Drake Concert Gets Ugly, Ends with Arrests
NEW YORK (CBS/AP) A free concert by up-and-coming rapper Drake was canceled Tuesday after twice as many people as anticipated showed up and many became unruly, police said.
The show started at about 6 p.m. with an opening act at Pier 17 on Manhattan's South Street Seaport, a popular location for summer concerts. Hanson, the Tulsa, Okla., brothers behind the 1997 hit "Mmmbop," and headliner Drake, whose album "Thank Me Later" debuted Tuesday, were to appear on stage soon after.
Organizers were anticipating about 10,000 people, but nearly 20,000 showed up, police said. Many people climbed roofs and started throwing bottles, as concertgoers smashed together toward the stage, police said.
Unruly fans started throwing chairs and flowers pots as well, prompting organizers to come to the realization that they didn't have enough security to allow the show to continue. The New York Police Department was called in to disperse the crowd and by 7 p.m. the show was over.
"Once the chairs got thrown everyone started running onto the barricades and we had to jump over and it was like havoc and panicking all over the place," witness Taniya McCullough added.
NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said two people were arrested on minor charges; six suffered minor injuries.
The concert was part of the "Sounds Like Paper" series presented by Paper magazine, an independent magazine focusing on arts, culture and music. The magazine apologized on its website: "Wow, the crowd was much larger than we anticipated, and unfortunately the show was canceled. But we will make it up to you guys!"
The magazine posted several updates on Twitter during the night: "It's a total madhouse - in a good way" and "get off the roof!"
Telephone calls by The Associated Press to representatives for Drake and Hanson weren't immediately returned Tuesday night, but both acts apologized to fans on Twitter, WCBS reported.