R&B singer R. Kelly made a paid appearance early Sunday at a club in Illinois' capital city, but the fans who each shelled out $50 to $100 for tickets got only a 28-second performance, followed by a half-hour meet-and-greet. Hours before his appearance at the Dirty South Lounge in Springfield, Kelly posted a video on Instagram asking the media to "take it easy" on him because "this is how I got to get paid now, for right now." Dubai's government denied that Kelly had any concerts planned there and the claims that he would meet with members of the royal family. About 100 people showed up for Kelly's appearance at the Springfield club, which has a 450-person capacity, TV stations WICS and WRSP reported. Fans also defended showing up at the event, saying they separate the accusations from the artist, the stations reported.

Source: ABC News April 07, 2019 18:00 UTC