Tired, Wet Fans Angry With the Black Eyed Peas

It doesn't take much to anger a typical New Yorker, so imagine just how pissed the crowd of thousands were after waiting in sweltering heat for six hours -- then two more in the rain -- and then being told that the Black Eyed Peas concert in Central Park simply was not happening.

"What, Will.I.Am can't play in the rain? Is Fergie's hair gonna get wet," said Queens resident Brian Moriarty, 26, who lined up with his girlfriend at 3 p.m. hoping to get a prime general admission spot close to the stage.

The pre-show festivities with performances by Taylor Swift, Carole King and Tony Bennett were scheduled to start at 5 but were delayed due to bad weather, leaving folks like Moriarty stranded in the sopping wet heat. Gates were finally opened to concert-goers at 7:45, but once fans had finally settled into the park the police department announced they were shutting everything down due to lightning.

The Band Sings About Having to Cancel
"We won't go," chanted the crowd of some 20,000 New Yorkers (of the 60,000 originally scheduled to attend the performance meant to benefit the Robin Hood Foundation). And many of them did not. Police had to close in on the groups who believed that by squatting in the meadow they would be treated to the Peas' musical stylings.

In a statement, the Robin Hood Foundation said: "The heat wasn't going to stop them, the rain wasn't going to stop them, but the lightning-it stopped them. It came down to safety for everyone."

They hope to reschedule soon and will be providing more information "in the next week or so" on the foundation's website.

While weather is certainly something entirely out of the Black Eyed Peas control, the canceled concert put another black mark on the band's brand following what can only be described as a disastrous performance at the Super Bowl earlier this year. The Central Park concert was a chance to redeem themselves with fans in a high profile venue. Unfortunately with no rain date on the horizon, the Peas will have to find a new venue to prove their worth.

Taboo told fans in a tweet that Fergie was really bummed about the cancellation. She was probably less bummed than the thousands who packed the streets of the Upper West Side searching for a cab in the downpour with sunburned noses, soaking shorts and nary a Peas song in their heads.