BLUE ASH - The Rev. Al Green apologized Monday for missing his scheduled performance Saturday at Taste of Blue Ash, citing illness as the reason he missed a flight from Memphis, Tenn., to Cincinnati.

        He has promised to perform in the city soon, he said through a spokeswoman Monday, but Taste of Blue Ash organizers said they'll put more stock in the singer's words when they talk to him themselves.

        “I'm waiting for direct communication on that. If he was sick, we would have liked to know it prior to the performance. We're not happy about it and we certainly want an explanation,” said Assistant City Manager Bruce Henry, who has coordinated Taste of Blue Ash's entertainment for 17 years.

        He said the entertainer will not receive the $50,000 that he and his band members were due. He also promised to do some background checks and look into performers' reliability before booking next year's acts.

        Caroline Feagin, the Rev. Mr. Green's administrative assistant, insisted that his no-show had nothing to do Cincinnati's boycott and that he truly was ill.

        “We do not support boycotts,” said Ms. Feagin, speaking Monday from her Memphis office. “Nobody contacted us about anything. We knew absolutely nothing about the boycott. We do not get into politics. He is a minister and an entertainer first.”

        Ms. Feagin said it was the first concert the soul music great had missed in 30 years, and that plans are being made for a free make-up show in Blue Ash.

        “He will be back and it's not going to cost the city of Blue Ash one dime,” she promised. “Whatever it costs, he's going to take care of it.”

        On Saturday, about 15,000 music fans waited to hear the performer. Mass applause turned into scattered boos and hisses when the band - minus the reverend - finally took the stage about 10 p.m. A couple hundred people left the main stage area, organizers said.

        The performance began a half-hour late because organizers kept hoping that the night's star attraction would appear. According to City Manager Marvin Thompson, one of the band members talked to the Rev. Mr. Green about 3 p.m. and everything seemed to be OK.

        The Rev. Mr. Green was using his cell phone and riding in a taxi. He told the musician that he was heading to the Memphis airport, where he planned to catch a 4:30 p.m. flight to Cincinnati.

        Later, when he didn't show at the airport, band members kept trying to reach him. But his cell phone went unanswered and messages were unreturned. Lesley Gore, famous for the hit, “It's My Party,” told a couple of jokes for the restless crowd.

        But finally the crowd, and city officials, demanded a show.

        Taste's talent producer, Omar Farag, said he didn't hear from Ms. Feagin until 3 a.m. Sunday.

        “He never got on the plane. His doctors told him not to get on the plane,” he said.

        The exact nature of the entertainer's illness wasn't disclosed.

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