R. Kelly performed for 28 seconds at a nightclub in Springfield, Illinois, on Saturday night, and took pictures with the crowd of approximately 100 fans who paid $50 to $100 to see him.
Before his performance, Kelly spent around a half-hour talking with fans, taking selfies, dancing and smoking cigars, according to Local ABC affiliate news station WICS/WRSP.
Several hours prior to the event, Kelly posted an Instagram video, saying “this is how I gotta get paid now.”
The event comes as the R&B artist faces 10 charges of sexual abuse after the airing of a documentary on Lifetime that outlined accusations from several women. Kelly, who has denied all charges, asked the media prior to his appearance at the Dirty South Lounge in Springfield to “take it easy on me.”
The club initially charged $100 to see Kelly perform, but lowered the price to $50 after his arrival. WICS/WRSP reported that at least some of the attendees were disappointed in the performance, while one said that the accusations against Kelly were “all lies.”
As part of the terms of his bail, R. Kelly is not allowed to leave the state of Illinois without permission from a judge. The singer has struggled to pay for legal fees and child support payments, even briefly landing back in jail last month after failing to pay $161,000 in back child pay to his ex-wife, Andrea Kelly. The back pay was paid by an anonymous support of Kelly, while a Chicago business owner posted his $100,000 bail connected to the sexual abuse charges.
