James Montgomery

<h1>WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Jussie Smollett, the singer and actor who said he was attacked by two men yelling racial and homophobic slurs, struck a defiant tone at a concert Saturday night, his first public appearance since he reported the assault last week.</h1>

“I have so many words on my heart that I want to say, but the most important thing I can say is thank you so much, and that I’m OK,” Smollett, a star of the Fox television show “Empire,” told the sold-out crowd at the Troubadour nightclub in West Hollywood.

Smollett said that although he was not yet fully healed, “I had to be here tonight.” He said he couldn’t let his attackers win, referring to them with an expletive.

The crowd, which included “Empire” co-creator Lee Daniels and Rep. Maxine Waters of California, roared in approval, though Smollett quickly followed by saying, “Now let’s have a good time.” He began his set with a cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Love’s in Need of Love Today.”

Throughout his hourlong performance, Smollett made clear his desire to move on from the assault. “We’re not going to harp on” what happened, he said. Other than a small mark below his right eye, he showed no signs of injury, confidently commanding the stage along with black-clad dancers and a backing band.

Smollett, a vocal critic of President Donald Trump, did not perform his most outwardly political song, “F.U.W.,” which includes lyrics like “Who got the popular vote? Was the whole thing just a joke?”

The performer, who is black and publicly came out as gay in 2015, told Chicago police that he was assaulted early Tuesday by two men who tied a rope around his neck, poured a chemical substance on him and shouted “This is MAGA country,” a reference to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan.

Chicago police are combing through security camera footage and have identified two “potential persons of interest,” but the lack of progress in the investigation has fueled speculation online that the attack did not happen as Smollett described. Police have said they are treating the report as if it occurred and that Smollett has been cooperative.

Smollett addressed that speculation Friday and again during his performance, as well as perceived inconsistencies regarding the severity of his injuries.

“There’s been a lot of stuff that’s been said about me that’s absolutely not true,” Smollett said Saturday, reading from a crumpled piece of paper. “I was bruised, but my ribs were not cracked, they were not broken. I went to the doctor immediately.”

Smollett said he was not hospitalized, and that “Above all, I fought back,” inserting an expletive.

That line received the loudest cheers of the night, but the crowd was enthusiastic even before the performance began. The line for entry stretched down the street as fans waited in the rain and activists handed out pamphlets.

“I don’t know why they’re here for this show,” Marlo McKinley, who bought tickets last month, said of the activists. “But the fact all this is happening, that he’s still performing, is fantastic.”

Tickets for Smollett’s show were still available as of Tuesday afternoon, but they sold out within 48 hours of the assault being reported. Though a Friday meet-and-greet with fans was canceled for “security reasons,” there was no enhanced security presence at the show Saturday aside from a pair of officers from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Several members of the Troubadour’s security team said the venue had not hired additional security for the event.

Some attendees said they had bought tickets in a show of solidarity but left feeling energized by Smollett’s message and music.

“I don’t watch ‘Empire,’ I hadn’t listened to his music, but I really wanted to support him,” one of them, Chris Katrandjian, said after the show. “The strength he exhibited was not only admirable, it was inspiring.”

Another attendee, Royce Johnson, said he had found Smollett’s show uplifting.

“As gay men, there is a proclivity to be victimized in many ways, and it’s part of our active narrative,” he said. “But watching what he did tonight, it left me feeling empowered.”

This article originally appeared in <a id="2b375629-58db-4666-bc42-1585908cd6d9" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/03/arts/jussie-smollett-concert-attack.html">The New York Times</a>.

Jussie Smollett gives defiant concert days after reporting attack

Smollett said that although he was not yet fully healed, “I had to be here tonight.” He said he couldn’t let his attackers win, referring to them with an expletive.

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James Montgomery

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Jussie Smollett gives defiant concert days after reporting attack