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Kirk Franklin concert canceled by weather during Philadelphia celebration
Severe weather cut short Sunday's Gospel on Independence Concert, canceling the event an hour in and preventing headliner Kirk Franklin from taking the stage.
PHILADELPHIA - Severe weather cut short Sunday's Gospel on Independence Concert, canceling the event an hour in and preventing headliner Kirk Franklin from taking the stage.
Lightning in the area halted the show, which had begun at 7 p.m., shortly before the skies opened up with heavy rain. Despite the abrupt cancellation, the gospel mega-star and icon made a brief, surprise appearance from the sunroof of an SUV to greet fans as they evacuated the area in the downpour.
While fans who had waited for hours understood the safety risks, many were deeply disappointed by the sudden turnaround.
Mixed reactions from attendees
What they're saying:
"I was ready to see Kirk Franklin, but unfortunately everything happens for a reason," said one attendee, who spoke with FOX 29. "Hopefully, they postpone the day, and we will be able to see him another time."
Others wished for better contingency plans given the forecast. "I just wish they were a little more prepared and had tents, just knowing that it might possibly rain," another fan noted.
"It's not safe, so it's best that everybody go home," added a woman who attended the event with her daughter.
Earlier in the evening, the crowd did get to enjoy performances by several opening artists, alongside food trucks and vendors lined up along Market Street.
"I love gospel music. I sing in the choir at church as well," said attendee Christine Baxter.
"The funnel cake I had, the classic funnel cake with a lemonade—and I’m going over here to get a chicken and waffle," Kareem Bryant of West Philadelphia added.
The concert had drawn excited fans from all over the region who were eager to see the headliner.
"I just saw a billboard that Kirk Franklin was going to be here, and I was like, 'I have to come. I have to hear all his songs,'" Nicole Pshenitsyna, who traveled from Newtown in Bucks County with Mirabell Krabchenko added.
"I want to be down here again this weekend because it's like Philly, where it all started," Krabchenko, who is from Bensalem, added.
The Source: Information from FOX 29 reporting.