Everybody loves a good guy, and Melbourne hip-hop artist Seth Sentry proved he was a formidable breed of samaritan as he helped a paralympic fan out of a tight spot at a recent show.
Paralympic basketballer Kat O’Kelly-Kennedy, who won a bronze medal at the Beijing Paralympic Games and is pining for another at the Rio Games in 2016, was in attendance the Perth leg of Sentry’s Dear Science Tour, but knew she was in a tight fix when the Melbourne rapper asked the crowd to sit down while he performed his slower, piano-laden track, ‘What’s My Scene?’
The paralympian knew she was in a tight fix, unable to respond to the hip hop artist’s request due to her prosthetic leg, which she has had since she was a mere 18-months old, the result of a foot amputation and being born with one leg shorter than the other, according to Fairfax Media.
“I knew straight away I wouldn’t be able to do it and my chest sunk to my stomach because I knew there was no space for me to put my leg out,” said O’Kelly-Kennedy, who was in attendance with fellow Olympic gymnast Lauren Mitchell and friend Bec Marsh
However, what she didn’t know was the fierce responses that would be fired at her from surrounding punters, who were quick to cast judgement as she was left the only person standing.
“I was a deer in headlights – in that moment, that seemed like forever, I just wanted to get out of there,” she describes. Quickly assessing the situation, Sentry diffused the hostility between punters and invited O’Kelly-Kennedy to sit on stage [with] ample space to stretch out…
As her friends tried to get Sentry’s attention and alert him to the increasingly tense situation, O’Kelly-Kennedy said the onslaught of abuse reminded her of more unsavoury days at school, where “I hated being the odd one out because of my leg.”
Quickly assessing the situation, Sentry diffused the hostility between punters and invited O’Kelly-Kennedy to sit on stage with him and DJ Sizzle, where there was ample space for her to stretch out her prosthetic leg, which she says can often make it difficult to sit or crouch.
“They helped me up there, sat me down, chatted to me to make sure I was OK and after introducing me to the crowd and letting them know I have one leg, Seth proceeded to sing one of my favourite songs ‘What’s My Scene?’ even including my name at the start,” O’Kelly-Kennedy said, elated about her unexpected close encounter.
Perhaps the rescue effort shouldn’t come as a surprise, for, as noted by our Tone Deaf interviewer, Seth Sentry is widely known for his laidback, genuine attitude; something that comes across easily in his presence on social media. The ability to interact with fans is something he feels comes naturally.
The good samaritan act follows what has been a glowing start to the year for Seth Sentry, having performed at SXSW, the Austin-based industry conference in March, and won a crowd-voted Twitter competition. His prize included a support slot for LL Cool J’s American tour, as well as the opportunity to perform on Jimmy Kimmel Live, historically marking the first time an Aussie hip hop act has appeared on late-night US television. A pretty spectacular effort for his first trip overseas.
On performing for Jimmy Kimmel, the Melbourne emcee said overall, the experience was surprisingly relaxed, but that, “it was stressful at the start, just ‘cause of the magnitude of it,” as mentioned in a recent interview with Tone Deaf.
“But once we were there – the way we were treated, it was really nice,” concluded Seth Sentry, whose national tour continues until the end of May. Perhaps it’s just good karma then, because it seems as though treating people nice is a ‘Simple Game’ for this humble, local rapper.
Seth Sentry 2013 Australian Tour
Tickets on sale now from sethsentry.com
Thursday 16 May – The Gov, Adelaide SA (AA)
Friday 17 May – The Forum, Melbourne VIC (18+)
Saturday 18 May – Ding Dong, Melbourne (U18)
Friday 24 May – Metro Theatre, Sydney NSW (AA)
Saturday 25 May – The HiFi, Brisbane (18+)
