NEWARK, NEW JERSEY: Anita Baker is facing a lot of backlash online after Babyface announced on May 10 that he was not going to perform with Baker at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The 64-year-old singer-songwriter tweeted, “I am truly sorry to my fans who have been waiting for us to hit the stage this evening at @PruCenter.”
Babyface added, “I was asked not to perform in order to give Ms. Baker her space and time to perform her show in its entirety. My band and I are extremely saddened we didn't get to perform for y'all tonight.” This attracted a lot of negative comments against the ‘Body and Soul’ singer. Many netizens also mentioned a number of incidents when she was allegedly rude in the past.
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‘This isn’t the first time either’
A person tweeted, “I don’t like Babyface being treated like this. Love her music. She’s great in concert. But too many stories like this.” Another person, sharing a screenshot of the 'Where Will You Go' singer's tweet, posted, “This isn’t the first time either…” Singer Stephanie Mills also took to the social media platform to support Babyface and took a dig at Baker as she shared, “We have got to be better than this! I am saddened by the fact that you have to make this statement. One would think as older artists who are considered ‘Iconic’ and or ‘Legendary’ we would treat each other with respect and dignity. @Babyface We can tour together.”
“I was very disappointed. Thank you for explaining what happened. I can’t believe no one came out and respect us enough to give us an explanation. We waited for over 90 minutes. #refund,” a fan tweeted. Another fan shared, “And she was done at 10:40! A 1 hr and 20-minute set- most of which was her talking, telling us to sing her songs, or singing with her back to the crowd! A completely unprofessional and total mess! Babyface could have performed! Refunds should be given @Ticketmaster @LiveNation.”
‘She did the same thing to the late great Luther Vandross’
Many fans pointed out how Baker had done this earlier too. “In other words, she was tired of getting upstaged. We caught the show in New Orleans and Babyface was definitely the highlight. His medley alone of all the songs he’s written for other artists was better than her whole performance,” a tweet mentioned. Another person tweeted, “She did the same thing to the late great Luther Vandross at Madison Square Garden. No worries @babyface I would purchase a ticket to see you anytime anywhere! I was going to the UBS ARENA but after hearing that it’s a big NOOOOOOooo!”
Sharing what their parents' saw during one of Baker's concerts, a user tweeted, “My mom and stepdad have seen her in concert several times. The last time she had them waiting for at least an hour, with no apology or anything. They said never again.” “I’ve been to two Anita Baker concerts. Once she was 45 mins late. 2nd time she was over an hour. I wonder if her tardiness was the reason Babyface couldn’t perform,” another user added.
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