NEW YORK (AP) — The crowd at a superstar-laden Central Park concert meant to celebrate New York City’s recovery from the coronavirus was asked to leave because of severe weather as Hurricane Henri approached.
New York City police on Saturday night told concertgoers via Twitter to “calmly move to the nearest exits and proceed to areas outside of the park. This is NOT an emergency.”
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Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office did not provide further information about the status of the concert.
The highly promoted “Homecoming Concert” featured Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, Jennifer Hudson, Carlos Santana, LL Cool J and Andrea Bocelli among the performers.
LL Cool J performs during the “We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert” in Central Park on August 21, 2021 in New York City. – Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith and Paul Simon are set to headline a massive Central Park concert Saturday meant to signal New York City’s “homecoming” in the wake of the pandemic’s worst devastation there. (KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)
Saturday’s event comes after a series of hip-hop concerts in the last week at outdoor venues around the city.
The concert kicked off amid worries about the contagious delta variant of COVID-19.
Spectators attend the “We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert” in Central Park on August 21, 2021 in New York City. – Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith and Paul Simon are set to headline a massive Central Park concert Saturday meant to signal New York City’s “homecoming” in the wake of the pandemic’s worst devastation there. (Kena Betancur / AFP) (Photo by KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)
New York City over the past week has averaged just under 2,000 new cases of COVID-19 a day, according to state statistics. That’s up from just under 200 cases per day in late June. Only about 54% of all city residents are fully vaccinated against the virus.
Those who attend the concert, the majority of tickets for which were handed out for free, had to show proof of vaccination.