Saturday night (July 13), only hours after George Zimmerman was acquitted for the Trayvon Martin’s murder, soul singer Lester Chambers of 1960s soul rock group The Chambers Brothers took the stage at the Hayward-Russell City Blues festival in California for his performance set, which included a cover of Curtis Mayfield’s “People Get Ready.” Before singing the song, Chambers mentioned that the lyrics “there’s a train a-comin’” would be changed to “there’s a change a-comin” if Curtis Mayfield were still alive in light of Martin’s death and Zimmerman’s acquittal.
At that moment, a 43-year-old woman named Dinalynn Andrews Potter allegedly jumped on stage and attacked the 73-year-old singer, yelling “It’s all your fault,” according to the Contra Costa Times. Potters was immediately apprehended on stage, arrested, and charged with suspicion of battery, while Chambers was taken to a nearby hospital and treated for bruised rib muscle and nerve damage. Chambers son, Andrew, updated on his father's condition: "[he] will be up and running soon," he said.
Many other performers took time out of their performances in light of the news which broke that evening; Beyonce asked her Nashville crowd to "have a moment of silence for Trayvon" before singing “I Will Always Love You” and “Halo.” Fantasia added Sam Cooke’s "A Change Is Gonna Come" to her performance.
