Kanye West’s Russia Concerts Canceled After Contract Dispute, Venue Says
Kanye West won’t be performing scheduled concerts in Russia in an unusual twist for what’s become a usual scenario.
The St. Petersburg arena that had promoted Ye’s October concerts for his comeback tour announced Tuesday the rapper won’t be performing at the venue because no contract was signed to utilize the space.
The venue, Gazprom Arena, threw a booking agency under the bus concerning the ordeal, saying in a post on the arena’s website translated from Russian, “Due to the increasing number of inquiries addressed to Gazprom Arena regarding the Kanye West concert, we officially inform you: Gazprom Arena was not and is not the organizer of this event. This was handled by the Moscow-based concert agency Say Agency.”
The arena added that it “did not sign any agreements regarding the stadium’s rental for the event. There is no such agreement. Accordingly, the concert cannot take place at our venue.”
What makes the cancellation unusual is that Gazprom Arena had promoted West’s concert a week before it claimed no contract was in place. In posts on Russian social media sites, the arena posted a concert poster saying Kanye West was performing.
West concerts being nixed has become fairly common. His comeback tour has been plagued with called-off dates, including a planned debut in India that was scratched due to security concerns. Shows in the UK, France, Poland, Switzerland, Italy and Brazil were also canceled or postponed with various government and venue objections, most citing Ye’s conduct in recent years.
The Chicago native made a series of antisemitic remarks in 2022 that ultimately escalated into years of controversial behavior, from selling a swastika T-shirt to releasing a song titled “Heil Hitler.” In January, he took out a full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal apologizing for his behavior and wrote, “I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. I love Jewish people.”
West has performed this year in Los Angeles, Tampa and San Antonio and internationally in Turkey, the Netherlands, Georgia, Spain, Kazakhstan and other countries.
Kanye West 2026 Tour Dates:
08/28 – New Orleans, LA @ Caesars Superdome
09/03 – Chicago, IL @ Soldier Field
09/04 – Chicago, IL @ Soldier Field
10/24 – Jakarta, Indonesia @ Gelora Bung Karno Stadium
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