(CNN) A city known for its bright lights went dark on Saturday night.

At its peak, the New York blackout shut off power to about 73,000 customers in Midtown Manhattan and the Upper West Side, officials with the utility company Con Edison said. On a Saturday night, that meant many of New York's top entertainment and tourist attractions were stopped in their tracks.

Photos: Parts of Manhattan in the dark after power outage Seen from the air, a large section of Manhattan's Upper West Side and Midtown neighborhoods stand coated in darkness on Saturday, July 13. Hide Caption 1 of 18 Photos: Parts of Manhattan in the dark after power outage Times Square's billboards are black as people fill the street. Hide Caption 2 of 18 Photos: Parts of Manhattan in the dark after power outage People use their phones as flashlights. Hide Caption 3 of 18 Photos: Parts of Manhattan in the dark after power outage Pedestrians looks at their cellphones in midtown Manhattan. Hide Caption 4 of 18 Photos: Parts of Manhattan in the dark after power outage Radio City Music Hall is dark during the blackout. Hide Caption 5 of 18 Photos: Parts of Manhattan in the dark after power outage An entrance to the C and E trains at the 50th Street Subway Station is dimly lit. Hide Caption 6 of 18 Photos: Parts of Manhattan in the dark after power outage People sit inside a bar during the power outage. Hide Caption 7 of 18 Photos: Parts of Manhattan in the dark after power outage Dark buildings along a dark street are seen near the Times Square area. Hide Caption 8 of 18 Photos: Parts of Manhattan in the dark after power outage Con Edison workers stand around a barricaded transformer cover. Hide Caption 9 of 18 Photos: Parts of Manhattan in the dark after power outage People are evacuated outside Row NYC hotel. Hide Caption 10 of 18 Photos: Parts of Manhattan in the dark after power outage A convenience shop is closed. Hide Caption 11 of 18 Photos: Parts of Manhattan in the dark after power outage A man directs traffic on 8th Avenue and West 58th Street. Hide Caption 12 of 18 Photos: Parts of Manhattan in the dark after power outage The Upper West Side of Manhattan is in the dark. The city's fire department was responding to numerous transformer fires, the first of which occurred in Manhattan on West 64th Street and West End Avenue, officials said. Hide Caption 13 of 18 Photos: Parts of Manhattan in the dark after power outage People walk along a dark street near Times Square. Hide Caption 14 of 18 Photos: Parts of Manhattan in the dark after power outage A police officer directs traffic in Times Square. Hide Caption 15 of 18 Photos: Parts of Manhattan in the dark after power outage A view of the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood shows buildings in darkness. Hide Caption 16 of 18 Photos: Parts of Manhattan in the dark after power outage A train sits out of service at Penn Station. Hide Caption 17 of 18 Photos: Parts of Manhattan in the dark after power outage Buildings near Columbus Circle are dark. Hide Caption 18 of 18

Some of the iconic billboards that on any other day would light up Times Square were totally blank. People were trapped in subway cars. Major theater productions were brought to a halt.

At Madison Square Garden, the lights went out just as Jennifer Lopez had begun her concert, the singer said.

The show could not go on and instead had to be evacuated for safety, with Lopez promising to reschedule.

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