Alt-folk singer Michelle Shocked, who gained wide fame on college radio and MTV in the late 80s and early 90s but has more recently become a born-again Christian, literally shocked audiences on Sunday at Yoshi's San Francisco when during her second set she launched into a hate-filled speech about gays and gay marriage. "I live in fear," she said, "that the world will be destroyed if gays are allowed to marry."

Yoshi's plugged the show calling Shocked "The most sophisticated hillbilly you ever met," and her earlier reputation was one of a punk folkie who skateboarded, fought for progressive causes, and dug rock and roll. Indeed her politics still veer toward the left, as she was arrested during an Occupy L.A. protest, and she still calls herself "a radical skateboard punk-rock anarchist." (Her first big album, Short Sharp Shocked, featured a cover photo of a San Francisco riot cop with a choke-hold around her neck during an 1980s protest.) But as a member of the Pentacostal West Angeles Church of God in Christ, she seems to have become a fundamentalist Christian bigot too. Fans have earlier revolted when Shocked revealed she was anti-abortion as well.

A number of people tweeted about last night's show (see below), and apparently many audience members walked out after her rant began. Yoshi's subsequently shut down the show after the audience cleared out.

She also reportedly said, "You can go on Twitter and say ‘Michelle Shocked says God hates fags.'"

Shocked performed her first set without much comment, but returned for her second set with a definite agenda, and an anti-gay message she wanted to make known. Christine Penfield, who was in the audience and whose husband Matt was hired volunteered to live-tweet the show for Michelle from backstage, wrote, "In retrospect [it] seemed clear that she designed the show to deliver this message." The timing may be motivated by the upcoming Supreme Court decisions on Prop 8 and DOMA.

Shocked, who was born to a Mormon mother and whose real name is Karen Johnston, sounded fairly depressed and at loose ends in this 2005 interview with New York Magazine, revealing her religiosity, discussing her previous alcoholism and failed marriage, and her "political" decision at age 22 to have her tubes tied, which she later regretted after multiple failed attempts at in-vitro fertilization. She said the original decision was motivated by her desire never to be tempted to have an abortion. "I knew there was going to come a time in my life where I would want to speak vehemently about a woman’s right to choose without having it turned back on me, saying you’re acting out of guilt and shame because you had an abortion. I made the ultimate sacrifice.”

@dolface wow, she's a total bigot and said so on stage. It was unreal. We had to leave. I am so disappointed. — Lisa Hubbert (@lisahubbert) March 18, 2013

@murray_burns @colecoonce @mshockedshe said gay marriage would cause the end of the world. She stood on stage and shouted "god hates fags" — anile (@anile02) March 18, 2013

@mshocked Get back on your meds girl! Jesus said love one another, not hate.You should be ashamed — anile (@anile02) March 18, 2013

I don't really know what's going on with Michelle Shocked, but I really hope it's a mental breakdown of sorts. #takingmyhusbandback — Christine Penfield (@the1percentgirl) March 18, 2013

I don't really know what's going on with Michelle Shocked, but I really hope it's a mental breakdown of sorts. #takingmyhusbandback — Christine Penfield (@the1percentgirl) March 18, 2013

@taramurtha completely. In retrospect seemed clear that she designed the show to deliver this message. — Christine Penfield (@the1percentgirl) March 18, 2013

Michelle's last tweet from last night, around 3:30 a.m.:

Truth is leading to painful confrontation #shortsharpshocked — Michelle Shocked (@MShocked) March 18, 2013

And here's a five-year-old video of Shocked performing at her church in L.A.:

Update: Here's the full audio (scroll down) of what she said on Sunday, as well as an official apology she issued Wednesday that contradicts what she pretty clearly said.

[DailyKos]

[Queerty]

[MeowOnline]