Country star Riley Green nearly dove into the crowd after a fan split his ear open during a performance
Riley Green, the 37‑year‑old country singer known for hits such as “There Was This Girl,” survived an unexpected onstage assault during a recent concert in Melbourne, Australia. A fan hurled a cell phone that struck the performer’s ear, opening a cut that required five stitches. Rather than stop the show, Green kept the crowd engaged and later joked about the incident.
“Initially, there was probably a moment where I thought about diving into the crowd and I reeled that back a little bit,” Green told Billboard. “There’s people in the venue that paid good money to come see me play and it seems pretty childish for me to let one person ruin it for everybody.” He continued performing, and with blood still running down his neck, he quipped, “I got to be honest: I looked pretty cool with blood running down my neck singing ‘I Wish Grandpas Never Died.’”
The Alabama‑born artist has built a steady career since his breakout single “There Was This Girl” and his 2019 debut album Different ’Round Here. He has since released two more studio records and collaborated with top tier names in country music, including Luke Combs, Thomas Rhett and Ella Langley. A recent duet with Langley, “You Look Like You Love Me,” helped secure Green a CMA Award, a milestone he admitted surprised him. “I didn’t think it was a hit because I thought talking verses were way too traditional to work, but I thought, ‘Well, it'd be cool to have a song that we could do together on the road,” he said on The Zach Sang Show. “So I just wrote a second verse for it and we recorded it and you know I thought it was fun. I thought it was something that kind of stayed in your head a little bit but again just goes to show you I don’t know because I had no idea it would be the big hit that it was.”
Looking ahead, Green is slated to appear at the Rock the Country festival, a celebration of the United States’ 250th anniversary of independence. The event is headlined by Kid Rock, a well‑known supporter of President Donald Trump. While several artists—including Carter Faith, Ludacris and Morgan Wade—pulled out of the lineup, citing political divisions, Green indicated his willingness to perform based on practical considerations. “The simplest way I can put it is if somebody calls me and wants me to come play a festival and financially it makes sense, then I’m probably going to go do it,” he said. “I don’t ask a lot of questions beyond that. I think people go to concerts to try to get away from their everyday problems and enjoy country music. My job is to entertain them.”
Fans got another surprise this month when Green announced his addition to the judging panel of The Voice for its upcoming 30th season. The singer posted an Instagram photo of himself seated in the iconic red chair, accompanied by the caption, “I guess y’ll can start calling me coach… see ya this fall.” Followers responded enthusiastically, with many noting they would tune in specifically to watch him coach contestants.
The Melbourne incident and his forthcoming television role underscore Green’s reputation for resilience and audience connection, qualities that have propelled him from regional clubs to mainstream country success.