The singer notorious for his nonsensical online rants, was just trying to do the right thing by his fans when he hinted he was throwing a free New York concert.
Kanye was set to perform cuts from his recent album The Life of Pablo for the first time in the US at Governors Ball, a popular music festival on Governors Island.
But the show had been cancelled on account of a lightning strike threat.
While playing a short set at another festival, Summer Jam, in New Jersey, his creative director Virgil Abloh wrote – then deleted – hints on social media of a free show in Manhattan: “Be at Webster Hall at 2am” it said.
Within minutes about 4000 excited fans crowded around the East Village venue in expectation.
“The crowd stampeded, broke windshields, and even passed out. Then Kanye didn’t show up,” The Daily Beast reported.
After the crowd got rough, security at the venue told people to “go home” because the show was shut down.
On Snapchat, Kanye’s wife Kim Kardashian said he tried to get in touch with NYC mayor Bill De Blasio to get a block party going, but was unsuccessful.
“I’ve seen hella people fall (and) people just running over. People are trying to get out. People are going over cars,” said a man in the frenzied crowd.
He had a Governors Ball ticket and heard through rumblings on Instagram he’d be able to see Kanye anyway. By 1:05 a.m. he was perched atop a metal dumpster cover trying to evade the rush.
“You can’t go anywhere. You can’t even breathe. People are just pushing each other. I love you Kanye, but it’s not worth it.”
Minutes later, a group of people began screaming for help for a bloodied woman who had just passed out.
“Somebody please help!” a friend yelled. The woman was lying down, splayed on the hood of a parked sedan. “Does anybody have some water?” Her friends were later able to clear a path and get her to safety.
At 1:15 a.m., a man outside the venue with a megaphone attempted to let the crowd know that the concert was cancelled, but only a few members of the crowd heard him.
Then, five minutes later, Kanye tweeted: “Show at 2 am SOLD OUT.”
No tickets for the show were ever on sale.
