Lionel Richie Says He Tried to 'Bribe a Pilot' to Avoid Canceling Concert
Lionel Richie is very sorry to his fans for canceling a concert over the weekend, with the singer apologizing profusely on Monday night.
Richie faced difficulties getting to his concert with Earth, Wind & Fire at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Saturday, Aug. 12, with the 74-year-old forced to postpone the show due to bad weather conditions, announcing it an hour after the concert was set to start.
He shared a statement on Twitter (now known as X), writing, "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. I’m so bummed." He then shared that the show was rescheduled to Monday, Aug. 14.
On Monday, during the rescheduled concert, Richie shared his sincerest apologies with his fans, while also admitting to trying to "bribe the pilot" to fly through the weather to get to NYC.
Fans captured the apology on video, including Lisa G. from iHeartRadio, who shared it on Twitter.
An apology from @LionelRichie @TheGarden #lionelrichie @wnbcdesk pic.twitter.com/JW8CyOIekq
— Lisa G. (@lisag30D) August 15, 2023
During the apology, Richie said to his fans about the cancelation, "I had two 'no's to come at the same time. And when those two decided it's a no — when God says no and when the pilot says no, the answer…"
The American Idol judge paused and then joked, "I tried to bribe the pilot. And the pilot said, ‘I do want to see my wife tomorrow,’" getting laughs from the audience. "So tonight we are going to make up for that. I apologize for that a thousand times," he concluded before launching into his next song.
Hopefully, fans were satisfied with Richie's apology and performance on Monday, as fans were very disappointed when the cancelation was announced Saturday night.
Many people commented on the "Hello" singer's Twitter post, with one writing in reply, "Say that to the fans who flew in to see you, paid hotels which are very expensive in New York." A few even mentioned some past Richie concerts that they alleged he was hours late for as well.
Richie and Earth, Wind & Fire will continue their tour dates across North America through the fall.