Kanye West’s Russia shows up in the air as venue refuses to host
Kanye West’s Russia shows up in the air as venue refuses to host
Kevin E G PerryTue, August 25, 2026 at 5:47 PM UTC
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Kanye West’s upcoming shows in Russia are at the center of a dispute between organizers and the venue (PA)
Kanye West’s upcoming shows in St Petersburg have been left in limbo after the Russian venue announced that no contract had ever been signed.
The controversial rapper, who has legally changed his name to Ye, had been scheduled to perform two concerts October 10 and 11 at the city’s 80,000-capacity Gazprom Arena.
However, as The Moscow Times reports, the venue announced earlier today that the shows “cannot take place” because rental contracts had not been signed by the show’s organizer, Say Agency. That statement came despite the venue previously promoting the concerts.
In response, Say Agency CEO Anna Subcheva denied that the concerts have been canceled and said she expects formal contracts to be completed Thursday.
Subcheva also claimed that West had already been paid an advance of 1.5 billion rubles ($17.7 million).
If the shows do go ahead, West will become the biggest international star to play in Russia since the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
His recent touring schedule has come up against significant disruption in certain regions due to his past anti-semitic and pro-Nazi comments.
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Last month, Swiss football club FC Basel blocked a concert that was due to take place at their club home, St Jakob-Park, in June.
Representatives for the club told Reuters that the show was “not in accordance with our values” and had decided not to proceed following a review.
In April, West’s three-night headline slot at Wireless Festival in London caused huge controversy before it was blocked by the U.K. government who denied the rapper entry to the country.
West has attempted to walk back his previous statements, saying: “I know it takes time to understand the sincerity of my commitment to make amends.
West was barred from entering the UK earlier this year (PA Archive)
“I take full responsibility for what’s mine but I don’t want to put my fans in the middle of it. My fans are everything to me. Looking forward to the next shows.”
He has been seeking to re-enter the mainstream since the beginning of the year when he apologized for his anti-semitic behavior in a full-page advert he took out in the Wall Street Journal.
Addressing “Those I’ve Hurt” in the January ad, he attributed his actions to untreated bipolar-1 disorder, writing that he had “lost touch with reality.”
Critics in attendance at his recent concerts in the United States noted that he did not apologize further or address the controversy from the stage, with one pointing out that he was “barely addressing the crowd at all.”
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
