Kanye West Russia concerts face venue dispute

Kanye West's two planned concerts in Russia are uncertain after Saint Petersburg's Gazprom Arena denied signing contracts to host the shows, while the organiser said the events had not been cancelled.

Tickets for the October 10 and 11 concerts appeared earlier this month on the website of Moscow-based Say Agency, which advertised the shows at Gazprom Arena. The stadium also shared adverts for the concert on Telegram.

A week later, Gazprom Arena said it had “not signed any contracts to lease the stadium for the event.” Say Agency told ticket holders to wait for an official announcement and said it was working on a solution.

Ticket prices ranged from about $100 to almost $2,000, and the cheapest tickets sold out within hours. State media reported that more than 100,000 tickets had been sold.

Russian officials have been divided over the planned concerts. Some have welcomed the possibility of a major Western musician performing in Russia, while others have raised concern about West's past comments praising Nazi Germany. West, who also uses the stage name Ye, has been barred from several European countries over past antisemitic comments and apologised for past antisemitism in 2023.

The Fontanka media outlet reported that the shows had not been approved by all necessary authorities and were cancelled after a phone call from Moscow. RBK reported that debates over whether West should perform were taking place within the presidential administration. West has not commented.