R. Kelly Sends Message to Arizona Fans

Last night, R. Kelly did not perform at a planned concert, although he was at the venue. Irate fans took to social media to expose their disgust (and understandably so), and R. Kelly released a video himself.

R. Kelly's Facebook post before his scheduled performance.

This is the picture R. Kelly posted to social media, seemingly excited to perform and preparing his fans to see him. However, what happened when he got there was a vast difference from what was expected. Warning: Strong language.

SUBSCRIBE TO ME FOR VIDEOS EVERY 2 DAYS!!!! R KELLY PLAYED EVERYBODY AND AIN'T COME OUT ON STAGE IN PHOENIX LIKE 30 MINUTES AGO SO THIS IS PART 1
Posted by James Douglas on Saturday, April 25, 2015

Part 2 of the dude talking... He spent 300 to see R. Kelly
Posted by James Douglas on Saturday, April 25, 2015

These videos were taken from the Facebook page of Mr. James Douglas, where many more videos of angry fans may be found.

However, R. Kelly delivered this message to his fans, hoping they understand the business side of things:

So, there is his side of the situation. NOW, for the things that performers wish you knew:

When it is announced that a performer will be doing a concert, that performer is RARELY involved in the planning of the show. The performer will have a business manager, road manager, and other team members that arrange everything... including the artist's pay. The team is in contact with the show's promoter. The promoter is the one that books the talent and venue, pays for advertising, having tickets printed, lights, sound system, etc.

If you pay for tickets to see your favorite artist, and that artist does not perform, it is not the artist's fault, unless that artist missed a scheduled flight due to his/her own negligence. Neither is it the fault of the medium that advertised the show. Although we might be upset, I think most of us will understand a family emergency/death being the cause of a missed performance. Every now and then, the artist's management may accidentally double-book the artist, but MOST OF THE TIME, if an artist does not show up for a concert, it is because the promoter never booked the act or made a deposit but was not able to come up with the rest of the money promised the artist. Sometimes, agreements may be made to rectify the situation at a later time and the artist performs anyway. Other times, they may not. However, THIS is one of the reasons buying tickets in advance is so important. It provides a gauge for expected attendance, giving a promoter time to either cancel a show, find a replacement act, or work out a deal with scheduled artists.

This was a very unfortunate incident in Arizona, but at least R. Kelly was able to vindicate himself and place the blame where it should have been. With that being said, should "no refund" policies stand when the promised product isn't delivered? What do you think?

Categories: Articles