Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, is to play two shows in St Petersburg, Russia, this October – becoming the biggest Western star to play in the country since its invasion of Ukraine four years ago.
Tickets for the shows at the 70,000-capacity Gazprom Arena sold out within hours of the announcement on Monday. Prices ranged from 9,000 roubles (£78) to 160,000 roubles (£1,394).
The concerts come as West tries to rehabilitate his image after years of antisemitic and pro-Nazi remarks. He apologised in January, blaming his statements on a brain injury and bipolar disorder.
But a major European tour this summer faltered, with several concerts scrapped amid uproar over the star’s views.
In the UK, the long-running Wireless Festival was cancelled when West – who had been due to headline all three nights – was denied entry to the country.
The Home Office said the decision was made on the grounds that the rapper’s presence would not be “conducive to the public good”.
Concerts in France, Poland, Italy and the Czech Republic were also called off, but dates in Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Turkey and Albania went ahead.
In Madrid earlier this month, up to 60% of the audience were foreigners who had been unable to watch West in their home countries, national broadcaster RTVE said.
Their reviewer, Javier Villuendas, praised the show’s “spectacular” stage design – which sees the star perform on top of a giant illuminated dome – and said the hit-laden setlist was, “to put it simply, a fire emoji”.
“We didn’t see any Nazis in the audience, by the way,” Villuendas noted.
The audience were left “practically speechless” by the “electrifying” show, added Mondo Sonoro’s Daniel Caballero, who said West appeared focused, committed and “determined to regain his sanity and his passion”.
Western acts largely absent from Russia
The musician has been rumoured to be planning to perform in Russia for some time, most recently in 2024, when he visited the country to celebrate the birthday of fashion designer Gosha Rubchinskiy, with whom he has collaborated.
However, his concert plans have not been met with universal acclaim.
Vitaly Milonov, a notorious conservative lawmaker, suggested the star should perform traditional Russian songs instead of his planned setlist, reflecting the anti-Western views of many nationalists.
“Maybe after this he’ll stop his disgusting antics and become a normal person,” Milonov added in a video statement.
Concerts by Western acts were not uncommon before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – with artists like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lana Del Rey, Muse and System of a Down visiting the country.
However, with many record labels suspending activities in Russia during the war, only a handful of artists have ventured to the country.
They have mostly been B-list acts like Tyga, DaBaby, Akon and Pro-Trump rapper Lil Pump.
Jason Derulo also performed in St Petersburg and Moscow last year, and told fans he would return on his 2026 world tour.
West’s antisemitic remarks began in 2022, when he made a series of offensive comments on social media that led to his accounts being suspended. Fashion brands like Adidas and Balenciaga also ended their relationships with the star.
The musician went on to declare he was “a Nazi”, releasing a song called Heil Hitler and selling T-shirts featuring the swastika.
This January, West apologised in a full-page advertisement in the Wall Street Journal, writing: “I am not a Nazi or an antisemite.”
Reflecting on a “four-month-long manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behaviour”, he said he was “deeply mortified” by his actions and that his bipolar disorder meant “you’re manic [and] you don’t think you’re sick”.
However, some questioned the timing of his statement – which coincided with the release of a new album, Bully, and the start of his world tour.
Credit: BBC
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