Russian stadium says it won't host Kanye West gigs

The Gazprom Arena stadium in St Petersburg has announced that it will not host two upcoming concert shows by Ye, who is also known as Kanye West. In a social media post, the arena stated that no rental agreement had been signed with the concert promoters, thus making the event impossible to take place. Kanye West would have been the first significant Western performer to play Russia since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The rapper is attempting to improve his image after making numerous antisemitic remarks, for which he has recently apologized. Gazprom Arena acknowledged receiving complaints about West's planned appearance and emphasized that it was not and is not responsible for his booking. The stadium reported that the sold-out concerts, scheduled for October 10th and 11th, had been organized by the Moscow-based agency, Say Agency.

Say Agency expressed surprise upon learning about the stadium's announcement through media channels. The agency stated that they were still trying to contact the venue to understand the reason behind the post and resolve the issue.