Why Did Brandy Walk Off Stage During ‘The Boy Is Mine’ Tour in Chicago?

Brandy and Monica's The Boy Is Mine Tour turned into anything but smooth sailing. During the show at the United Center, Brandy unexpectedly walked off stage mid-song and never returned, leaving her tour partner Monica to finish the night solo. The famed duet “The Boy Is Mine” the very song that gave the tour its name also didn’t get a proper moment, leaving fans puzzled and disappointed.

In their earliest co-headline outing in decades, both were clearly looking to rewrite history, not just revisit it. Their reunion tour, marking more than 25 years since their Grammy-winning collaboration, was meant to reflect growth, reconciliation and musical legacy. Yet in Chicago, everything appeared to misfire from sound issues to her abrupt exit. As social-media posts swirled and speculation grew, it became clear the night wouldn’t unfold as planned.

Why Brandy Walked Off Stage During ‘The Boy Is Mine’ Tour in Chicago

Videos shared online captured Brandy shortly into the set saying to the crowd, “Give me one second, y’all, I gotta get my…” before walking backstage. Fans noted she appeared frustrated by sound-issues while performing “Baby,” she stopped singing and headed toward the sound-booth area. Monica, meanwhile, returned alone and completed what remained of the show but the planned grand finale, “The Boy Is Mine,” never happened.

Officially, she later posted that she had experienced dehydration and feelings of faintness, exacerbated by weeks of intense rehearsal and a technically demanding show. She added that the production’s sonic issues meant she couldn’t fully connect with the performance and that her team made the call to prioritise her health. Meanwhile, Monica publicly thanked her “sister” for stepping up with grace, reinforcing that the evening’s outcome was far from what either performer wanted.

Trending

The digital reaction was immediate. Clips of the walk-off went viral across platforms like X and Instagram, with fans speculating everything from tech meltdown to backstage tension. Some Twitter/X users labelled the move “disrespectful” given the ticket cost and high expectations; others defended Brandy, pointing to her medical history and the physical demands of large-scale touring. It’s worth noting the backdrop: a once-supposed feud between Brandy and Monica from their teens, which now serves as context for this reunion tour that they framed as a celebration of unity and legacy.

This incident will likely linger in the conversation around the tour’s launch. While the duo clearly intended to honour their history and deliver a powerful show, Chicago raised new questions about production readiness, artist health and audience expectations. If anything, this moment underscores how quickly legacies and live performances can collide in unpredictable ways and how even the biggest artists are vulnerable to human and technical vulnerabilities.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback