Sometimes when you go outside, you might encounter a preacher spreading their faith. While expressing personal beliefs isn’t illegal, that doesn’t change the fact that hearing someone shout through a megaphone can be incredibly annoying. For one Seattle, Washington resident, this annoyance has turned into a bit of a personal feud with a local street preacher who is often seen standing by the roadside, holding a tall sign about Jesus and preaching loudly to anyone passing by.
According to their account, they were at a Mariners game on Saturday when one of the usual preachers showed up outside the stadium, doing his normal routine. Normally, the best thing to do in that situation is to walk away and ignore him. However, something completely unexpected happened that day. A band suddenly appeared out of nowhere and began playing “Careless Whisper” at full volume right next to the Seattle preacher. Their brass and percussion completely drowned out his amplified sermon. The preacher tried to walk away, but the band followed him closely, keeping the song going and making sure his voice couldn’t be heard.
Frustrated, the preacher began yelling through his megaphone that the band was “too loud,” but the musicians simply kept playing as they trailed behind him. The sight quickly drew attention from nearby fans and passersby, many of whom found the whole thing hilarious.
While the Seattle preacher appeared miserable, others online found the situation both funny and poetic. Some users pointed out the irony of a man who regularly shouts through a megaphone complaining that others were being too loud. “He said they were too loud? If he had the capacity for self-reflection, this would be funny,” one user wrote.
Others remarked that street preachers like this aren’t unique to Seattle or even the United States. People shared experiences of similar encounters in other countries, noting that such loud public preaching can often become a disturbance.
“Ran into one of those people in Italy, bullhorn and everything, blamed the world’s problems on Jews and gays. The polizia finally stepped in after he started bothering the tourists, like they grabbed his signs and bullhorn and told him to get out of the plaza. Wish SPD would do that, the guy is obnoxious,” another Redditor said.
If you’re wondering about the band behind this unexpected protest performance, it turns out they are members of the Chaotic Noise Marching Corps, a well-known local brass ensemble in Seattle. One Reddit user even claimed to be a member of the group, explaining that this kind of spontaneous and satirical performance is something they often do.
“This is Chaotic Noise brass band. I actually suggested to one of their members a while back that they should do this, because they’re a large group and this kind of thing is right up their alley. Glad to see they got around to it,” one commenter shared.
