St. Petersburg Concerts by Controversial Rapper Ye Officially Canceled Amid Backlash

Two St. Petersburg concerts by controversial rapper Ye scheduled for next month have been officially canceled following weeks of conflicting statements from venue management and local promoters. An Instagram account affiliated with the U.S. touring agency Access Opera confirmed the cancellation Tuesday, directing ticket holders to seek refunds from the Russian promoter Say Agency. The shows, originally scheduled for Oct. 10 and 11 at Gazprom Arena, triggered immediate backlash from conservative Russian politicians due to Ye’s past public support of Nazism, which constitutes a criminal offense under Russian law. Gazprom Arena claimed it had never signed a contract with Say Agency and could not host the Ye shows. Local media reported at the time that the sudden cancellation followed a phone call “from above,” suggesting the Kremlin may have directly intervened. Say Agency later insisted the Ye concerts would still take place. However, the promoter has since retracted those statements and said it will release an official announcement about the status of the shows on Wednesday. Despite the cancellation, a Turkish agency that organized Ye’s performance in Istanbul in May listed a tentative July 10, 2027, date for a Moscow show on its website. Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium had said it would be open to hosting Ye’s concert following Gazprom Arena’s withdrawal. Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, previously visited Moscow in 2024 to celebrate the birthday of fashion designer and collaborator Gosha Rubchinskiy. Rumors of a performance at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium circulated at the time. The rapper has drawn controversy in recent years for his antisemitic remarks. He has previously voiced admiration for Adolf Hitler, and in May 2025, he released a song called “Heil Hitler.”