Kanye West’s sold-out Russia concerts cancelled, organisers confirm
Russia’s foreign ministry had called planned shows unacceptable due to rapper’s ‘glorification’ of Adolf Hitler
TL;DR
- Kanye West's (Ye) concerts in St Petersburg, Russia, on October 10th and 11th have been cancelled.
- The organiser, Say Agency, confirmed the cancellation via Telegram, citing regret and promising further details on future plans.
- Weeks of confusion surrounded the shows, with the Gazprom Arena initially promoting them but later stating no agreement was signed.
- Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova previously called the planned shows unacceptable due to Ye's 'glorification' of Hitler.
- A politician, Nikolay Novichkov, called for Ye to be investigated and for concerts to be cancelled unless he declared 'moral support for Russia and the special military operation'.
- Ye has a history of controversial statements, including selling swastika T-shirts and releasing a song called Heil Hitler, for which he later apologized, attributing his behavior to bipolar disorder.
- The planned concerts flout sweeping sanctions and boycott calls against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.
- Ye has faced previous concert cancellations and visa issues in the UK and France due to backlash over antisemitic remarks.
- Despite controversy, Ye has performed in other countries, including the US, Turkey, and several European nations, in support of his album 'Bully'.