St. Petersburg stadium cancels sold-out Ye concerts amid Russian official opposition
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8 days · 4 summary articles
Plans for two sold-out concerts by rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, in St. Petersburg have been thrown into doubt after Gazprom Arena announced it would not host the events. The venue stated on its website that no rental agreement had been signed with the Moscow-based promoter, Say Agency, and that the concerts “cannot take place at our venue” .
The shows, scheduled for Oct. 10 and 11, were announced just a week ago and promoted by both the venue and Say Agency. Tickets, priced between 9,000 and 160,000 rubles ($106 to $1,880), sold out quickly, with the venue initially describing Ye as “the most influential musical artist of our time” . Say Agency CEO Anna Subcheva insisted the concerts would proceed, claiming formal contracts were expected by Thursday and that Ye had already received a 1.5 billion ruble ($17.7 million) advance payment .
Local reports suggest the cancellation followed a directive “from above” in Moscow, with Fontanka citing unnamed sources that the events lacked necessary approvals from St. Petersburg’s Culture Committee . Russian lawmaker Vitaly Milonov publicly criticized Ye’s planned performances, urging the rapper to perform “traditional Russian songs” instead . Other officials and activists, including Orthodox movement “Sorok Sorokov” and internet safety advocate Yekaterina Mizulina, also opposed the concerts, citing Ye’s past antisemitic remarks and use of Nazi symbols, which are criminal offenses in Russia .
Say Agency, which has previously organized concerts for artists like Lil Pump and Flo Rida, maintained that the announcement had been approved by Gazprom Arena and that it was seeking clarification . The venue removed all promotional materials for the concerts from its website, while Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium indicated it would be open to hosting the events . Ye’s planned performances would have marked the largest Western act in Russia since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine .
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Articles
St. Petersburgs Gazprom Arena Cancels Ye Concerts Say Agency, the organizer of the October performances, said they would still take place despite Gazprom Arenas withdrawal.
themoscowtimes · about 2 hours ago
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Mystik om Kanye West-koncerter i Rusland
dr.dk · about 2 hours ago
Kanye West, Gazprom și „apelul de sus. De ce a rămas rapperul american fără concert în Rusia, chiar dacă biletele au fost vândute Un concert programat al rapperului american Ye, cunoscut anterior sub numele de Kanye West, la Sankt Petersburg nu va mai avea loc, după ce sala de spectacole a declarat că nu a semnat un contract de închiriere cu organizatorii evenimentului, în ciuda faptului că promovase anterior concertele.
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die presse · about 2 hours ago
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dailymail · about 2 hours ago
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taz.de · about 2 hours ago
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