'Judgment of the Typhoon' - A Chaotic Performance Draws 60,000 Despite COVID-19 and Afghan Crisis [Correspondent Diary]

New York City Holds Large-Scale Concert Despite COVID-19, Afghan Situation, and Typhoon
Interrupted Due to Typhoon Impact
US Senate Majority Leader Faces Criticism for Dancing at Venue
Controversy Over Safety Negligence and Morality

A New York City homecoming concert attracting 60,000 spectators is taking place.
[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] Is the sky angry? The ultra-large outdoor concert that New York City ambitiously prepared ended in chaos.

On the 21st (local time), amid the spread of new COVID-19 infections from the Delta variant and strong public criticism over the Afghanistan situation, the New York City Homecoming Concert was ultimately stopped by the forces of nature.

Despite Hurricane Henry approaching, New York City started the concert as scheduled. About 60,000 people gathered in Central Park to watch the concert.

Even though U.S. President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency for Rhode Island, near New York State, which was in the path of Henry, the concert began as planned.

It was as if a typhoon was heading toward Incheon in Korea, yet a festival was held outdoors with tens of thousands of spectators.

CNN broadcasted the concert live nationwide. Thanks to this, not only the audience on site but also TV viewers could enjoy performances by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Andrea Bocelli, Jennifer Hudson, Santana, and LL Cool J.

After about half of the concert had proceeded, old pop star Barry Manilow appeared on stage and sang the familiar "Can't Live Without You" when the incident finally occurred.

Thunder and lightning struck. The audience was startled, and the organizers quickly began broadcasting instructions to evacuate the venue. All the spectators disappeared, and the concert was halted.

Heavy rain is falling in New York City due to the impact of Hurricane Henry. [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

New York City and the organizers wanted to finish the event. There were still performances left by top stars such as Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Patti Smith, and Paul Simon. Comparable to Korean singers like Na Hoon-a and Cho Yong-pil, they waited for the rain and lightning to stop but eventually went home. The event was officially canceled at 10:30 p.m., three hours after the concert was stopped.

The audience had to prove they had received at least one dose of the vaccine, and although the event was outdoors, holding a gathering of 60,000 people amid the ongoing COVID-19 situation does not seem normal to us.

New York City's actions even give a sense of insensitivity to the COVID crisis. With breakthrough infections increasing among fully vaccinated people due to the Delta variant, the U.S. government’s request for world leaders to deliver video speeches instead of in-person addresses at the 76th UN General Assembly to prevent the spread of infections in New York City seems futile.

Moreover, it was not normal to proceed with the event despite the typhoon warning. The U.S. National Weather Service had already issued alerts about Hurricane Henry moving north over the weekend. It is uncommon for a hurricane to move north to New York. Memories of Hurricane Sandy in October 2012, the worst natural disaster in New York City's history, are still vivid. Bill de Blasio, the Democratic mayor, is facing criticism for his lack of safety awareness.

Bloomberg reported that the rainfall in Central Park between 10 and 11 p.m. that day was 1.94 inches (about 4.9 cm), breaking the record for hourly rainfall in New York City.

Adding to the controversy was Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. The New York City mayor’s press office posted on Twitter a video showing Schumer and late-night show host Stephen Colbert dancing near the concert venue, but this was met with criticism from conservatives as inappropriate behavior.

Criticism poured in that as the top Senate leader of the ruling party, Schumer should not have acted this way while the Islamic militant group Taliban had taken over Afghanistan and efforts were underway to evacuate Americans and Afghans who cooperated with the U.S.

A yacht was washed ashore in Jamestown, Rhode Island, due to the impact of Hurricane Henry. [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

A week earlier, President Joe Biden was also embroiled in controversy. Biden was enjoying a solo vacation at his retreat when the Afghan government collapsed. The White House tried to quell criticism by releasing photos of Biden receiving a video briefing on the Afghanistan situation alone in a T-shirt at the retreat, but the American public reacted oppositely.

This situation clearly shows that both the Democratic and Republican parties share responsibility for the clumsy administration revealed by the COVID-19 crisis in the United States.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.