Kanye West concerts in St. Petersburg canceled — The Guardian
Two sold-out concerts by American rapper Kanye West, who also performs under the name Ye, have been canceled in St. Petersburg, Russia. The shows were scheduled for October 10 and 11 at Gazprom Arena. The Guardian reports, citing organizer Say Agency.
Organizers’ statement
Moscow-based Say Agency announced the cancellation of the performances in a Telegram post. The agency said that the concerts would not be able to take place on the scheduled dates and promised to later publish an official statement on the project’s status and further plans.
Organizers also said that ticket refunds would become available starting Monday, October 12. They plan to announce the terms and procedure for obtaining refunds separately.
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Controversy surrounding the performances
For several weeks before the concerts were canceled, there had been uncertainty over whether they would take place. Gazprom Arena initially promoted the upcoming performances on social media, but in August, after all tickets had already been sold, said it had not signed a stadium rental agreement with the promoters. Arena representatives stressed that they were not responsible for the booking and had also received complaints about the concerts.
Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry of the aggressor state, previously called the planned shows unacceptable because of what she described as the rapper’s glorification of Adolf Hitler. Russian politician Nikolai Novichkov also called for the musician to be investigated over praise for Hitler and demanded that the concerts be canceled unless he publicly declared support for Russia and the so-called special military operation.
Last year, Ye sold T-shirts featuring swastikas and released the song Heil Hitler. In January, he published an apology in The Wall Street Journal, saying that he was not a Nazi or an antisemite. According to West, his bipolar disorder caused a four-month manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behavior.
