Russian stadium says it won’t host Kanye West gigs

The Russian stadium that was scheduled to host two shows by Ye, the rapper also known as Kanye West, has said the events will no longer take place.

In a social media post, external, St Petersburg’s Gazprom Arena said no rental agreement had been signed with the concert promoters. “Accordingly, the concert cannot take place on our site.”

West would have been the first major Western performer to play Russia since it invaded Ukraine in 2022. The rapper is trying to rehabilitate his image after years of antisemitic remarks, for which he recently apologised.

Gazprom Arena acknowledged it had received complaints about West’s planned appearance and stressed that it “was not and is not” responsible for his booking.

The stadium said in its statement that the sold-out concerts, scheduled for 10 and 11 October, had been organised by the Moscow-based Say Agency.

Posting on its Telegram channel, Say Agency said the stadium’s announcement had come as a surprise.

“We learned about [it] at the same time as you did, through the media,” the agency wrote. “As of now, the Ye concert has not been canceled,” it added in a follow-up message.

“We are trying to contact the venue to find out the reason for the post and resolve the issue. We will keep you updated.”

The BBC has contacted West’s publicist for a comment on the uncertainty over his Russian shows.

In its statement, Say Agency said it announced the concerts earlier this month based “on an official letter that was approved by” Gazprom Arena.

The stadium subsequently sent a rental agreement, Say Agency claimed, and the agency acknowledged the contract had not yet been signed but said the deadline to do so did not expire until later this week.

Last week, Gazprom Arena had posted enthusiastically about the concerts on social media, calling Ye “the most influential musical artist of our time”.

Fans reacted to its latest announcement with disappointment.

“This was the shortest concert of my life,” responded one, under Say Agency’s Telegram post. “It’s a shame that the government is putting obstacles in your way,” added another.

There is no indication that authorities intervened in the shows, but there has been opposition to West’s booking from some Russian politicians.

Vitaly Milonov, a notorious conservative lawmaker, suggested the star should perform traditional Russian songs instead of his planned setlist, reflecting the anti-Western views of many nationalists.

“Maybe after this he’ll stop his disgusting antics and become a normal person,” Milonov added in a video statement.