Kanye West concert infuriates New York residents

Kanye West has infuriated some residents of New York City with plans to stage a free concert in front of the iconic Flatiron building.

The rapper is set to headline a gig at the Flatiron Pedestrian Plaza in Manhattan on Friday (13Feb15) to celebrate a big weekend (14-15Feb15) of basketball in the city.

However, plans to erect a large stage and close off roads around the area have infuriated locals, and members of a community group sent a letter to Mayor Bill de Blasio to oppose the gig, which celebrates the NBA All-Star Weekend and the All-Star Game on Sunday (15Feb15).

Nick Athanail of the group Community Board 5 tells 7online.com, "We're concerned with the precedence that this sets... We understand events like this make a lot of money for the city, but we think they need to be planned in a rational way. And we think public input is required for that."

Emil Lissauer, a spokesman for New York City's events office, tells the New York Post, "The city is committed to ensuring safety at all events while minimising traffic disruption and impact on local residents."