St. Petersburg's Gazprom Arena has stated that two planned concerts by rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, will not take place at the venue. In a social media post, the stadium cited that no rental agreement had been signed with the concert promoters, and therefore, the event could not proceed on its site.
The stadium acknowledged receiving complaints regarding West's planned appearance and emphasized that it was not responsible for his booking. The concerts, reportedly sold out and scheduled for October 10 and 11, were organized by the Moscow-based Say Agency.
Say Agency responded to the stadium's announcement on Telegram, expressing surprise and stating that they learned of the decision through media reports. The agency insisted that as of that moment, the concerts had not been canceled and that they were attempting to contact the venue to understand the situation. They further claimed that an official letter approved by Gazprom Arena had been the basis for announcing the concerts earlier in the month.
According to Say Agency, the stadium later sent a rental agreement, which had not yet been signed, but the deadline for signing was reportedly later in the week. Last week, Gazprom Arena had expressed enthusiasm for the concerts on social media, referring to Ye as "the most influential musical artist of our time."
Fans have expressed disappointment with the latest development. Some comments on Say Agency's Telegram post suggested government obstacles were hindering the shows, while others lamented the situation. There is no explicit indication that authorities intervened, though some Russian politicians have voiced opposition to West's booking. Conservative lawmaker Vitaly Milonov suggested the artist should perform traditional Russian songs, reflecting nationalist anti-Western sentiments.