Kanye West’s attempt to stage a high-profile return to Russia has been thrown into uncertainty after St. Petersburg’s Gazprom Arena announced it will not host his two sold-out concerts scheduled for October 10 and 11.
The stadium said in a social post that they “did not sign any contracts for the stadium rent for the event”, adding that: “Accordingly, the concert cannot take place on our site.”
This comes despite weeks of advertising and ticket sales.
The venue said it had been inundated with complaints about Kanye’s planned appearance and insisted they were not responsible for the decision to bring the rapper to Russia.
The Moscow-based Say Agency, which announced the concerts earlier this month, said it was blindsided by the stadium’s sudden withdrawal.
Posting on Telegram, the promoters wrote: “We learned about [it] at the same time as you did, through the media.”
In a follow-up message, the agency insisted the shows were still technically on: “As of now, the Ye concert has not been cancelled. We are trying to contact the venue to find out the reason for the post and resolve the issue. We will keep you updated.”
Say Agency claims it announced the concerts based on an official letter approved by Gazprom Arena and says the stadium later sent over a rental agreement.
The promoters admit the contract has not yet been signed but argue the deadline to finalise it does not expire until later this week.
The plot twist comes after Gazprom Arena hailed Ye “the most influential musical artist of our time”.
Kanye, or Ye as he’s legally known as now, would have become one of few high-profile stars to perform in the country since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The Russian dates had already attracted global attention. Tickets ranged from 9,000 rubles ($106) to 160,000 rubles ($1,885), and the shows would have placed him alongside Tyga, Akon and Jason Derulo – a small group of Western artists who have performed in Russia since the conflict began.
The rapper’s touring schedule has been turbulent. His UK return collapsed earlier this year when the Home Office barred him from entering the country, forcing London’s Wireless Festival to cancel its entire event. Festival Republic boss Melvin Benn later reflected on the fallout, telling NME: “Timing, I think, is an important lesson. I would hope that other people learn the lesson of forgiveness, because forgiveness is an important part of being a decent human being, in my view… Wireless will return. We’re very confident about that.”
Former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer also weighed in at the time, writing on X: “Kanye West should never have been invited to headline Wireless… We will always take the action necessary to protect the public and uphold our values.”
West himself had attempted to address the backlash, saying: “I want to come to London and present a show of change, bringing unity, peace, and love through my music… I know words aren’t enough – I’ll have to show change through my actions.”
