Marriage proposal at Brisbane concert goes awry – but was it a stunt?

A public proposal at a Brisbane concert over the weekend went spectacularly wrong in front of a shocked crowd. Photo / Instagram, @bootlegrascal

A man has been publicly humiliated after his marriage proposal was rejected live on stage at a Brisbane concert over the weekend.

In a video from a gig by the Gold Coast band Bootleg Rascal, the man can be seen standing on stage with a microphone as he addresses the crowd.

“My partner and I came to watch Bootleg Rascal about two, three years ago,” he says, before calling out, “Jamie, where are you? Can you come up on stage quickly?”

To loud cheers and applause, a woman emerges from the crowd and joins him on stage.

He tells her: “We saw Bootleg Rascal about two years ago. I thought, you know, they’re our favourite band, and I thought today why not, maybe today is the time.”

He then drops to his knees.

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Almost immediately, the woman is seen shaking her head and grabbing his hands, trying to pull him back up.

Over the roar of the crowd, the man can be heard repeatedly saying “no?” in disbelief, before she runs off stage.

He keeps kneeling, visibly stunned, until a person dressed in a Scooby-Doo costume helps him to his feet.

The clip then abruptly cuts to a title card reading: “Anyway here’s our break-up song. Stream ‘Reasons’ x” – a reference to Bootleg Rascal’s latest single.

The incident, possibly a stunt, was used to promote the band's break-up track "Reasons". Photo / Instagram, @bootlegrascal

Viewers flooded the comments with second-hand embarrassment.

“I don’t think I have ever felt that awkward on stage in my life!!!” one person wrote.

“That was actually wild,” commented another, while others said it was “painful to watch”.

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

However, not everyone was convinced the moment was genuine.

“Amazing way to advertise the tour,” one commenter noted.

The band also leaned into the moment, sharing the clip with the caption: “First show off to a great start. Not sure we’ll be helping out with another public proposal for a while … In any case, tour continues this week - dates below!”

With the video doubling as a plug for their break-up track Reasons, some have questioned whether the awkward proposal was less heartbreak and more a staged stunt.

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