Kanye West’s Russia shows officially cancelled after weeks of uncertainty

Yes. Ye’s two planned concerts in Russia are now officially cancelled, ending more than a month of conflicting statements about whether they would happen.

The rapper formerly known as Kanye West was scheduled to perform at Gazprom Arena in St Petersburg on 10 and 11 October 2026. Russian promoter Say Agency confirmed on 30 September that the concerts cannot take place on the scheduled dates. Ticket holders will be offered refunds, reportedly beginning 12 October, with detailed instructions still to be released. 

This is different from what happened in August. Gazprom Arena had said it never signed a rental agreement with Say Agency and therefore could not host the concerts. At the time, however, Say Agency insisted the concerts had not been cancelled and said it was attempting to resolve the dispute. 

There had been signs that the situation was deteriorating. On 18 September, Ye removed the two Russian dates from his official tour schedule. Organisers had previously claimed that more than 100,000 tickets had been sold for the two shows. 

The cancellation also follows political controversy in Russia over Ye’s previous antisemitic statements and praise of Adolf Hitler. Several Russian politicians criticised the proposed concerts. Russian media had reported that senior officials had not approved the performances, although there has been no official confirmation that the Kremlin ordered their cancellation. 

Had the concerts gone ahead, Ye would have been the largest Western music star to stage a major concert in Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. 

There is one remaining wrinkle: reports indicate that a possible Moscow concert on 10 July 2027 has been floated by another promoter. That is preliminary and should not currently be treated as a confirmed Ye concert.