Kanye West’s Russia Concerts in Limbo After St. Petersburg Arena Pulls Out
Kanye West’s planned October concerts in St. Petersburg are in doubt after Gazprom Arena abruptly said it never signed a deal to host the US rapper, despite announcing the shows and selling 81,000 tickets in 24 hours. Russian media suggest authorities may have pressured the venue to pull out.
Kanye West, now known as Ye, faced an unexpected setback as the planned Russian concerts in St. Petersburg were abruptly canceled by the Gazprom Arena. The arena had been set to host the October shows as part of a concert organized by Say Agency, but suddenly disowned the event, stating they had never signed a deal to host the performances.
This left thousands of ticket buyers without a show, and speculation emerged that Kremlin pressure could be the cause. Tickets for the event, ranging from $112 to $1,980, had already been on sale through the website yerussia2026.ru. Despite Gazprom Arena's statements, Say Agency maintains that the concerts are still on, and the agency's director, Anna Subcheva, expressed confusion over the sudden cancellation.
The controversy has drawn criticism from Russian officials, activists, and pro-war Telegram channels, with some accusing Ye of antisemitic remarks and praising the political opposition to his arrival in Russia.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
