Sombr Claps Back at Concert Critic: ‘It’s Just a Skill Issue’

Sombr, currently on tour, decided to address some online drama after a concertgoer’s viral TikTok took aim at his recent Washington, D.C. show on Oct. 13. The attendee called the concert “cringe” and “super vulgar,” warning others not to buy tickets. But Sombr wasn’t about to let that slide without saying his piece.

In the original TikTok, the fan explained that she didn’t think anyone “over the age of 16” should “spend your money on a Sombr concert.”

She described Sombr (real name Shane Michael Boose) as making “super vulgar” comments and even encouraging the crowd to “bark” for him. “It just doesn’t seem like he knows how to entertain. He’s maybe too young. Maybe he has to grow into it. I don’t know,” she said.

The user went further, calling Sombr “slender man” in reference to his thin build and labeling his show “cringe.”

Once the video began to spread, Sombr fired back in his own TikTok “rant” on Sunday, Oct. 20.

“I thought I was chronically online, but it’s just come to my attention that there’s a TikTok drama going around because a 25-year-old attended my concert and was basically complaining that there were too many tweens there, I was making too many brain rot jokes, and she just thought it was a cringe concert,” Sombr began.

He then called out the tone of the criticism: “And also she was body shaming me, and it’s kind of started a massive body shaming hate train directed towards me on a lot of videos of me on the internet right now.”

Sombr didn’t just respond—he explained. “I totally respect people having opinions, but I am a 20-year-old artist, freshly 20,” he said. “And if you’re 25 years old and you’re going to come to my concert and not expect people younger than you to be there, when I — the artist — am five years younger than you, it’s just a skill issue.”

He also addressed his humor, which some found off-putting. “You had to have known about my online presence before coming to my concert,” he said. “I mean, anyone who knows me knows I’ve never uttered a serious word in my life. And also, I make jokes for five minutes of the concert, and the rest is music.”

Sombr’s response seemed equal parts frustrated and self-aware. He wasn’t trying to pick a fight—he was drawing a line. Body shaming? Not okay. Not understanding his style? That’s on the audience.

And while opinions about live performances are always fair game, Sombr made one thing clear: he’s still growing, still learning, and still unapologetically himself.

For a young artist navigating fame in real time, that’s its own kind of skill.