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Kanye West Causes Stampede At Surprise Webster Hall Concert In New York

By Val Powell
Published on: 01:27 PST, Jun 6, 2016

Rapper Kanye West’s surprise concert was canceled after thousands of overexcited fans caused chaos outside the venue. Dozens of New York police officers came to the concert scene to stop the commotion.

A Snapchat video taken by his wife, Kim Kardashian, on Monday morning showed the rapper calling Mayor Bill de Blasio to ask him to shut down multiple blocks around the venue and to put screens up so that fans can have a party outside the concert venue.

However, Mayor de Blasio did not heed Kanye West’s pleas. Thousands of diehard fans gathered in front of Webster Hall upon learning that the rapper booked a last-minute performance on Sunday evening.

Some climbed on top of cars, scaffoldings, and trucks, hoping to get a better view of the rumored concert. Some furious fans claimed they were pepper sprayed as the situation got out of control outside Webster Hall.

Police officials reportedly confirmed they sprayed the mob with a substance after a window was smashed. They also noted that the people were getting desperate to get to the front of the crowd. Fans were chanting “Pablo!” and “Kanye!” as they pushed their way to the concert ground.

Fortunately, no one was badly injured during the commotion.

Still, fans of Kanye West refused to leave even as the officials of Webster Hall canceled the show. An employee with a megaphone reportedly told people to go home as the performance was called off. Reps of Webster Hall also posted the announcement on their official Twitter page.

Kanye West was scheduled to perform his newest album, Life of Pablo, at the Webster Hall after his Governor’s Ball performance got canceled due to bad weather. After his surprise appearance at Hot 97 Summer Jam in New Jersey, Kim Kardashian’s husband hinted that he would be holding a secret concert, but did not leave any clue about the venue.

However, once rumors started spreading about a Webster Hall show, fans of the “Gold Digger” hitmaker flocked to 11th Street in the East Village. At 1:20 a.m., the concert was still set to go on, but Webster Hall officials confirmed they called off the gig at 1:45 a.m. since the crowd was getting out of control.

Those who were patient enough to wait for Kanye West to come out were able to get a glimpse of him. The husband and wife were spotted leaving the scene in a car.

Some diehard fans chased down the van of the self-proclaimed music genius when he passed by the crowd. Lucky fans shared a picture of the rapper standing in his sunroof car while waving to a sea of fans.

Nevertheless, people only began leaving two hours after the cancellation of the show.

Webster Hall can only hold approximately 1,500 people, but roughly 4,000 people rushed to the rumored concert scene. A Twitter user said about 2,500 people lined up in a matter of 15-20 minutes. Concert-goers even shared videos of the chaos outside the concert hall.

There were so many fans that a line-up of diehard Kanye West followers stretched more than two blocks from Webster Hall, according to fans and residents living near Webster Hall. One onlooker compared the chaotic scene to a “cult.”

There were still police officers present and a crowd of at least a few hundred people gathered outside Webster Hall on early Monday morning. Some fans wandered around the village hoping Kanye West has found a new place for his show.

[Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images]

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