Russian stadium says it won’t host Kanye West gigs
The Russian stadium that was scheduled to host two shows by Ye, the rapper also known as Kanye West, has said the events will no longer take place.
The Gazprom Arena in St Petersburg, a Russian stadium, announced that two Ye (Kanye West) concerts scheduled for October 10 and 11 will not take place. The stadium posted on social media that no rental agreement had been signed with concert promoters. "Accordingly, the concert cannot take place on our site," the announcement stated.
West would have been the first major Western performer to play Russia since the country invaded Ukraine in 2022. The rapper has been trying to rehabilitate his image after years of making antisemitic remarks, for which he recently apologized. Gazprom Arena acknowledged receiving complaints about West's planned appearance and stressed that it "was not and is not" responsible for his booking.
The sold-out concerts were organized by the Moscow-based Say Agency, which posted on its Telegram channel that the announcement came as a surprise. The agency is now trying to contact the venue to understand the reason behind the stadium's post. West's concerts were announced earlier this month based on an official letter approved by Gazprom Arena, which had previously expressed enthusiasm for the events on social media.
The stadium's decision has been met with disappointment from fans and opposition from some Russian politicians, such as Vitaly Milonov, who suggested West should perform traditional Russian songs instead of his planned setlist.
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