify the situation, conveying that the concertgoer in question wasn’t merely moshing or crowd killing, but rather randomly punching fellow concertgoers from behind.
Some of her exchanges on the matter can be seen below:
It was old drunk man punching people in head who were facing the stage in small amphitheater vip pit, several times while we were playing. Not appropriate or fun for anyone else there!
— courtney laplante™? (@corklezlaplante) July 23, 2026
I didn’t say what was happening on stage, and it doesn’t say what actually happened in the article, but I wasn’t thinking about the internet when I stopped the show, 3 times we told security about him so that was the final straw and I’m glad I did it, he wasn’t moshing.
— courtney laplante™? (@corklezlaplante) July 24, 2026
So I get that it’s easy to dunk on us, with the info actually provided. It is what it is, the person who already thinks I’m lame and not a part of this culture isn’t crazy to assume from the article that I kicked someone out for moshing, and I will survive another day ??
— courtney laplante™? (@corklezlaplante) July 24, 2026
I think it was just because of my “karate” comment, I was trying to make a light joke to kind of break the tension, people were really freaked out by that guy punching kids in the face. I also called it a rock show, bc it IS-we are opening for EV. I’m a guest in their house.
— courtney laplante™? (@corklezlaplante) July 24, 2026
The tour in question, which finds Spiritbox out with Evanescence and Nova Twins, has the following dates remaining:
07/25 Salt Lake City, UT – Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre
07/28 St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheater
07/30 Cuyahoga Falls, OH – Blossom Music Center
08/01 Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center
08/02 Clarkston, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre
