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Read the press release here.

City Cancels Jay-Z Concert Atop Ed Sullivan Theater, Report Says

MIDTOWN — Jay-Z's Midtown marquee concert has been canned.

The mayor's office abruptly rescinded a permit it had granted Jay-Z for a performance next Monday, July 8, atop the Ed Sullivan Theater marquee for an appearance on the "Late Show with David Letterman," the New York Post reported Wednesday morning.

The planned concert, which would have closed a portion of Broadway during rush hour, had been intended to be a surprise, the Post said, but details were instead leaked to the press last week. It is not unusual for officials to cancel surprise concerts if the show's details are made public ahead of time to prevent mobs of music fans from overwhelming the venue.

The mayor's office did not immediately return calls for comment Wednesday morning.

Representatives of the "Late Show" declined to comment.

While the concert would have been the third in 10 years atop the marquee, after Phish in 2004 and Paul McCartney in 2009, the cancellation marks the second time the city has denied a request from Jay-Z to perform on the sign: He and Eminem applied for a show there in 2010, but were denied due to crowd and security concerns.

The pair instead took to the theater's roof, a performance space that did not require a special permit. There was no word as of Wednesday morning whether Jay-Z was planning a similar feat for the "Late Show" next week.