Kanye West won't be performing his planned October concerts in Russia after all. The St. Petersburg arena that had promoted the hip-hop artist's shows for his comeback tour announced Tuesday that West won't be performing at the venue because no contract was ever signed to use the space.
Gazprom Arena said in a statement translated from Russian that it "was not and is not the organizer of this event," placing the blame on the Moscow-based concert agency Say Agency. "We did not sign any agreements regarding the stadium's rental for the event," the venue added. "There is no such agreement. Accordingly, the concert cannot take place at our venue."
The cancellation is unusual in that Gazprom Arena had promoted West's concert on Russian social media just a week before claiming no contract existed, posting a concert poster advertising the show.
West's comeback tour has been plagued with called-off dates throughout the year, including a scrapped debut in India over security concerns and canceled or postponed shows in the UK, France, Poland, Switzerland, Italy and Brazil, with government and venue objections often citing his conduct in recent years, including antisemitic remarks he made in 2022. Despite the cancellations, the dates that have gone ahead are tracked on the tour guide; West has performed this year in Los Angeles, Tampa and San Antonio, as well as internationally in Turkey, the Netherlands, Georgia, Spain and Kazakhstan.
The facts
- St. Petersburg's Gazprom Arena says no contract was signed
- October concerts were part of West's comeback tour
- Venue blames Moscow-based Say Agency for the booking
- Follows canceled shows in the UK, France, Poland, Switzerland, Italy and Brazil
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