The United Center abruptly announced they’ve canceled the NBA YoungBoy concert originally scheduled for Wednesday and will issue refunds.
The Chicago rapper was slated to bring his 2025 Make America Slime Again, or MASA, Tour to the arena on Sept. 24, but in a message, the venue simply said it had “made the decision to cancel the NBA YoungBoy show scheduled for Wednesday, September 24 in Chicago.”
No further explanation was offered.
Commenters on the website were dismayed, with one writing, “So inconsiderate it’s people to took off work Booked flights…Hotels…spent they last to go to this concert.”
It’s been six years since he last performed in Chicago. Now, fans will have to wait longer than that.
Kinye Callahan, who lives in Joliet, said he had friends coming in from out of town to join him at the concert.
“People were coming from Wisconsin, Detroit, Ohio, everywhere,” he said.
Callahan was told by Ticketmaster that it would take anywhere from 14 to 21 days to get their money back.
“Just to be on the floor were $800, just to be in the front row was $1,000, and just to be where I sat was $500,” he said.
When CBS News Chicago reached out to the United Center for more information on why they canceled the concert, they declined to comment beyond their original statement. However, the cancelation came just days after the arena announced a string no bags of any size policy for the show.
The rapper, whose real name is Kentrell DeSean Gaulden, has also not commented on the cancelation, but there has been plenty of chatter online. His mother, Sherhonda Gaulden, posted on Instagram that the show was called off for safety concerns.
“So it’s nothing about, you know, nobody wanting to come there or none of that,” she said in the video. “They canceled it for the safety of the people that really wanted to attend, to keep y’all safe from the ones that don’t know how to act.”
Safety concerns around the United Center have also been a concern previously.
Last year, an 18-year-old from Elgin was shot and killed during a violent robbery on his way to a Lil Durk concert there. It’s unclear if that also played a role in the cancellation.
“I guess for safety reasons it was good it was called off, but at the same time you have to think about the fans too, we put a lot of money into this,” Callahan said.
The United Center said anyone who purchased tickets through a third-party seller should reach out to their point of purchase for a refund. Anyone who bought tickets through Ticketmaster will be refunded automatically.
NBA YoungBoy’s next tour date is Thursday at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. At last check, that concert remains on the schedule.
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