Daniel Caesar’s surprise Atlanta pop-up concert shut down by authorities despite "organized" crowd

Canadian R&B star Daniel Caesar turned Atlanta's Piedmont Park into a frenzy on Monday, Oct. 13, after announcing a surprise pop-up concert, only for it to be shut down by police just after a few songs.

Hundreds of fans rushed to the meadow to catch the Freudian artist perform up close, crowding around him as he serenaded them beneath the afternoon sun.

The spontaneous set was announced hours earlier on social media, and even Daniel Caesar himself set forth the pop-up event in an Instagram video, where he told his fans:

"We’re almost home, Atlanta. We're doing Piedmont Park, in the meadow. Four o'clock. Hurry up. I know, people are still in school, at work. But we can do six o'clock ... there's too much traffic. So, see you there."

However, the impromptu set ended abruptly as officers intervened and the crowd began to disperse.

Atlanta Tonight, a page dedicated to event announcements and the latest happenings in the city, revealed via Instagram that Daniel Caesar managed to squeeze in one last song before authorities called off the show.

"Our best guess is that the shutdown was due to lack of permitting required for large crowds to gather in Piedmont Park. Crowd was organized and civil, everyone was seated in the grass."

The account added a compilation of clips of the event, down to when officers approached the "Disillusioned" hitmaker and the staff, with the crowd responding sharply at the interruption.

Daniel Caesar hits back after police stop his pop-up show: “They think we’re pigs”

Following his halted event, Daniel Caesar took to his social media account to call out the authorities who had intervened on his set, which he deleted afterwards. He wrote on Instagram:

"My problem isn't with the police, it's with their employers. We were gathering peacefully, and the police drove a cruiser through the crowd. That's the opposite of de-escalation…there was nothing to de-escalate. it was peaceful."

He went on:

"They think we're pigs. High key they think you're pigs and they're feeding you slop and they won't look you in the eyes and tell you because they're cowards."

Approximately 1,500 people attended the spontaneous performance, according to spokesman Jeff McShan for the Harris County Precinct 5 Constable's Office.

Per the officer, the park follows a reservation protocol and an additional $100 payment for over 100 attendees, but Daniel Caesar himself confirmed that he didn't have the permission to do a public performance.

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Daniel Caesar has been doing public performances recently ahead of his new album drop. His Piedmont Park set comes a week after his Los Angeles show at Elysian Park. A week before that, he was serenading the crowd in Montana, as well as at the Parc des Hirondelles in Canada.

The R&B singer is set to release his new album Son of Spergy on Oct. 24.

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