Footage has surfaced online of an incident from last night, which appears to show Josh Homme, frontman for alt-rock outfit Queens Of The Stone Age, kicking a photographer in the face in the middle of a show. According to Variety, the footage was shot at last night’s KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas concert, and features Homme kicking Shutterstock photographer Chelsea Lauren while she was snapping pictures of him from the front row of the show.
Homme’s behavior during the show was reportedly erratic; at one point, he intentionally cut his forehead open, said “Fuck Muse” in regards to the show’s headlining act, and encouraged the crowd to boo him. Meanwhile, Lauren—whose camera was driven into her face by the kick—returned to the event to photograph 30 Seconds To Mars and Muse, but later sought treatment for her injuries. She says she intends to file a police report about the incident later today. Variety also has a few photos that appear to be from Lauren’s camera from immediately before the incident; they show a smiling Homme, apparently rearing back to deliver the kick.
Update: Homme has now issued an apology, via the Queens Of The Stone Age official Twitter account. He said he was in a state of “being lost in performance,” and says he hopes Lauren will accept his sincere apology. It’s not clear how his comments match up with Lauren’s description, written on social media, of him smiling and intentionally kicking her, then staring directly at her later during the set.
