Celtic Park singer Liam McGrandles pulls plug on Bayern Munich gig after toxic abuse from fellow fans
Singer Liam McGrandles has pulled the plug on tonight's gig at Celtic Park after being drowned with toxic social media abuse.
The Irish folk singer regularly belts out tunes at Parkhead ahead of massive matches, playing the likes of Grace, Let The People Sing and You'll Never Walk Alone in front of 60,000 fans. But after the club's SLO confirmed on Tuesday that the musician would be performing some pre-match tunes ahead of tonight's Champions League showdown with Bayern Munich, countless trolls hit out with cruel comments and accused McGrandles of killing the atmosphere.
And just hours ahead of the 8pm kick-off, McGrandles - who sings at most home games at the Kerrydale Hospitality Suite - confirmed on X that he'll no longer be taking the mic in the wake of the vicious social media pile-on.
He wrote: "Just a wee post to address the mad hate that came my way yesterday. I decided to pull the gig this morning myself, as it’s just not worth the grief I was receiving. I understand that the pre-match gig isn’t everybody’s thing…. but some of the stuff was nasty and personal.
"To get it from fellow Celtic fans was a punch in the gut to be honest. I’ve worked extremely hard for nearly 20 years to get into the position of being offered a gig like that. A gig I was never gonnae knock back. I’m a normal guy who sings in pubs every weekend to provide for his family.
"I’m not a multi-millionaire living in a bubble. I’ve got family that would’ve seen all that last night. I’ve seen this platform becoming a bit of a cesspit over the years, and so I tend to avoid it. I’d just say to the faceless accounts that piled on to slaughter me: be careful as it could be yourself on the receiving end one day. I’m a big Bhoy and this isn’t something that’ll stop me doing the job I love."
McGrandles' announcement was quickly met with an outpouring of support, with one follower saying: "Gutted to read this Liam. There is a large element of Celtic Twitter that is completely toxic, unfortunately you found yourself in the firing line last night. From many of the same folk complaining about Jota's treatment recently. Keep doing what you do and enjoy tonight's game."
Another posted: "So sorry to read this Liam. Those haters are not real Celtic fans. Personally I love listening to you before big games. I understand your decision but hope to see you back one day soon. Take care mate."
A third added: "A real pity you pulled out and will miss out on the night. There are some folk who like nothing more to moan about anything at the club, sad to see you were on the end of some of that too. Keep the head up, ignore them."