Kanye West to perform sold-out St. Petersburg concerts in 2026 amid Nazi controversy backlash

Kanye West, now known as Ye, will perform two concerts at [St. Petersburg’s](en.wikipedia.org) Gazprom Arena on Oct. 10 and 11, 2026, according to announcements cited by The Guardian, La Libre, and Courrier International. Tickets, priced between 9,000 and 160,000 rubles ($91 to $1,600), sold out within hours, with the cheapest options exhausted first, the Russian promoter Say Agency confirmed on Aug. 17 .

The concerts follow widespread cancellations of Ye’s European tour dates over his repeated antisemitic remarks and public embrace of Nazi symbolism. In 2022, he expressed admiration for Hitler on Alex Jones’ InfoWars podcast, leading to a temporary Twitter suspension. In 2025, he released a track titled *Heil Hitler* and sold T-shirts featuring swastikas on his website, as reported by La Libre . The backlash prompted brands like Adidas, Nike, and Louis Vuitton to sever ties, and countries including the U.K., France, Italy, Poland, and Switzerland to cancel or block his performances.

Ye issued a full-page apology in The Wall Street Journal in January 2026, stating, “I am not a Nazi, and I am not antisemitic. I love Jewish people,” while citing mental health struggles . Despite this, his Russian shows have drawn criticism from conservative activists who oppose Western cultural influence, though the events also serve as a propaganda coup for the Kremlin, signaling Russia’s continued global connections amid sanctions, according to HVG .

The St. Petersburg concerts mark Ye’s first public performances in Russia and the first by a major international artist since 2022, Kommersant noted . The Gazprom Arena, with a capacity of 70,000, sold out all tiers, including VIP boxes costing up to $1,850, within a day of the Aug. 17 announcement. Russian fans had long speculated about the shows, with demand so high that jegyértékesítő portals crashed under the volume, HVG reported .

Ye’s career has been marred by controversy since his 2022 remarks, but he retains a significant following. His Istanbul concert earlier this year drew 118,000 attendees, while his Tbilisi and Almaty shows also sold out, according to HVG . In Russia, the concerts have sparked debate, with some social media users questioning the alignment of Ye’s pro-Nazi statements with Russia’s stated mission of “denazification” in Ukraine .