New York Post

WILD, WILD KANYE WEST!

Villagers rip star over canceled-concert car-wreck chaos

- By MATTHEW ALLAN, SHAWN COHEN and CHRIS PEREZ

East Villagers are blaming Kanye West for causing mayhem outside Webster Hall early Monday morning that left their cars smashed and the streets littered with trash after he failed to deliver on a pop-up concert.

“You don’t just announce something like this and then not perform and cause chaos,’’ said Shirley Green, a 50-year-old photograph­er who woke up to find her Mazda’s windshield smashed. “For everybody’s car that was damaged, Kanye West should be responsibl­e.”

The rapper had announced a spur-of-the-moment 2 a.m. show at Webster Hall after his headlining performanc­e at the Governors Ball NYC Music Festival on Randall’s Island was canceled at the last min- ute Sunday because of bad weather.

More than 4,000 people flooded East Village streets hoping to get into the event, or to at least catch a glimpse of the hip-hop star.

At 1:02 a.m., the rapper tweeted to his 23.2 million followers, “Show at 2am SOLD OUT.”

But as chaos reigned, Webster Hall decided to cancel the show, saying the situation was already too out-of-control to proceed.

The rapper seemed to play to the wild crowd, as his chauffeur drove him around the block near the venue while he waved to fans through his car’s sunroof and even shook people’s hands.

One person was arrested for refusing to leave the scene during the chaos. Videos posted to social media showed the unruly crowd standing on top of parked vehicles as cops tried to keep the peace. At

least six autos were damaged, as were two motorcycle­s.

“It’s ridiculous. This is going to cost me thousands and thousands of dollars,” said Michael Gomez, a 55-year-old optician, when he saw that his white Chrysler Pacifica truck and white Chevy sedan had large dents and cracks up and down the windshield­s.

“I can’t believe how cruel people can be and destroy other people’s property,” Gomez told The Post.

Another local resident, Mike Stangle — a 27-year-old writer whose search for a date to his cousin’s wedding on Craigslist inspired the upcoming flick “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates” — was livid that two of his motorcycle­s were banged up. He said he hoped Webster Hall’s security cameras caught his bikes’ mirrors getting smashed.

Police sources defended the music venue’s decision to cancel the event — but ripped Kanye for even attempting to hold a concert at the hall, where the largest room holds a maximum of 1,500 individual­s.

“A lot of people could have gotten hurt very quickly,” a source said. “We can’t have flash mobs to the tune of 4,000 people just showing up in the city of New York whenever Kanye West decides to have a party.

“Because he’s Kanye West, he expects the keys to the city just handed over to him,” the source added. “That is what we call arrogance.”

A Snapchat video posted amid the mayhem by Kanye’s wife, reality-TV queen Kim Kardashian, showed West pleading with someone to get Mayor de Blasio on the phone so he could “shut down the block, about four streets, and put screens up so [fans] could have a party outside.”

Hizzoner jokingly responded to the request Monday with an idea of his own. “Great block parties are planned,” de Blasio tweeted. “@Chirlane & I can throw one w/ you to benefit NYC kids.”

Kardashian came to her husband’s defense Monday on Twitter.

“Last night was crazy! Kanye wished he could have performed last night!!!” she wrote.

“He really tried so hard but it was ultimately out of his control! He has the best fans in the whole world!” she said in a follow-up post. “Thank you all for coming out at 2am. Promise he will make up this pop up show.”

Kanye did not respond to a request for comment. Webster Hall representa­tives said they had no comment.

 ??  ?? MASS CONFUSION: A huge crowd gathers outside Webster Hall early Monday after Kanye West (below) announced a free concert there.
MASS CONFUSION: A huge crowd gathers outside Webster Hall early Monday after Kanye West (below) announced a free concert there.
 ??  ?? CRACK IS WACK: This car is left a wreck Monday after massive crowds squeezed around and on top of it in order to see Kanye West.
CRACK IS WACK: This car is left a wreck Monday after massive crowds squeezed around and on top of it in order to see Kanye West.

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