The triple-digit temperatures in Phoenix, Arizona, have led to the postponement of 50 Cent’s scheduled appearance in the city on the Final Lap tour, which is celebrating 20 years of Get Rich or Die Tryin’. The show originally planned for Tuesday, Aug. 29, at the Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre, will be rescheduled for a new date to avoid heat-related complications.
“Due to extreme heat, the show tomorrow in Phoenix, AZ is being postponed,” 50 Cent shared with fans on social media on Monday evening. “For anyone who would like a refund, please go to point of purchase for instructions. I’ll be back in Arizona soon! 116 degrees is dangerous for everyone.”
Along with the statement, the rapper tweeted out four photos: three showing off the fiery pyrotechnics from his live show and one showing the weather alert issued in Glendale, Arizona, warning of ongoing excessive heat.
Touring crews are taking more precautions when it comes to dealing with the brutal temperatures. Last week, 16 people attending Snoop Dogg’s concert at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in Houston, Texas, were transported to a local hospital to be treated and examined for heat-related illnesses. There, the temperature had reached 104 degrees, and 35 total attendees were affected. Last month, 17 people were hospitalized for heat-related illnesses following an Ed Sheeran concert in Pittsburgh.
“Heat waves are becoming more frequent, widespread, intense, and severe, and they’re lasting for longer periods of time,” Amruta Nori-Sarma, PhD, an assistant professor in the environmental health department at the Boston University School of Public Health, recently told Rolling Stone. “We call it ‘broken record, record breaking heat,’ and as it continues, more and more people are becoming cognizant of the both physical and mental health impacts of extreme heat exposure.”
50 Cent’s Final Lap tour is currently scheduled to run through Sept. 17, with one last show in Detroit, Michigan. In the coming weeks, the rapper and his special guests, Busta Rhymes and Jeremih, will stop in Los Angeles, Sacramento, Seattle, Vancouver, Edmonton, St. Paul, Chicago, and more.