Under the weight of pressure exerted by Mayor Eric Adams' administration, the non-profit organization responsible for the esteemed SummerStage concerts has reluctantly scratched a much-anticipated Central Park performance by renowned R&B artist Kehlani. This decision unfolded on Monday, following a stern warning issued by a senior NYC official to the City Parks Foundation—the steward of the long-running concert series. The official cautioned that the group's license to organize these concerts might be jeopardized if they failed to "swiftly address" the "security concerns" arising from Kehlani's planned gig.
Dubbed "Pride With Kehlani," the concert was set for June 26th, harmonizing with the city's broader Pride celebrations. This marked the second time in recent weeks that a Kehlani performance was axed amidst an uproar over her pro-Palestinian stance. Unlike Cornell University administrators, who two weeks prior openly cited Kehlani's purported antisemitic and anti-Israel viewpoints as the reason for dropping her from an annual campus concert, the city's First Deputy Mayor, Randy M. Mastro, refrained from mentioning her personal beliefs.
Instead, in a letter addressed to the foundation's executive director, Heather Lubov, Mastro emphasized that the Adams administration's qualms stemmed from the "controversy" surrounding the aborted Cornell performance, coupled with the extensive security demands posed by the Central Park event and other Pride festivities scattered across the city. He revealed that the police would undertake a thorough security assessment of the concert. Should the department conclude that the event posed "an unacceptable risk to public safety," he added ominously, it could spell trouble for the future of SummerStage—a series that has been entertaining audiences since 1986.
"If the foundation fails to swiftly ensure public safety, the city reserves all rights and remedies pertaining to the foundation's license," he wrote in the letter, which was previously reported by The New York Post.
In a statement posted online later that Monday, the foundation announced the cancellation of the show, citing the concerns raised by Mastro. Notably, the statement omitted any mention of the implicit threat to SummerStage's license. "We stand firm and unwavering in our belief in artistic expression of all hues," the group asserted. "However, the safety and security of our patrons and artists take precedence above all else. Given these considerations, the concert has been canceled."
The announcement highlighted that Live Nation was the production house behind the event. An email dispatched to the company seeking a commentary went unanswered. (As of Monday evening, tickets for general admission were still up for grabs via Ticketmaster, priced at $103 for standing access and $145 for bleacher seats.)
A spokesperson for Mr. Adams, a Democratic figure, issued a statement expressing the administration's "gratitude to the City Parks Foundation for addressing our concerns and canceling the Kehlani concert scheduled in Central Park." Kayla Mamelak Altus, the spokesperson, further added, "We eagerly anticipate an exhilarating array of other performances this summer."
PEN America, an advocacy group for free expression, lambasted the concert's cancellation as "cowardly." "It is profoundly unsettling to witness elected officials leveraging their positions to delineate the confines of permissible expression and coercing private entities into compliance," remarked Jonathan Friedman, a managing director at the group, in a statement.
Kehlani, who prefers the pronouns she and they, has been a vocal critic of Israel's actions in the Gaza conflict, both at concerts and on social media platforms. In the 2024 music video for her song "Next 2 U," the singer donned a jacket adorned with kaffiyehs while dancers waved Palestinian flags in the backdrop. The phrase "Long Live the Intifada" flashed against a dark canvas during the video's introduction.
Following the cancellation of the Cornell concert, Kehlani posted a video on social media, clarifying, "I am once again being requested and urged to affirm and state, for what feels like the millionth time, that I am not antisemitic nor anti-Jew." They continued, "I stand against genocide. I oppose the actions of the Israeli government."
On Monday, Kehlani appeared unperturbed by the cancellation of the Central Park concert, which she learned about via social media. In an Instagram story, she captioned an image promoting the show with "They canceled this one too," and added "lol" atop a screenshot of the foundation's statement. She concluded, "I am deeply rooted in my purpose, my mission, my art, and my contribution. Back to this album. See you this weekend, LA!"
