Tens of thousands of people gathered on the outskirts of Tirana on Saturday to attend the highly debated concert by American rapper Kanye West, known as Ye. Although fans appeared satisfied with the performance, many expressed dissatisfaction with the organisation and infrastructure provided by the Albanian capital.
The event was held at “Eagle Stadium”, an arena built specifically for the occasion, which the government promoted as the venue for one of the largest music shows ever organised in Albania.
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A day after the concert, Prime Minister Edi Rama and representatives of the governing majority presented the event as an international-scale success and an important achievement for Albania’s image.
“Last night, Albania did not simply organise a concert,” Rama said in a Facebook video. “Thanks to social media channels and the fame of the protagonist, Albania organised an event that became news in every corner of the world,” he added.
Similar enthusiasm was expressed by Socialist parliamentary group leader Taulant Balla. “Last night, Tirana was the world capital of music, welcoming friends from 80 different countries around the world,” he wrote on social media.
However, testimonies and reviews posted on social platforms by some of the fans who travelled to Tirana present a different reality from the version promoted by the government.
On the Reddit forum, admirers of the American artist from different countries spoke positively of Ye’s performance, but strongly criticised the management of the event and the state of the infrastructure near the stadium.
Users reported long queues and waits at the entrance, confusion during ticket checks, a lack of directions, a shortage of water in high temperatures, and other logistical difficulties. According to them, the standard of organisation fell far short of the ambition to stage one of the biggest concerts ever held in Albania. The contrast was summed up in one of the forum’s most widely shared comments: “The concert was fantastic. The organisation was a disaster.”
Fans’ criticism was not limited to the running of the event. They also objected to the method of financing, targeting the government’s decision to allocate 4 million euros to the project from the emergency fund. The funding was approved at a time when the country has been gripped by anti-government protests, sparked by a project to build a resort in a protected environmental area, linked to the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump.
“Nobody is angry with YE, we are angry with our government for using the emergency fund,” wrote one Albanian user.
Another commenter described it as “the wrong time”, referring to the fact that the funding was decided while protests were taking place against widespread corruption in public institutions.
Dissatisfaction was also evident on public platforms where businesses are reviewed. On Google, ‘Eagle Stadium’ received a large number of critical comments and 1-star ratings.
According to commenters, the project represents an inappropriate use of taxpayers’ money. “The stadium money was taken from healthcare, education and the people,” one user wrote, while another described the concert as a private event that “should not have been funded by the state”.
Many reactions also raised questions about the stadium’s safety and the speed at which it was built. Some users described the facility as “very dangerous”, claimed that “nothing is ready yet”, or alleged that it had been built “quickly for profit and not for people”.
The condition of the roads leading to the stadium was also a focus of criticism. According to users, the surrounding infrastructure does not meet the requirements of an event advertised as the largest music spectacle ever organised in Albania.
The negative reactions to Eagle Stadium follow a similar wave of critical reviews aimed at businesses perceived as close to the government. This phenomenon led the State Police to announce the launch of investigations to identify those responsible.
In the case of Eagle Stadium, however, law enforcement authorities have not undertaken any checks to determine whether any criminal offence exists.
“If a complaint is filed, the State Police will certainly take action,” was the response the institution gave BIRN.
