Lionel Richie apologises ‘a thousand times’ for postponing New York show at last minute

Lionel Richie apologised to his audience in New York City “a thousand times” on Monday for scrapping his show at the last minute over the weekend.

The Hello singer upset his fans in Madison Square Garden on Saturday night when he announced he was unable to perform an hour after the show was supposed to begin.

During his rescheduled concert on Monday, the 74-year-old joked that he tried to “bribe the pilot” to allow the plane to land in bad weather conditions so he could perform.

“I had two ‘no’s to come at the same time,” Richie said, according to footage posted on social media. “And when those two decided it’s a no – when God says no and when the pilot says no, the answer…

“I tried to bribe the pilot. And the pilot said, ‘I do want to see my wife tomorrow.’ So tonight we are going to make up for that. I apologise for that a thousand times.”

Over the weekend, the Dancing on the Ceiling hitmaker posted a statement on Twitter/X announcing that he couldn’t make it to the venue.

“Due to severe weather and being unable to land in the NY and surrounding areas, I’m unable to make it to the show tonight,” he wrote. “I’m so bummed. We are rescheduling the show to Monday Aug 14. Can’t wait to perform for you all.”

Richie is currently on a joint headlining tour of North America with Earth, Wind & Fire. The Sing a Song All Night Long tour will next stop in Washington D.C. on Friday.