Though it was previously announced that the rapper would perform on October 10 and 11 at St Petersburg’s Gazprom Arena, in a statement by the owners of the stadium, Kanye West‘s upcoming gigs in Russia will no longer take place.
What would’ve been the first time a major Western artist played in the country since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, representatives for Gazprom Arena now claim the shows are cancelled because the concert promoters, Say Agency, have yet to sign the rental agreement, adding “Accordingly, the concert cannot take place at our venue.”
Admitting they had received complaints about West’s performances and stressed Gazprom Arena “was not and is not” the organizer of the event, a spokesperson for Say Agency said on its Telegram channel that they were surprised by Gazprom Arena’s post and sparked confusion by insisting, “As of now, the Ye concert has not been cancelled.” “We are trying to contact the venue to find out the reason for the post and resolve the issue. We will keep you updated.” Claiming the deadline wasn’t until later this week, they acknowledged that the rental agreement had not yet been executed.
Following the fallout from his repeated antisemitic remarks and behavior beginning in 2022, the 49-year-old has been trying to mount a live 2026 comeback after taking out a full-page advertisement in The Wall Street Journal to apologize for his conduct.
In April, the embattled musician returned to the stage in Los Angeles, yet planned shows in France, Italy, Poland and his three-night headlining run at London’s Wireless Festival this summer were all cancelled.
According to his website, Kanye West will perform in New Orleans, Louisiana on Friday (8.28) and two shows in his hometown of Chicago in September. Internationally, he has one show booked in Jakarta, Indonesia on October 24.
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Author: Al Dente
Photo: Jason Persse