The two stadium concerts in Russia by Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, have been officially canceled. West was scheduled to perform at Gazprom Arena in St Petersburg on October 10 and 11.
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However, there had been uncertainty ahead of the concerts, as the stadium had stated that it would not host the artist, in what would have been the largest concert by a Western artist in Russia since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
In a post on the Telegram messaging app, the concert organizers, Say Agency, confirmed that the concerts had been canceled, expressing their “sincere regret.”
“Ye’s concerts in St Petersburg will not be able to take place on the scheduled dates,” the Moscow-based agency wrote.
“In the near future, we will publish an official statement regarding the status of the project and our plans.”
Gazprom Arena stated in August that it had not signed a lease agreement with the concert organizers and that, for this reason, the concert could not take place at the venue.
Say Agency said it was working to resolve the issue with the stadium before confirming that the concerts could not go ahead.
The stadium also acknowledged that it had received complaints regarding West’s performance.
Recently, West apologized for several antisemitic and pro-Nazi comments he had made in the past, saying that he had “lost touch with reality” as a result of his bipolar disorder.
Russia was invaded by the Nazis during World War II, and the spokesperson for Russia’s Foreign Ministry was among those who criticized the planned concerts.
Maria Zakharova described them as unacceptable and pointed to West’s “praise” of Hitler.
In 2025, West began selling swastika T-shirts and released a song titled “Heil Hitler.”
Pro-war Russian bloggers also questioned whether Russia should host an American artist while the United States was providing financial and military support to Ukraine.
West has yet to make any public comment regarding the cancellation.
His first major concert in the United States in more than five years took place in Los Angeles in April, and since then he has also performed in countries including Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands.
However, the concerts in Russia are not the only shows of his to have been canceled.
Last summer, West was scheduled to headline the Wireless Festival in London, but he was barred from entering the United Kingdom, forcing the organizers to cancel the entire festival.
West’s concerts have also been canceled in Poland, Italy and France. / BBC
