Russia cancels Kanye West: St Petersburg stadium abruptly scraps plans for performance by shamed rapper – as politician condemns star’s ‘disgusting antics’
Developing story first seen 2 hours ago
Confusion has broken out over Kanye West's planned Russian concerts after Gazprom Arena in St Petersburg announced on Instagram that it was not the organiser of the show and had never signed a rental contract, effectively cancelling the sold-out dates. Moscow promoter Say Agency immediately disputed this, insisting the concert had not been called off and that preparations were continuing, while saying it only learned of the venue's announcement from media reports and was seeking clarification. The mixed messages leave in doubt whether the rapper, now known as Ye, will still become the first major Western performer to play in Russia since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The shows had been scheduled for 10 and 11 October and would mark a significant step in Ye's attempted image rehabilitation following widely condemned antisemitic remarks, including a song titled "Heil Hitler" and swastika-branded merchandise, for which he apologised in January, citing bipolar disorder. Say Agency, which had posted in his defence just two days earlier urging fans to look beyond "a single soundbite", has asked the public to await official confirmation rather than react to rumours. Conservative Russian lawmaker Vitaly Milonov welcomed the apparent cancellation, branding Ye's behaviour "disgusting antics" and suggesting he perform traditional Russian songs instead.
- Gazprom Arena says it never signed a contract for Ye's Russian shows
- Promoter Say Agency denies cancellation, says concert plans continue
- Shows would have been Ye's first major Western act in Russia since 2022
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Confusion has surrounded Kanye West's planned concerts in Russia, following his self-adopted name Ye. He had been booked to play two shows in St Petersburg in October, organised by a Moscow-based promoter, which would have made him the first major Western star to perform in Russia since the country's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The dates were also being seen as part of Ye's attempt to rebuild his public image after widely condemned antisemitic comments and merchandise, for which he later apologised, citing bipolar disorder. His planned appearance had already drawn criticism from at least one Russian politician, reflecting wider unease in some quarters about the booking.
Uncertainty then emerged over whether the shows were still going ahead, after the venue and the promoter gave conflicting accounts of the concert's status.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Those sympathetic to the concert proceeding argue that people who cause serious offence should be given a genuine chance to make amends, particularly when they have apologised and cited a diagnosed mental health condition as a contributing factor. On this view, promoters and venues are entitled to make commercial decisions on artistic merit rather than bowing to political pressure, and permanently barring a performer from ever working again risks conflating accountability with indefinite punishment. Fans and industry figures who bought tickets or built plans around the show also have a reasonable interest in seeing it honoured rather than cancelled at the last minute over shifting official explanations.
The case against
Those opposed to the concert proceeding argue that hosting a performer who released a song titled 'Heil Hitler' and sold swastika-branded merchandise sends a troubling message, regardless of any apology, and that venues and officials are right to withdraw support rather than appear to endorse or profit from such conduct. They contend that an apology attributing the behaviour to illness does not erase the real harm caused to Jewish communities and others, and that public figures with large platforms bear a heightened responsibility not to normalise hateful imagery. On this view, declining to provide a stage is a legitimate exercise of an organisation's own values and reputation, not censorship of the individual's right to express himself elsewhere.
Full account
Two sold-out concerts by the American rapper Kanye West, who now performs under the name Ye, have been thrown into doubt after the St Petersburg venue due to host them said the shows could not go ahead. The performances, scheduled for 10 and 11 October at the 70,000-capacity Gazprom Arena, had been billed as among the first appearances by a major international artist in Russia since the country's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and tickets reportedly sold out within hours of going on sale at prices ranging from roughly £78 to almost £1,400.
The stadium's operators used an Instagram statement to distance themselves from the booking, saying that complaints had been received about the plan to host West and stressing that Gazprom Arena had never acted as organiser of the event. Crucially, they said no rental agreement for the venue had actually been signed, and that without such a contract in place the concerts could not take place on their site. The announcement caught many fans off guard given how far ticket sales had already progressed.
The Moscow-based promoter behind the shows, Say Agency, pushed back strongly, insisting the concerts had not been called off and that preparations were continuing, with the dates still listed on Ye's official website. The agency said it had first learned of the arena's statement through media reports rather than any direct communication from the venue, and appealed to fans to disregard unverified rumours while it sought clarification. It maintained that the booking had proceeded on the strength of a letter it says was approved by Gazprom Arena, and that the venue had sent across a draft rental contract that simply had not yet been signed — an account seemingly at odds with the arena's own version of events.
The saga has played out against a backdrop of continuing controversy over West, who has faced years of criticism for antisemitic remarks, including releasing a song titled Heil Hitler and selling clothing bearing a swastika, despite subsequent apologies and efforts to repair his public image. In Russia, lawmaker Vitaly Milonov had already weighed in when the shows were first announced, suggesting West perform traditional Russian material instead of his usual repertoire and remarking that doing so might help him abandon what he called his 'disgusting antics' and 'become a normal person'. The St Petersburg dates were meant to be a stop on West's broader, similarly turbulent comeback tour, which began at SoFi Stadium in California and has since taken in the Netherlands and Turkey — where he claimed a record-breaking crowd in Istanbul — while numerous other planned dates, including a three-night London Wireless Festival run, and shows in Poland, Switzerland, France and Italy, have already been cancelled or postponed amid similar objections.
Where outlets differ
Source 1 (apparently a Daily Mail report) gives more space to Say Agency's own social media posts defending West and insisting the show will proceed, and frames the story mainly around the venue's about-turn, though it inconsistently refers to Gazprom Arena as being in 'the Russian capital'/'Moscow' despite it being located in St Petersburg — likely an editing error in that report which this account does not repeat.
Source 2 (apparently an NME report) puts more emphasis on the wider context of West's tour, detailing the cancellations and postponements of other European dates (Poland, Switzerland, France, Italy, London's Wireless Festival) and giving fuller ticket-pricing and capacity figures.
Source 2 includes more detail of Say Agency's counter-claim that the booking rested on a letter approved by the arena and an unsigned rental agreement sent by the venue, a specific rebuttal less developed in Source 1.
Source 2 quotes lawmaker Vitaly Milonov's remarks at greater length and situates them earlier, at the point the shows were first announced, whereas Source 1 references the political backlash more briefly.
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