Wyclef Jean cancels California State Fair concert hours before showtime
As Day 2 of the California State Fair came to a close Saturday, some concertgoers were left disappointed after a last-minute cancellation by one of the fair's headlining performers.
Three-time Grammy Award winner Wyclef Jean was scheduled to perform Saturday evening at the Sky River Casino Stage, but the California State Fair announced just five hours before showtime that the concert had been canceled due to "unforeseen circumstances."
Rows of empty chairs replaced what many fans expected would be a packed crowd.
"I just found out it got canceled," said Morgan Gregorio of Galt.
"I came over to check it out and he's not here and it's pretty much canceled," said fairgoer Abel Carate.
Jean, a singer, songwriter and producer best known for his work with the Fugees and his collaboration with Shakira on "Hips Don't Lie," was one of this year's featured performers.
"I'm pretty familiar with his music," said Sacramento resident Christine Howard. "Shakira just redid one of his songs, 'Hips Don't Lie.' I'm pretty familiar. He's a '90s artist."
"I know many of his songs. I love his song with Shakira," Carate added.
The California State Fair said refunds for the canceled concert would be processed automatically.
Earlier Saturday, Jean shared videos on Instagram that appeared to show him attending a funeral service. While neither Jean nor the fair has said whether the posts were connected to the cancellation, some fans said seeing the videos changed their perspective.
"It's a life event. You have to roll with the punches. I get it," Howard said.
"It's understandable. Still sad, but prayers to him and his family," Gregorio said.
CBS News Sacramento reached out to Jean's representatives for comment on the cancellation but had not received a response as of Saturday evening.
The cancellation does not affect the rest of the California State Fair concert lineup. Performances by Trace Adkins, Boyz II Men and other scheduled artists are expected to continue as planned.
