Hurricane Henri cut short the big concert organized on Saturday in New York to celebrate the “reunion” of the inhabitants, after a Covid-19 epidemic which severely affected the city
The concert organized in Central Park to mark the “reunion” of the artists with the public of New York, a city strongly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, was stopped on Saturday, under the threat of Hurricane Henri.
Barry Manilow, who co-starred with Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith and Paul Simon, was interrupted in the middle of a song by a voice urging spectators to move quickly but calmly to the nearest exit because of the approaching storm clouds.
Some 60,000 spectators were expected at the concert as the hurricane, with winds of 120 km / h, approached, to reach the American east coast during the day Sunday.
It must arrive on Long Island, near New York, or a little further north in New England, according to the American Hurricane Monitoring Center (NHC), which however expects “a weakening before its arrival”. The hurricane is expected to bypass New York but could nevertheless cause significant precipitation as early as Saturday evening.
So ended a show that had started at 5:00 p.m. with groups of spectators dancing, clapping and spreading picnic tablecloths, ready for five hours of live music. Before the arrival of the clouds, many spectators remained worried about the epidemic situation, despite the obligation of vaccination required at the entrance.
“New York is back”
The mayor of America’s largest city, Bill de Blasio, told local radio on Friday that the event was planned “to really tell people that New York is back, to tell the world” . Since the start of the pandemic, New York has deplored more than 33,000 victims of Covid-19.
On the lawn of Central Park, Bill Thompson, a longtime New Yorker, said he was “more than ever on (his) guards”. “I am delighted that this is a vaccinated audience and that we have to show proof,” said the 69-year-old after applauding Diana Ross and Simon and Garfunkel on stage.
“It’s a joy” to see the city come back to life, he said, despite lingering concerns about the coronavirus. “You feel so free to be able to take advantage of what people have missed for so long.”
With the exception of certain VIP seats, tickets were free to attend Saturday’s concert during which Santana, Jennifer Hudson, LL Cool J, Barry Manilow, and Earth, Wind and Fire were announced.
More than 68% of New York City adults are fully vaccinated, but the number of infections has rebounded recently in the city with more than 1,800 cases daily, up 19% from the situation two weeks earlier.
“I am wholeheartedly with those who have suffered,” emphasized a spectator, Laurie Ramirez, an educator who won a ticket for the concert thanks to her status as an essential worker during the pandemic. “It’s extraordinary, it’s the most beautiful thing,” she marveled.
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