Ye's two Russian stadium concerts officially cancelled

Two planned stadium concerts in Russia by Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, have officially been cancelled, BBC News reported. The shows had been scheduled for 10 and 11 October at the Gazprom Arena in St Petersburg.

The cancellation follows weeks of confusion over whether the performances could proceed at the stadium. BBC News said Gazprom Arena had stated that it would not host Ye for concerts that would have represented the biggest appearance by a western artist in Russia since the country invaded Ukraine in 2022.

Key facts about the cancelled St Petersburg shows

• BBC News reported that Ye had been due to perform at Gazprom Arena on 10 and 11 October.
• Moscow-based promoter Say Agency confirmed on Telegram that the concerts had been cancelled, according to BBC News.
• Gazprom Arena said in August that it had not signed a rental agreement with the promoters, BBC News reported.
• The stadium acknowledged receiving complaints about the planned performance, according to BBC News.
• BBC News reported that Say Agency had previously said it was trying to resolve the issue with the venue before confirming the concerts could not go ahead.

Say Agency announced the decision on Telegram with what it called "sincere regret". BBC News reported that the Moscow-based organiser wrote: "The Ye concerts in St Petersburg will not be able to take place on the scheduled dates." The agency said it intended to make a further statement about the status of the project and its plans.

How the venue dispute developed

Stage	Development reported by BBC News
Planned dates	Ye was due to perform on 10 and 11 October
Venue	Gazprom Arena in St Petersburg
August position	Gazprom Arena said no rental agreement had been signed with promoters
Promoter response	Say Agency said it was working to resolve the issue with the stadium
Final status	Say Agency confirmed the concerts could not take place on the scheduled dates

BBC News reported that Gazprom Arena's position had already cast doubt over the dates in August. The stadium said it had not signed a rental agreement with the concert promoters and therefore could not stage the performance at its site.

The venue also acknowledged receiving complaints about the proposed shows, according to BBC News. Say Agency continued to say it was working on a resolution with the stadium before the organiser eventually confirmed that the two dates would not proceed.

Criticism surrounding the planned concerts

The proposed performances also attracted criticism in Russia. BBC News reported that Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova was among those who objected, describing the shows as unacceptable and referring to Ye's "glorification" of Hitler.

BBC News said Russia was invaded by the Nazis during the Second World War. The controversy around the proposed concerts followed Ye's past antisemitic and pro-Nazi remarks, for which he has recently apologised.

According to BBC News, Ye said he had "lost touch with reality" because of his bipolar disorder when apologising for multiple antisemitic and pro-Nazi comments. BBC News also reported that in 2025 he began selling swastika T-shirts and released a song titled Heil Hitler.

Pro-war bloggers in Russia raised a separate objection to the planned concerts, according to BBC News. They questioned whether an American artist should be hosted in the country while the United States was providing financial and military support for Ukraine.

A run of performances and cancellations

The St Petersburg dates formed part of a period in which Ye had returned to major live appearances. BBC News reported that his first major concert in the United States for more than five years took place in Los Angeles in April.

He subsequently performed in countries including Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands, according to BBC News. The planned Russian dates would have added another major European stadium engagement to that run.

Other planned appearances have not gone ahead. BBC News reported that last summer Ye was due to headline London's Wireless Festival but was barred from entering the UK, leading organisers to cancel the whole event.

Shows were also cancelled in Poland, Italy and France, according to BBC News. The cancellation of the two St Petersburg performances adds Russia to the list of European locations where planned dates involving the artist have fallen through.

Why the Gazprom Arena dates drew unusual attention

BBC News reported that the proposed St Petersburg concerts would have been the biggest show by a western artist in Russia since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. That context made the venue dispute and objections surrounding the performance significant beyond a routine scheduling problem.

The uncertainty centred in part on the basic arrangement between promoter and stadium. Gazprom Arena said in August that no rental agreement had been signed, while Say Agency maintained that it was trying to resolve the issue before eventually announcing that the scheduled performances would not happen, according to BBC News.

At the same time, the concerts drew political and cultural criticism from different quarters inside Russia. BBC News reported that Zakharova focused on Ye's history of remarks involving Hitler, while pro-war bloggers questioned the appearance of an American performer against the backdrop of US assistance to Ukraine.

Those objections coincided with Ye's own recent attempt to address his previous statements. BBC News said he had apologised for antisemitic and pro-Nazi comments and linked his behaviour to bipolar disorder, saying he had "lost touch with reality".

Promoter confirms the scheduled dates will not happen

Say Agency's Telegram announcement ends the immediate uncertainty over the 10 and 11 October dates. BBC News reported that the promoter stated the concerts would not be able to take place as scheduled and said a further announcement would address the project's status and its plans.

Gazprom Arena's earlier statement had already said the performances could not take place at the stadium because it had no rental agreement with the promoters. BBC News reported that the venue had also acknowledged complaints about the event.

Ye has not commented publicly on the cancellation, according to BBC News. The formal announcement has instead come from Say Agency following its earlier efforts to resolve the disagreement with the stadium.

The cancellation therefore closes the question of whether the two October performances will proceed on their announced dates at Gazprom Arena. BBC News reported that they had been planned as unusually large western-artist concerts in Russia, but the venue's refusal, public criticism and the eventual promoter statement mean the scheduled St Petersburg appearances will not take place.

Frequently asked questions

Were Ye's concerts in Russia cancelled?

BBC News reported that Say Agency has officially confirmed the two St Petersburg concerts will not take place on their scheduled dates. The performances had been planned for 10 and 11 October.

Where was Kanye West due to perform in Russia?

BBC News said Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, was scheduled to play the Gazprom Arena in St Petersburg. The venue said in August that it had not signed a rental agreement with the concert promoters.

Why was there uncertainty over the St Petersburg concerts?

BBC News reported that Gazprom Arena said it would not host the shows and had not entered into a rental agreement with the promoters. Say Agency initially said it was working to resolve the venue issue before later confirming the dates were cancelled.

Has Ye commented on the cancellation?

BBC News reported that Ye has not made a public comment on the cancellation. The confirmation came from Moscow-based promoter Say Agency through a post on Telegram.