A public marriage proposal at an indie music concert spectacularly backfired over the weekend, leaving a man humiliated on stage and a band vowing to steer clear of facilitating such romantic gestures in future.
The Cringeworthy Moment Goes Viral
The incident unfolded during the opening night of Australian alternative duo Bootleg Rascal's 'Reasons' tour in Brisbane. A fan was invited on stage, where his partner, identified as Jamie, joined him. Recalling that they had first seen the band together years prior, he decided their favourite band's concert was the perfect moment to propose.
He got down on one knee, but the reaction was far from the fairytale 'yes'. The woman was visibly distressed, shaking her head and attempting to pull him back to his feet. As the crowd's cheers turned to murmurs, the man could be heard uttering a disbelieving "no?" before his partner hurriedly exited the stage, leaving him kneeling alone.
Scooby-Doo to the Rescue
The awkward scene was prolonged as the stunned proposer remained on his knees. The tension was finally broken in a surreal moment when a person dressed in a full Scooby-Doo costume ran on stage to help the embarrassed man to his feet. The band, comprising Carlos Lara and Jimmy Young, captured the entire episode and posted it to social media on January 13, 2026.
They captioned the clip 'PDA gone wrong' and later added, "First show off to a great start. Not sure we’ll be helping out with another public proposal for a while…". The video cut abruptly to a title card promoting their new single, ironically titled 'Reasons', which they called their "break-up song".
Public Reaction and Tour Continues
Online reaction was a mix of sympathy and cringing disbelief. Comments ranged from "That's so rough" and "Poor fella" to suspicions it was a staged publicity stunt for the band's new release. Some users pleaded, "Please tell us that this is staged", while others noted it was an "Amazing way to advertise the tour".
Despite the rocky start, Bootleg Rascal confirmed their tour would continue as planned, with 14 further shows scheduled across Australia. The event highlighted the inherent gamble of public proposals, contrasting sharply with the experience of Scottish singer Lewis Capaldi on his recent Australian tour.
Capaldi witnessed at least four successful engagements at his shows, though he humorously chastised one couple in Brisbane for "taking the shine off me" during his performance, before congratulating them and jokingly asking for a wedding invitation.
