NBA YoungBoy’s Chicago Concert Canceled Without Explanation
NBA YoungBoy‘s concert at Chicago’s United Center this week was abruptly canceled by the venue, less than two days before the rapper was to take the stage. Youngboy was released from a 23-month prison sentence on gun charges and received a pardon from President Trump last May; the venue announced the cancelation on Monday.
Contacted by Variety, a rep for the United Center repeated the official statement — “Cancellation statement: The United Center has made the decision to cancel the NBA YoungBoy show scheduled for Wednesday, September 24 in Chicago. If you purchased through Ticketmaster, refunds will be issued automatically. If you purchased from a third-party reseller, please reach out to your point of purchase” — adding, “No further comment at this time.”
Ticketmaster also notified ticketholders about the cancelation, writing, “Unfortunately, the event organizer has had to cancel your event.”
The concert at the 23,500-capacity venue is part of the rapper’s “Make America Slime Again” tour in support of his latest album, which works its way across North America through November.
The cancelation followed the venue’s announcement of stricter bag policy for the show, whereby no bags would be permitted inside: “For the NBA YoungBoy show on September 24, bags of ALL SIZES, including clear bags, will not be permitted inside the venue,” a message on the venue’s “Frequently Asked Questions” page said. “We recommend traveling light and only bringing essentials like your keys and wallet or leaving larger items and bags in your car.”
Reps for the rapper and his label did not immediately respond to Variety’s requests for comment, but his manager sounded off in colorful terms on Instagram about the cancelation, saying that the venue’s senior VP of operations “didn’t want us to have fun.”
His agent wrote on Instagram: “Super disappointed in United Center. City of Chicago this their decision.”
Youngboy — real name: Kentrell DeSean Gaulden — has a long history of drug and weapons offenses and last December was sentenced to 23 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm, stemming from a 2020 gun charge in Louisiana. However, he was released under house arrest in March and received a presidential pardon two months later.
