Russian stadium says it won't host Kanye West gigs
St. Petersburg's Gazprom Arena has announced that Kanye West's scheduled concerts will not take place, citing the lack of a signed rental agreement. The rapper's tour has faced significant backlash and cancellations following his history of antisemitic comments.
Why it matters
The cancellation reflects the ongoing global fallout from the artist's controversial public statements and the difficulty of hosting Western performers in Russia.
Image source, Getty Images Image caption, West's 2026 tour has been hit by cancellations amid backlash over his history of antisemitic comments
Music correspondent Published 10 minutes ago 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.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in