R. Kelly says he needs to make money before 28-second performance in Springfield

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — R. Kelly gave a 28-second performance and spent about half an hour more hobnobbing with fans who paid $50 to $100 to see him at a club in the Illinois capital of Springfield.

The R&B singer posted a video on his Instagram page hours before the early Sunday performance at the Dirty South Lounge. In the video, Kelly calls on the media to take it easy on him, saying he needs to perform in order to make money amid the sexual abuse case he faces.

TV stations WICS and WRSP reportthat about 100 people were at the 450-person-capacity club to see Kelly, who arrived at 1:30 a.m. There was a $100 entrance fee, which was lowered to $50 once Kelly arrived.

Kelly thanked supporters, sang a line from one of his songs for 28 seconds and spent about 35 minutes taking selfies and conversing with fans.

The stations report that some fans said it wasn’t worth the $100 and that they wouldn’t pay again. Fans also said they separate the accusations from the “artist.”