Kanye West's Russia shows officially cancelled after weeks of uncertainty

Riyah Collins - BBC Newsbeat Thu, October 1, 2026 at 1:24 PM UTC

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St Petersburg's Gazprom Arena said in August it would not host Ye

Two stadium gigs in Russia by Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, have officially been cancelled.

West had been due to perform at the Gazprom Arena in St Petersburg on 10 and 11 October.

But there was confusion in the lead-up to the shows, as the venue had said it wouldn't host him for what would have been the biggest show by a western artist since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

In a post on messaging app Telegram, gig organisers Say Agency confirmed the concerts had been cancelled with "sincere regret".

"The Ye concerts in St Petersburg will not be able to take place on the scheduled dates," the Moscow-based agency wrote.

"We will issue an official statement regarding the status of the project and our plans in the near future."

West returned to touring earlier this year and has had a string of US stadium shows

Gazprom Arena said in August that it had not signed a rental agreement with the concert promoters and so the gig could not take place on its site.

Say Agency had said it was working to resolve the issue with the stadium before confirming they could not go ahead.

The stadium also acknowledged it had received complaints about West's performance.

He has recently apologised for multiple antisemitic and pro-Nazi comments in the past, saying he had "lost touch with reality" as a result of his bipolar disorder.

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Russia was invaded by the Nazis in World War Two, and the country's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman was among those who criticised the planned shows.

Maria Zakharova said they were unacceptable and pointed out West's "glorification" of Hitler.

In 2025 West started selling swastika T-shirts and released a song called Heil Hitler.

Pro-war bloggers in Russia also questioned whether the country should be hosting an American artist while the US provided financial and military support for Ukraine.

West is yet to comment publicly on the cancellation.

His first major concert in the US for more than five years was held in Los Angeles in April, and he has since played in countries including Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands.

However, his Russian shows aren't the only gigs to have been cancelled.

Last summer West was set to headline London's Wireless Festival but was barred from entering the UK, forcing organisers to cancel the whole event.

West shows were also cancelled in Poland, Italy and France.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”