Two planned concerts by Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, in Russia have been thrown into uncertainty after the stadium scheduled to host the performances said they cannot take place at the venue.
The rapper was scheduled to perform at Gazprom Arena in St Petersburg on October 10 and 11, with both concerts reportedly sold out.
However, Gazprom Arena said that no rental agreement had been signed with the promoter responsible for the shows and, as a result, the concerts “cannot take place on our site.”
The stadium also distanced itself from the decision to book Ye, saying it had received complaints about the planned performances and stressing that it “was not and is not” responsible for organising them.
The announcement appears to have caught promoter Say Agency by surprise. The Moscow-based company said it learned about the stadium’s decision through media reports and maintained that the concerts had not officially been cancelled.
According to the promoter, Gazprom Arena had previously approved the events and subsequently supplied a rental contract. Say Agency acknowledged that the agreement had not yet been signed but claimed the deadline for completing it had not expired.
The disagreement is particularly striking because Gazprom Arena had promoted the concerts only days earlier, describing Ye as “the most influential musical artist of our time.”
Had the concerts proceeded, Ye would have become the first major Western music star to perform in Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
His proposed Russian appearances had also attracted criticism from some politicians. Conservative Russian lawmaker Vitaly Milonov criticised the booking and suggested Ye should perform traditional Russian music instead.
There is currently no evidence, however, that the Russian government ordered Gazprom Arena to withdraw from the concerts.
The dispute comes as Ye attempts to rebuild his international touring career following years of controversy over antisemitic statements.
Beginning in 2022, the rapper made repeated antisemitic remarks, subsequently described himself as a Nazi and released material containing Nazi references. The controversies resulted in major companies including Adidas and Balenciaga ending their relationships with him.
In January, Ye publicly apologised, stating: “I am not a Nazi or an antisemite.” He attributed much of his previous behaviour to a prolonged manic episode associated with bipolar disorder.
His return to major live performances began with a Los Angeles concert in April. However, planned appearances in several European countries, including Britain, France, Italy and Poland, have reportedly been cancelled amid continuing controversy.
For now, the October concerts have not been formally cancelled by their promoter, but they cannot proceed at Gazprom Arena unless the dispute is resolved or another venue is secured.
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