Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo is not amused with Lionel Richie.
This is a sentence I never thought I’d type: Here’s @MadDogUnleashed on “First Take” destroying Lionel Richie for canceling a concert over the weekend with a solid “Hello” reference from Stephen A. pic.twitter.com/LPEsl5t9U1
— Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) August 16, 2023
Just great stuff. It’s not exactly the Pacman Jones rant, but it will do. At least Richie tweeted his late cancellation rather than faxing it in like Pat Riley.
The context, via The Los Angeles Times:
Hello, Lionel Richie, it’s you they’re looking for.
To the ire of fans, the “Hello” performer left a sold-out Madison Square Garden crowd hanging on Saturday evening, announcing that he could not make the performance about one hour after it was scheduled to begin. Earth, Wind & Fire were also scheduled to perform as a part of the Sing a Song All Night Long tour, and also canceled.
“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,” Richie, a Los Angeles resident, wrote in a statement shared on social media, adding that the show would be rescheduled to Monday night. “I’m so bummed.”
Doggie has a point. This was a “complete, utter disgrace.” Richie had played a show in Boston the night before. How did he not get to Manhattan in time? Planes, trains, automobiles — they all apply. Figure it out.
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Another sports angle: Richie and EWF had to rejigger their schedules to account for the missed show. The trickle-down impact led to a Derek Jeter event in Hartford being canceled in conjunction with an EWF show. Which is somehow an even more random pairing than Russo trashing Richie on national television. What a world. Back after this.
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James Kratch can be reached at james.kratch@xlmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @jameskratch.
