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Following the fatal shooting at New York City’s Irving Plaza during a T.I. show last week, Live Nation has canceled or postponed six upcoming concerts. All six concerts were scheduled to take place between Friday and Monday at Irving Plaza or its sister venue, Gramercy Theatre.
As Rolling Stone reports, Live Nation have called off performances from rappers YG, Joey Bada$$, Mac Miller and Vince Staples, as well as Guns N’ Roses cover band Appetite for Destruction and rock act Black Pistol Fire.
The six shows were to take place at either at Irving Plaza (where the shooting took place last week) and Gramercy Theatre.
Though four of the shows were to be headlined by hip hop acts, it has been reported that Live Nation and the NYPD’s decision was simply based on who was performing this weekend, not the genre.
“In light of last week’s tragic event, we are acting with an overabundance of caution and coordinating a going forward strategy with the New York Police Department that may also include a curfew,” a spokesperson for Irving Plaza and Gramercy Theatre said.
“Because these discussions with New York Police Department are ongoing, we will be postponing a few of our upcoming shows.”
New York rapper Troy Ave (real name Roland Collins), who was charged with attempted murder following the shooting, has since pleaded not guilty to all charges at a hearing at Manhattan Criminal Court.
According to NY Daily News, the shootout began after an altercation with fellow rapper Maino who had just finished his set.
Collins’ lawyer has argued that he and now-deceased bodyguard Ronald McPhatter were shot first by another person who dropped the gun in the backstage area, which Collins then picked up and emerged from the backstage area.
“What really happened here is Mr. Collins here is the real victim,” said Collins’ attorney, Scott Leemon.
“The person who was killed at this event, he died a hero. He was his bodyguard. He wasn’t shot by Mr. Collins. He was a lifelong friend.”
Referencing surveillance footage which NYPD obtained from the venue showing Collins emerge from the backstage area with a gun, Leemon said, “This 11 seconds of video that the NYPD released, it doesn’t say what happened before, it doesn’t say what happened after”.
“The scientific evidence will show he didn’t shoot himself.”
Agencies/Canadajournal
