Aaron Lewis tells Rio Grande Valley fans he doesn't speak Spanish because he's American

Staind frontman turned country singer Aaron Lewis' show in Pharr came to an abrupt, controversial end over the weekend. Staind frontman turned country singer Aaron Lewis' show in Pharr came to an abrupt, controversial end over the weekend. Photo: Contributed Photo Photo: Contributed Photo Image 1 of / 38 Caption Close Aaron Lewis tells Rio Grande Valley fans he doesn't speak Spanish because he's American 1 / 38 Back to Gallery

Staind frontman turned country singer Aaron Lewis' show in Pharr this weekend came to an abrupt, controversial end.

Lewis performed an acoustic solo show at the Pharr Events Center Saturday night, in a border town that is 94 percent Hispanic. The Vermont native, who describes his style as "outlaw country," apparently felt ignored by the crowd and threatened to leave the stage if his fans did not quiet down. One fan shouted to Lewis, suggesting he should address his fans "en Español."

"I'm sorry, I don't know how to speak Spanish, I'm American," he responded in a video obtained by The Monitor.

Moments later, Lewis made good on his warning and exited the stage, while the crowd booed.

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Big Machine, the label Lewis is signed to, was not immediately available to return multiple requests for comment. The singer has not chimed in to the ongoing online conversation about his comment, but posted an Instagram photo of himself standing beside a U.S. Border Patrol agent after the show.

"Thanks for keeping us safe, guys," he captioned the shot.

The online chatter continued in the replies to that post as well as on Twitter and Facebook.

"Never again," Melinda Salas, an fan who was at the concert, said on Facebook.

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Others chimed in on the discussion forum of the Facebook event page, both to support and rebuke Lewis.

"Please forward my apologies on behalf of the Rio Grande Valley, I drove 322 miles to see him, just to hear that last song with my wife," fan Samey Darwish said online.

Jose Antonio Salinas took a different view of Lewis' behavior.

"Love your music, but that last comment did it for me," he posted on the event page. "You've lost my support."

Lewis' "State I'm In Tour" stopped in in San Antonio, at the Majestic Theatre, in January and has dates scheduled in Odessa and Austin on April 11 and 13, respectively.

Madalyn Mendoza is a breaking news reporter and general assignment writer. Read her on our breaking news site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com | mmendoza@mysa.com | @MaddySkye