Two sold-out shows by Ye, the rapper also known as Kanye West, set down for a stadium in Russia have been canceled by the intended hosts.
St Petersburg’s Gazprom Arena said no rental agreement had been signed with the concert promoters. “Accordingly, the concert cannot take place on our site,” it stated on social media.
As Breitbart News reported, West would have been the first major Western performer to play Russia since it invaded Ukraine in 2022.
He has been trying to rehabilitate his image after years of antisemitic and pro-Nazi remarks and apologised for the same in January, blaming his statements on a brain injury and bipolar disorder.
West took out a full-page advertisement in the Wall Street Journal where he penned an apology to the black community, as well as for the antisemitism, while opening up about his struggle with bipolar type-1. “I lost touch with reality,” he said.
He contrition was not enough to stop the UK barring him entry two months ago.
Concerts in France, Poland, Italy and the Czech Republic were also called off.
Now Russia is joining them.
The BBC reports Gazprom Arena acknowledged it had received complaints about West’s planned appearance and stressed it “was not and is not” responsible for his booking.
The stadium said in its statement that the sold-out concerts, scheduled for 10 and 11 October, had been organised by the Moscow-based Say Agency.
Posting on its Telegram channel, Say Agency said the stadium’s announcement had come as a surprise but it is final.