Lightning forces New York’s Central Park Homecoming concert to be cut short

A lightning storm and hurricane warning halted a massive concert in Central Park last night, with most of the event's headliners missing out on the chance to perform.

Organisers of We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert waited three hours before officially canceling the event at 10:30PM. Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith, Elvis Costello, the Killers, and Paul Simon were all on the bill, while Barry Manilow was forced to stop during a rendition of 'Can’t Smile Without You'.

The concert was put on as part of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s efforts to celebrate the city’s comeback after months without live music amid the pandemic. Before last night’s storm, LL Cool J, the New York Philharmonic, Jennifer Hudson, Earth, Wind and Fire, Carlos Santana, and others played to a massive crowd camped out on the Central Park lawn.

An announcer quickly instructed audience members to “seek shelter for your safety,” as seen in the clip below, captured by CNN's live broadcast.

CNN just ended the #WeLoveNYCConcert due to the Hurricane Henri threat approaching

Right in the middle of Barry Manilow's performance pic.twitter.com/tUh39kCtu8

— Jaynik (@nicholaSyaJ) August 21, 2021

Later in the evening, the Killers performed a brief acoustic set, including 'Mr. Brightside,' from a backstage dressing room, which CBS’ Gayle King filmed from her phone.

An estimated 60,000 concert goers evacuated Central Park that evening. Storm conditions, including heavy rain, continued late into the night.

LL Cool J ate and left no crumbs ! #WeLoveNYC #WeLoveNYCConcert #LLCoolJ pic.twitter.com/byiOYtEfoG

— LLCOOLJ Archive (@llcooljarchive) August 21, 2021

Photo credit: Jeffrey Milstein