It’s a shame Unchained’s Fraidy Reiss never got her moment on the stage at the Global Citizen Festival in New York City’s Central Park.
Reiss was scheduled to join an all-star lineup that included Janet Jackson. The Weeknd. Shawn Mendes. Cardi B. Janelle Monae. John Legend. Hugh Jackman.
The festival encourages activism on key issues, and Reiss was going to get on stage to inspire “global citizens” to join the growing national movement Unchained leads to end child marriage in the U.S. She was supposed to address some 60,000 people at the festival, and many tens of thousands more watching it stream online.
However, shortly before she got on stage, some festival attendees heard popping noises that they mistook for gunshots. The chaos that ensued resulted in some injuries – and forced the festival organizers to cut many acts, including Reiss’.
Unchained and Reiss are glad, though, that the popping sounds were not actually gunshots.