Fans expecting to see Wyclef Jean take the stage at the California State Fair instead found rows of empty chairs Saturday after the Grammy-winning artist abruptly canceled his performance with just hours to go.
The three-time Grammy winner was set to headline the Sky River Casino Stage, but fair organizers announced roughly five hours before the scheduled concert that the performance had been scrapped because of “unforeseen circumstances.”
No further explanation has been provided by either Jean’s team or the California State Fair beyond that brief statement.
“I came over to check it out and he’s not here and it’s pretty much canceled,” one fairgoer told CBS.
The concert had been promoted as Jean’s debut headlining the fair’s main Sky River Casino Stage.
Although the singer, songwriter and producer has performed at venues throughout California during his decades-long career, it marked his first scheduled appearance in the California State Fair’s main concert series.
Jean rose to fame in the 1990s as a founding member of the Fugees before launching a successful solo career.
He is also known for collaborating with Shakira on the global hit “Hips Don’t Lie” and has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide.
His career includes three Grammy Awards: Best Rap Album for The Score and Best R&B Performance for “Killing Me Softly” with the Fugees in 1997, along with a third Grammy as a producer on Santana’s 2000 Album of the Year, “Supernatural.”
Earlier Saturday, Jean shared videos on Instagram that appeared to show him attending a funeral service.
Neither the artist nor fair officials have said whether the posts were connected to the last-minute cancellation, but some fans said seeing the videos gave them a different perspective.
“It’s understandable. Still sad, but prayers to him and his family,” another attendee told CBS.
The California State Fair said refunds for the canceled concert will be processed automatically.
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The post Wyclef Jean suddenly pulls out of California State Fair appeared first on New York Post.
