T-Boz has been touring for over 30 years, and the TLC singer and Glad, Scents that Take You Back spokeswoman has some crazy stories about life on the road.
While she adores the girl group’s fans, who call themselves the TLC Army, T-Boz, 54, has had some interesting items thrown at her by fans while she performs.
“I’ve had bras, panties and car keys thrown at me,” she reveals exclusively in the latest issue of Us Weekly, on newsstands now. “I threw the car keys back. Like, ‘Girl, you almost hit me in the face. Don’t scratch my moneymaker!’”
In recent years, many musicians have been outspoken about the dangers of fans throwing things at them while they’re performing.
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When SZA was performing in Australia in April, the singer threatened to end her show when cell phones and shoes were being catapulted on stage.
“I will leave,” she said as she held up an item that had almost hit her. “Do not throw up any cell phones. I’m a person. That’s crazy.”
Last year, Bebe Rexha suffered a black eye, for which she needed stitches, after a concertgoer threw a phone at her face at a New York City concert.
Despite the dangers of performing live and the occasional near-injury from a fan, T-Boz feels deeply connected with the TLC Army.
“They’re always front row and I’ve known them since they were, like, 10 years old and I’ve seen them have kids,” she tells Us.
Keep scrolling for more backstage stories from T-Boz, including her favorite song to play live:
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Preshow Ritual
I’m easy-breezy, I just don’t like a lot of noise. I have to run everything through my head, so I like to be quiet and I don’t like to talk.
Best Gift From a Fan
This is gonna sound weird so don’t judge. I love [Halloween character] Michael Myers. [A fan] got me the autograph of the guy who played the first Michael Myers [Nick Castle]. I was like, “Shut the front door.” I’ve been watching this since I was 8 years old. I’m 54. That tells you I’m invested in this film.
[The TLC Army] gives me the best gifts. And they give my kids the best gifts. They have become friends of mine. They check in on me and I check in on them.
They’ll give me things that are sentimental and they know my kids are everything to me. So they’ll give me iPad cases, things that I can carry when I go on tour. They make me pillow cases so I can sleep with my kids and they can be with me all the time.
Favorite Song to Play Live
I’ve really been loving “Case of the Fake People” from CrazySexyCool lately, which is weird because it wasn’t a single. It’s, like, part 2 of “What About Your Friends.” I have been really loving that song recently, but I just like being up there, just performing. Everybody laughs ‘cause I don’t have a favorite song. I just like to perform. Period.
Ideal Afterparty
Anything that’s high energy and dancing. So I guess it would be a nightclub in the ‘90s. It wasn’t about who had on what, you could just show up in your tank top and your sweats and sneakers and just get on the floor and feel the music and dance with a big group of friends.
I do like to do afterparties at home, just dancing at home. We just get in my living room, turn it up and just go for it.
With reporting by Travis Cronin
