Rapper 50 Cent cancels Phoenix concert because of extreme heat plaguing region

Sweltering heat in Phoenix, Arizona that has routinely broken records this summer led to yet another cancelled concert, with rapper 50 Cent calling the temperatures “dangerous”.

He said his scheduled show on Tuesday night at the Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre, an outdoor venue in west Phoenix, was postponed because of the sweltering weather.

“I’ll be back in Arizona soon! 116 degrees is dangerous for everyone,” the rapper, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, wrote on social media.

National Weather Service meteorologists in Phoenix said Monday’s high hit 47C (117 degrees Fahrenheit). Tuesday’s temperature also is expected to reach 47C, which would break the previous record of 45C for August 29, set in 1981.

50 Cent joins other musicians whose shows have been impacted by the area’s scorching temperatures this summer.

In July, heavy metal band Disturbed postponed its concert, saying equipment would not work in Phoenix’s excessive heat. That outdoor show at the Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre has been rescheduled for March 2, 2024.

And at country singer Morgan Wallen’s July 19 concert in Phoenix, some fans complained on social media that some concession stands at Chase Field ran out of water. Others said they left the venue early because of the hot conditions despite the baseball stadium’s retractable roof being closed.

Phoenix is closing in on the record for most 43C days in a year — 53 days, set in 2020. Weather Service meteorologists said Tuesday marked the 51st day.

There was no immediate word on when 50 Cent’s Phoenix show on his The Final Lap Tour will be rescheduled.

Millions of people across the South West experienced a historic heatwave in July, including in Phoenix, which had a streak of 31 consecutive days of high temperatures.