NAMES IN THE NEWS : A Sour Note for Hank Williams Jr.

A spokesman for Hank Williams Jr. today blamed the country singer’s aborted, profanity-filled weekend performance on a personal problem not related to substance abuse.

Williams cursed the crowd Saturday night, turning the 6,513 fans against him, and stumbled off stage after only 20 minutes, witnesses said. He returned to Nashville on Sunday after agreeing to pay $65,000 to make up for the disastrous show.

“He was obnoxious,” said Councilman Doug Wellborn, who was at the concert. Many of the fans reacted angrily, tossing beer bottles, burning their Hank Williams Jr. T-shirts and demanding immediate refunds for their $17.50 tickets. No one was hurt, and no arrests were made.

Sheriff’s deputies seized Williams’s Cessna Citation at the airport and kept it under guard. It was released after his agents agreed to pay $65,000 in reimbursements.