Kanye West Ends Meadows Set After Kim Kardashian Robbed at Gunpoint

Kanye West cut his Meadows set short after learning wife Kim Kardashian was robbed at gunpoint inside her Paris hotel room. Photo: Dana Distortion for Rolling Stone

Kanye West abruptly ended his headlining performance at the debut Meadows Music and Arts Festival in Queens, New York on Sunday evening. “I’m sorry, there’s a family emergency, I have to stop the show,” West told the audience before leaving the stage.

US Weekly reports that West was performing “Heartless” when he briefly left the stage 45 minutes into his set and then returned to give his explanation. Organizers addressed the crowd shortly afterward, informing fans that the rapper had already left the venue.

“Due to a family emergency, Kanye West was forced to end his performance towards the end of his set,” organizers for The Meadows said in a statement. “We appreciate the great show he put on for fans to close out the inaugural Meadows festival. Our thoughts are with West and his family.”

A rep for West did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but a spokesperson for West’s wife Kim Kardashian told CNN that Kardashian had been robbed at gunpoint.

“Kim Kardashian West was held up at gunpoint inside her Paris hotel room this evening, by two armed masked men dressed as police officers,” the rep said. “She is badly shaken but physically unharmed.”

The last festival West headlined in New York City was this year’s Governor’s Ball, where his slot was cancelled due to inclement weather. The cancellation resulted in a frenzy over a rumored “pop-up” show in the East Village that never occurred.

West is the second major artist to have a personal conflict with this year’s Meadows Festival. On Friday, Meadows announced that the Weeknd, who was scheduled to headline Saturday evening, had to cancel his slot due to scheduling conflicts. The Weeknd tweeted that he would “make it up” to New Yorkers planning on seeing him perform.

According to Founders Entertainment, the company behind The Meadows, 80,000 people were expected to attend the two-day festival. In addition to West, rock band The 1975 and rappers J. Cole and Chance the Rapper headlined the event.