A stadium in St. Petersburg has abruptly canceled planned concerts by the artist formerly known as Kanye West, who now goes by Ye. The performances were scheduled for October 10 and 11 at the Gazprom Arena, which would have marked the return of a major Western performer to Russia since the 2022 start of the Ukraine war.
Gazprom Arena stated on Instagram that "due to the complaints involved to Gazprom Arena regarding the organization of Kanye West's concert, we officially inform that Gazprom Arena was not and is not the organizer of this event." The venue further clarified that "Gazprom Arena did not sign any contracts for the stadium rent for the event. There is no such agreement. Accordingly, the concert cannot take place on our site."
Say Agency, a Moscow-based concert promoter responsible for organizing the performance, initially responded to the arena's announcement by claiming they learned about it through the media and were attempting to contact the venue to understand the reason for the post and resolve the issue.
In a subsequent post, Say Agency assured fans that the concert had not been canceled and that preparations were proceeding as planned, with the dates still listed on the artist's official website. The agency urged attendees "not to react to unverified reports or rumors" and promised to provide full details soon.
Say Agency had recently posted on Instagram featuring Ye, commenting, "not everything Kanye West has said deserves to be forgotten!" The agency suggested that criticism often focuses on single soundbites rather than the artist's broader impact on the industry.
The artist has faced significant criticism in recent years for antisemitic remarks. He previously produced a song titled "Heil Hitler" and sold merchandise featuring a swastika. In January, Ye apologized for his antisemitic statements, attributing them to a struggle with bipolar disorder that he said caused him to lose "touch with reality."
Following the cancellation news, Vitaly Milonov, a conservative lawmaker, was quoted as saying that Ye should perform traditional Russian songs instead of his usual setlist. Milonov added, "Maybe after this he'll stop his disgusting antics and become a normal person."