Richie was supposed to perform at Madison Square Garden with Earth, Wind & Fire on Saturday.
Lionel Richie is facing backlash from fans after canceling his sold-out concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City an hour after he was supposed to take the stage.
On Saturday, the 74-year-old "All Night Long" singer was booked to perform alongside Earth, Wind & Fire, however, the event was canceled and rescheduled for Aug. 14 after fans had already filled the venue.
At 8:30 p.m., Richie took to X (formerly Twitter) to announce the show would not go on and cited "severe weather" as the reason for cancellation.
"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 wrote. "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."
Fans quickly took to social media to share their frustration with the late-notice cancellation and questioned if the weather was truly the determining factor in putting the show off.
"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," one fan wrote.
Another X user asked why Richie didn't have a soundcheck at Madison Square Garden ahead of the concert. "Serious question... why was there NO sound check a few hours before the show?"
Another fan, who noted that they came to the concert in a group of 12 people, pointed out that concertgoers traveled far and wide to make it to the event. "Press team lies. What actually happened? 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?"
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