“I tried to bribe the pilot”
Lionel Richie apologized in front of a flood of concert-goers for having to cancel his sold-out performance in New York City an hour into Saturday’s performance.
The “All Night Long” hitmaker, 74, beamed on Monday when he finally braved the weather and made it to Madison Square Garden as part of his tour with Earth, Wind, and Fire.
During the postponed show at Madison Square Garden, Richie apologized “a thousand times” to fans for having to unplug Saturday’s performance.
“I had two nos at once,” Richie said Footage captured by fans. “And when these two decided it’s a no — if God says no and if the pilot says no, the answer is … I tried to bribe the pilot.”
The Grammy winner said poor weather conditions caused the delay in getting to the Big Apple.
“And the pilot said, ‘I want to see my wife tomorrow.’ We’ll do that again tonight. I apologize a thousand times for that.”
An hour after the concert was scheduled to begin, the “Hello” singer told fans Saturday that despite his best efforts to fly to the New York area, he would not be performing at the historic venue.
“Due to the severe weather and not being able to land in New York and surrounding areas, I’m unable to come to the show tonight,” Richie posted in a statement on X – officially known as Twitter.
“I’m so depressed. We are moving the show to Monday 14th August. I can’t wait to perform for you all. Tickets for tonight’s show are also valid for Monday’s show.”
“We bought our parents good seats for their 50th wedding anniversary for a lot of money. They are 75 and were really looking forward to tonight’s show. Thanks for ruining the gift we got for her,” one Twitter user wrote.
“Earth, Wind and Fire” had to adjust its schedule to accommodate Richie’s travel issues.
The group was due to perform in Bridgeport on Monday night but have since moved the show to Wednesday to play the make-up gig.
Despite the disappointment, his daughter Sofia is still beaming with pride in Richie.
The 24-year-old model gushed about her “role model” father in an interview with city CountryHe said he handles fame with “such grace.”
“He hugs everyone who comes up to him. He’s grateful, he’s grateful,” she told the outlet.
“He taught me never to have that ‘Oh god, not today’ attitude. He’s a very special megastar and I’ve watched him my whole life. I’ve never seen him say “no” to a picture. I’ve never seen him be rude to anyone approaching him on the street.”
