‘Hurts to watch’: Wedding proposal at Brisbane gig turns awkward

It was a memorable proposal for all the wrong reasons.

At a Bootleg Rascal concert at The Triffid in Brisbane on January 10, a fan took to the stage and encouraged his girlfriend to join him as he readied himself to make a public declaration of love.

“We saw Bootleg Rascal about two years ago ... they’re our favourite band, and I thought today, why not, you know? Maybe today’s the time,” the unnamed man said as his girlfriend tried to stop him from taking a knee on stage.

“Will you … no?” the man stammered as his partner shook her head and rushed offstage to the shock of the crowd.

The broken-hearted fan, left speechless on the stage before a screaming audience, was then consoled by a person in an inflatable Scooby-Doo costume.

The clip was shared by the band to promote their Australian tour and was edited with their break-up song Reasons.

“Hurts to watch,” one person wrote.

“Poor fella – anyone know if he’s OK?” one queried.

“Are we allowed to laugh? I feel bad,” another wrote.

Not everyone online, however, believed the broken-hearted affair, with viewers questioning the validity of the moment.

“Amazing way to advertise the tour,” one person wrote.

“Please tell us that this is staged,” another commented.

The band was using the public rejection as a sign not to help out with another public proposal for a while, and in promotion of their latest Australian tour.

“First show off to a great start,” they wrote in the caption.

This masthead contacted the band for clarification as to whether the proposal was a stunt.

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