R Kelly now expected in October

Last Updated on Saturday, 26 December 2015, 21:01 by GxMedia

Grammy Award winner, R Kelly, is now set to perform in Guyana on October 19, a delay that Mc Neal Enterprises’ Odinga Lumumba assured had nothing to do with payment problems.

“We have fulfilled all our obligations to R Kelly. There is a tendency to think in Guyana when an artiste doesn’t show or there is a problem that you didn’t pay him. As a matter of fact, we have paid him way in advance,” Lumumba told a news conference.

He said that flights, accommodation, contracts with other artistes, the music and lighting systems were all in place.

Lumumba recalled that Mc Neal Enterprises and Hits and Jams Promotions were Monday morning told by R Kelly’s agent that the artiste was disoriented by the flight to South Africa. His inability to come to Guyana for the Saturday August 24 show was confirmed on Wednesday, said the veteran promoter.

Lumumba said R Kelly’s agent had initially confirmed September 27 for his appearance in Guyana but there would be a Muslim event the following day. 

The two sides later agreed that the new date would be October 19 but Lumumba said he could not guarantee that the award winning singer would be here. “I can’t gurantee that. I’m not a magician. I’ve told you that the artiste has signed an agreement…I cannot guarantee that. What I guarantee is that we have a signed agreement that the artiste say he is going to make his committment and he is going to come to Guyana like they do all times,” he said.

The promoter said holders of the GUY$3,500 tickets could be reimbursed. He nevertheless suggested that they should keep their tickets because two additional unnamed artistes would be added to the concert card once R Kelly’s team approves. That, he said, would push up new ticket prices to GUY$6,000. “As usual, you have to get R Kelly confirmation because the contract says even though he is the headline singer that they have to approve any other international singer that comes on the platform,” he said.