The City That Braced for a War That Never Came

With all preemptive panic, and all the law enforcement mobilization, you’d have thought the young man was coming to lead an uprising instead of performing a concert. The way people were carrying on online, you’d think “NBA YoungBoy Concert” was code for “The Purge: New Orleans.”

Folks who’ve never even heard of him, suddenly become experts on who qualifies as a “thug.” The expected chaos, violence, all over Canal & Bourbon Street ras if this city hadn’t seen far worse on average day. 

And yet, Nothing Happened! Not a thing. The Smoothie King Center what's set up the way it's normally set up for any event. Aside from the bag policy and the police presence, it appeared he same police presence you see at Pelicans games, average concerts or any major event. Nothing new except how loud the fear-mongering got.

Meanwhile, the man himself strolls down Bourbon like a tourist two nights in a row and not a drop of trouble followed. I’ll admit... it’s rare to see fan mobs in New Orleans; we’re not that kind of city. Usually, celebrities can wander right down Canal and be left alone. But these younger fans adore him. And they showed up in droves. But not for thug behavior, not for crime but because they enjoyed themselves.

So, here’s to NBA YoungBoy, the fans who came and went without incident ... and Salute to all the “alleged criminals” who apparently took the night off.