Kanye West's two planned concerts in Russia this month have been cancelled, the show's organizer confirmed, ending weeks of confusion over whether the controversial rapper would perform in St. Petersburg.
Say Agency, the Moscow-based organizer, announced the cancellation through a Telegram post on Wednesday, October 1. 'Friends, it is with sincere regret that we inform you that the YE concerts in St. Petersburg will not be able to take place on the scheduled dates,' the agency wrote, adding that it would issue an official statement regarding the status of the project and future plans in the near future.
The shows had been in limbo almost since they were announced in mid-August. A week after the concerts were announced, Gazprom Arena — the venue due to host them — said it had never signed a contract with the organizers, a separate Moscow-based company. The venue distanced itself from the booking and acknowledged receiving complaints about the scheduled performances.
The planned gigs had also faced significant opposition from Russian officials. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova deemed the concerts unacceptable, citing concerns about the artist's past statements, while some pro-war military bloggers questioned the appropriateness of hosting a U.S. performer while Washington continues to provide military and financial support to Ukraine. A Russian politician called for an investigation into the musician's prior remarks and suggested the performances should be cancelled.
West, who now goes by Ye, has faced concert cancellations and performance bans in several European countries this year following a series of past antisemitic remarks, including praise for Adolf Hitler and the use of Nazi imagery. In January, he published an apology in the Wall Street Journal, attributing his earlier behavior to an undiagnosed brain injury and untreated bipolar disorder, and stated his support for Jewish people. Had the concerts gone ahead, West would have become one of the biggest international music stars to visit Russia since Moscow launched its full-scale war against Ukraine in 2022.
The cancellation is the latest in a string of legal and logistical headaches for the rapper. His lawyers recently asked a judge to push back an October 12 civil trial in the Donda Academy discrimination lawsuit — brought by former security guard Benjamin Provo — to May 17, 2027, arguing that his tour schedule and the Russia trip made the date unworkable. Despite the Russia setback, West has continued performing internationally this year, with shows in Turkey, the Netherlands, Georgia, Albania, Portugal, and Kazakhstan in support of his 12th studio album, released in March, and additional dates scheduled in the U.S. and Indonesia.