Texas musician Clayton Gardner was just trying to make his living during a recent concert in Dallas, but things took an abrupt turn when a maskless woman decided to confront him onstage—up close and personal.
The woman approached Gardner to make a song request, but when he asked her to do so from six feet away, to adhere to social distancing recommendations, she got right up in his face, grabbed the bandana he was wearing and seemed to try to cough into his face.
Gardener uploaded a video of the bizarre incident to Facebook, where it's drawn no shortage of attention.
In the video, the woman requests a song by Leann Womack, to which Gardner replies:
"Alright cool, you can do that from like, seven feet away."
After she pulls his bandana and tries to cough, Gardner repeatedly asks her to get away from him, to which she responds:
"Are you for real?"
An awkward stand-off ensues before she finally leaves.
Clayton Gardner/Facebook
In his first Facebook post, Gardner described the incident, which he said left him "outraged"—especially because he has been diligent about precautions against the virus to protect his young daughter.
"I have practiced very safe hygiene and socially distanced myself from the start of Covid to protect my 3 year old daughter. In a matter of seconds this lady took that away from me."
Gardner went on to say that the incident left both him and the audience shocked.
Gardner later shared a second video with his feelings about what happened.
He described a situation that all too many American workers are finding themselves in during the pandemic.
"I'm outraged by her behavior and the behavior of many others in our world today. I would much rather be at home but unfortunately I have to play some gigs to pay my bills, just like the rest of you. I can't even do that safely and that's disgraceful."
On social media, people shared Gardner's outrage.
David Lantz/Facebook
Erin Allen/Facebook
Ian Sullivan/Facebook
In a follow-up Facebook post, Gardner said the woman has since apologized.
Clayton Gardner/Facebook
“I accept her apology. She made a mistake, and we've all made mistakes, and I think that it's OK to show her a little grace and forgiveness."
Hopefully the woman learned a lesson from the incident.
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