Gazprom Arena Says Kanye West Concerts Will Not Take Place At Venue

Gazprom Arena Says Kanye West Concerts Will Not Take Place at Venue A planned Kanye West concert in St Petersburg, Russia, has been thrown into uncertainty after the city’s Gazprom Arena said it would not host the rapper’s scheduled performances. The venue said it had received complaints about West’s planned appearance but stressed that it “was not and is not” responsible for booking the American rapper. West, who is also known as Ye, had been scheduled to perform at the arena on October 10 and 11, 2026. The shows had been promoted by Moscow-based Say Agency and reportedly sold out. Gazprom Arena said no rental agreement had been signed with the concert promoters. As a result, it said the performances could not take place at the venue. The announcement reportedly came as a surprise to Say Agency, which said it had learned about the venue’s position through the media. The promoter maintains that the concerts have not been cancelled and said it was seeking clarification from the arena. According to the agency, the concerts had been announced after it received an official letter approved by Gazprom Arena. It also claimed that the venue subsequently sent a rental agreement, although the contract was never formally signed. If the performances had gone ahead, West would have become the first major Western artist to perform in Russia since the country’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.The proposed shows have also faced controversy because of West’s history of antisemitic and pro Nazi remarks, which have led to cancellations and restrictions surrounding several of his recent performances. For now, the dispute between the promoter and Gazprom Arena leaves the future of the October concerts unclear.