Lionel Richie is in hot water with some fans after he canceled a show in New York City one hour after the concert was scheduled to begin. Fans gathered at NYC's Madison Square Garden for the show, which was set to feature Richie along with Earth, Wind & Fire. When the the show didn't go on as it was supposed to, Richie issued a statement from his X account (formerly Twitter) to tell fans that he wouldn't be appearing that night due to "severe weather." From Richie's statement, it sounds as if the singer never arrived in New York for the show.
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"Due to severe weather and being unable to land in the NY and surrounding areas, I'm unable to make it to the show tonight," Richie shared. "I'm so bummed. We are rescheduling the show to Monday Aug 14. Can't wait to perform for you all. Tickets for tonight's show are valid for the show on Monday."
Many fans were outraged by the cancellation, especially with the announcement coming so long after the scheduled show time. Many concertgoers also did not buy Richie's reason for why he couldn't make it to the show.
One fan wrote, "When the 'weather excuse' feels cloudier than the actual sky... Why no heads-up before we crammed the auditorium? C'mon press team, all of us and countless fans are waiting for the real story."
Another shared his disappointment for fans who made a special trip to New York for the show.
"Press team lies. What actually happened?" they wrote. "Nobody flies in late and blames weather. Weather was A OK. We are a group of 12 and so disappointed but not as disappointed as the tourists and fans who made plans around the gig and will now miss it. What's the real, substantial and genuine reason?"
Many fans fell into this category of making long trips to New York to see Richie, with some commenting that they came from as far as Iceland and Ireland. A few of the them shared that they will not be able to make the rescheduled show on Monday due to schedule restraints.
Richie has not commented any further about the show cancellation. The rescheduled show is still set to take place on Monday night at 7:30 PM at Madison Square Garden.
