The St Petersburg stadium that was set to host two concerts by Ye – making the rapper formerly known as Kanye West the biggest western act to play in Russia since start of the Ukraine war – has now said that the concerts will not take place at the venue, although the promoter has stressed that they have not been cancelled.
Gazprom Arena had previously posted on social media saying that “the most influential musical artist of our time” would perform there on 10 and 11 October. “This is no joke!” the post stated. The event sold out immediately, including tickets priced at £1390 ($1896).
The news came after countries including the UK, Italy, Poland, Switzerland, France and more blocked or sought to block concerts by Ye owing to public safety concerns over his prior antisemitic outbursts and expressions of sympathy towards nazism. In January, Ye issued an apology for his behaviour and discussed his mental health struggles. “I am not a Nazi or an antisemite,” he wrote. “I love Jewish people.”
The Russian venue has now released a statement distancing itself from the concerts. “In light of the numerous inquiries received by Gazprom Arena regarding the organisation of a Kanye West concert, we hereby officially state: Gazprom arena was not, and is not, the organiser of this event. That role was handled by the Moscow-based concert agency Say Agency.
“Gazprom Arena has not signed any contracts to lease the stadium for this event. No such contract exists. Consequently, the concert cannot take place at our venue.”
On Telegram, Say Agency said that it was surprised by the announcement, learning the news at the same time as the public, but that “as of now, the Ye concert has not been cancelled”.
Say Agency said that it announced the concerts after Gazprom arena approved an “official letter”, but said that the rental contract had not yet been signed ahead of its expiry later this week.
The planned appearance has caused controversy outside Russia. Ye’s plan to play the country – following in the footsteps of Paul Oakenfold, DaBaby, Jason Derulo and Akon – flouts sweeping sanctions and calls for culture boycotts.
Within Russia, politician Nikolay Novichkov called for the musician to be investigated for praising Hitler and said that the concerts should be cancelled unless he publicly declared “moral support for Russia and the special military operation”. Legislator Vitaly Milonov said Ye should perform traditional Russian songs at the planned concerts. “Maybe after this he’ll stop his disgusting antics and become a normal person,” he added.
Say Agency previously released a statement acknowledging the controversy. “Not everything Kanye West said should be forgotten. Many people are talking about Kanye today. Many are trying to criticise him for words spoken during difficult times. But it’s easy to judge based on a single statement. It’s more difficult to listen to a person who has been changing the industry for decades. We listened, and we want to remind you.”
Despite the controversy, fans have been undeterred from seeing Ye live when concerts have been allowed to proceed. He has recently performed to vast audiences in the US, Turkey, the Netherlands, Georgia, Albania, Portugal and Kazakhstan, with more dates planned for the US and Indonesia. The dates come in support of his 12th solo album, Bully, released in March.
