KATSEYE member Megan Skiendiel returned to the stage at the group’s Austin tour stop on Tuesday, November 10, performing seated on a chair and wearing dark sunglasses while still recovering from a concussion — and footage of the appearance has set off a wave of anger among fans directed at HYBE and Geffen Records.
Clips from the show at Austin’s Moody Center that circulated online on November 11 showed the 20-year-old singing with reduced movement while the rest of the group danced around her. Fans reacted with dismay and disbelief, with one writing, “megan is performing in sunglasses while sitting on a chair… my poor baby,” alongside the hashtags #HxGProtectKatseye, #PrioritizeMegan and #LetMeganRest. Others questioned how the labels could put her on stage just one week after the injury, and noted that only three members were dancing in full choreography.
Megan had warned fans in advance that her return would be limited. In an update shared on November 9, she said she was “feeling so much better” but still actively recovering from her concussion. “For the Austin show, I’ll be performing on a modified schedule. This means reduced choreography, less intense movement, and taking breaks as needed. I won’t be going full out just yet!” she wrote. She added that her doctors had recommended the limitations and that she would “need to be reassessed before returning to unrestricted performances.”
The Austin show was the group’s first performance back after a week of disruption on its WILDWORLD world tour. KATSEYE postponed its sold-out Detroit concert at Little Caesars Arena on November 3, announcing the decision about 30 minutes before showtime, when fans were already in their seats, and saying only that Megan was unwell. Two days later, the group also postponed its November 5 show at Chicago’s United Center and its November 7 show at Minneapolis’ Target Center, confirming that Megan was recovering from a concussion and that the label had made the decision to postpone. Megan said at the time that her medical team had advised her to wait until she had fully recovered, apologized to fans who had been waiting, and said she would focus on her recovery.
The cancellations also drew a separate round of rumors that the group had skipped the Detroit show to go partying. Member Lara Raj pushed back on November 7 in an audio message shared on Weverse DM, saying the group would much rather be performing in an arena and that HYBE and Geffen would never allow a show to be skipped for a night out. The Detroit postponement fell on Lara’s 21st birthday, which had fueled the speculation.
The anger over the Austin staging reflects broader concern about the group’s workload and health. Sophia Laforteza and Manon Bannerman are both on hiatus as they focus on their health, and Megan and Daniela Avanzini had already missed a VIP fan event in Boston due to illness a week before the Detroit cancellation. With members sidelined, fans say the tour schedule has left the group stretched thin, and many argued the Austin show should have been postponed rather than staged with a seated, recovering member.
KATSEYE was formed through HYBE and Geffen Records’ 2023 competition series Dream Academy and is midway through the North American leg of its WILDWORLD tour. The Grammy-nominated group had already seen its schedule thrown off course once by Megan’s injury, and the Austin date was its first show back. The next stop, in Dallas, falls just one night after Austin, and Megan has not said whether the same modified schedule will apply there. The group is also scheduled to hold its first solo concert in Korea on February 4 next year at the KSPO Dome in Seoul’s Olympic Park.
As of publication, neither HYBE nor Geffen Records had publicly addressed the criticism of the Austin staging. Fans, meanwhile, continue to press the labels to let Megan rest, with #PrioritizeMegan and #LetMeganRest circulating alongside the concert clips — a sign the debate over the tour’s pace is unlikely to quiet before the next show.
