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Will.I.Am Responds To Criticism After Checking His Phone Midway Through A Performance

Will.I.Am Responds To Criticism After Checking His Phone Midway Through A Performance

We all know that you shouldn't be on your phone at work - but Will.I.Am doesn't, and his work takes place in front of thousands of people

Mike Wood

Mike Wood

Will.I.Am is a big deal pretty much everywhere. Aussie Rules football might not have the same reach as the Black Eyed Peas, but in Melbourne, it is just about the biggest thing in the world. Somebody should have told Will.I.Am.

He was performing at the Australian Rules Grand Final this morning - or, I guess, afternoon, if you're in Australia - and made a massive faux pas by appearing to check his phone in the middle of a song.

The Black Eyed Peas were midway through getting it started, performing 'Let's Get It Started', when the star was spotted getting out his phone and checking something.

Now we've all been told off for checking our phones at work, but instead of working in Morrisons or behind a bar, Will.I.Am was in front of 100,000 people at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and a national TV audience that runs into the millions.

Twitter responded pretty angrily to the incident.

"I'm guessing it was Will.i. Am as he is shocking with his addiction to his phone and lack of respect to the public he's performing to," wrote one social media user.

"I was in tears of laughter how bad they were. You see Will I Am check his phone mid performance? They just did not care!" added another.

Will.I.Am then took to Twitter himself to defend his actions. He tweeted:


Of course, if something goes wrong in Australian music, you call Jimmy Barnes to fix it. The Cold Chisel singer came on after the Black Eyed Peas - who didn't even show up with Fergie - and actually kind of stole the show.

I mean, Jimmy Barnes may not really be popular outside of Australia, but perhaps he really should be. He's one of the best selling artists in Aussie rock history, and his performance went down superbly with the audience: "Can Jimmy Barnes be booked for next 10 years. Please! Awesome!" tweeted one viewer.

"Can we just let Jimmy do it every year from now on?" wrote a second.

The people have spoken. Plus, I bet Jimmy would never play on his phone during a performance.

Featured Image Credit: PA/Seven

Topics: SPORT, Australia News, Celebrity, Music