It Turns Out That R Kelly Did Actually Perform At Monroe, LA Concert, Outraged Fans Still Want Refund
Yesterday, we told you about R Kelly fans in Monroe, LA who feel they were duped by local promoter Cedric Johnson and are demanding their money back. Some fans paid upwards of $150 per ticket to attend 'Ced's All Black Affair' at the Monroe Civic Center to see a performance from R Kelly, but instead, got a few minutes of lip-syncing from someone they believe was an impersonator.
I gotta be honest, at first I didn't believe it was R Kelly (and actually, I'm still pretty skeptical about it based on photos I've seen like the one below) but Monroe Police Detective Reggie Brown worked security for the event and confirms it was indeed the "real" R Kelly who performed on stage. A rep for Kelly also confirmed this to Pitchfork earlier today.
Fans are still upset about the lackluster performance they got in exchange for the high price they spent on tickets for the show.
According to an initial report from KNOE 8 News, a text message received from event promoter Cedric Johnson said that he was duped just like those in attendance and promised refunds to everyone who went to the show, but later claimed he didn't send that message and does not plan on offering anyone their money back.
It's a situation all too common. It features a popular artist who normally performs in concert. It's promoted via social media like a concert. With some paying as much as $150 per ticket, it was definitely priced like a concert. The flyer makes it look like it's a... you get the point.
But it's not a concert. Didn't you read the fine print? (or in this case, the lack thereof)
Nowhere on this flyer does it say that R Kelly would actually be "performing," but many feel that they were misled to believe he would be. Johnson told The News-Star earlier this week that he didn't mislead anyone, and it was always billed as a birthday party at which R Kelly would be making an appearance.
"I never did anything to lead people on about the event,” Johnson said. “All of the fliers and promos said it was a birthday bash where he would appear. It was never billed as a concert."
The only problem with Johnson's story is that people are now posting screenshots in the comments of articles, both regional and national that tell a different story. (Unless of course, it wasn't Cedric Johnson or his promotional team making these posts on their own page.)
Remember that detective from earlier that confirmed that it really was R Kelly on stage? Well, if anything, he deserves the credit for fans getting ANY type of show after Brown says he became concerned once he learned from Johnson that R Kelly wouldn't actually be performing.
"I was absolutely concerned,” Brown said. “There were 3,000 diehard fans there who expected him to perform. I told (Kelly’s) manager if he didn’t perform it could be a public safety issue."
A post on the official Facebook event page promised a statement on Monday, but one has yet to be seen. In the meantime, posts from others on the page expressing first-hand anger and frustration are running rampant.
But was it really even R Kelly? Lol, I'll leave it up to you to decide in the comments below.
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