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Russian stadium says it won't host Kanye West gigs
Developing
West's 2026 tour has been hit by cancellations amid backlash over his history of antisemitic comments The Russian stadium that was scheduled to host two shows by Ye, the rapper also known as Kanye West, has said the events will no longer take place.
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. The stadium subsequently sent a rental agreement, Say Agency claimed, and the agency acknowledged the contract had not yet been signed but said the deadline to do so did not expire until later this week.
In its statement, Say Agency said it announced the concerts earlier this month based "on an official letter that was approved by" Gazprom Arena. 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".
In a social media post , external , St Petersburg's Gazprom Arena said no rental agreement had been signed with the concert promoters. Posting on its Telegram channel, Say Agency said the stadium's announcement had come as a surprise.
"Not everything Kanye West said should be forgotten," it said.
What's confirmed
What's still developing
- West's 2026 tour has been hit by cancellations amid backlash over his history of antisemitic comments The Russian stadium that was scheduled to host two shows by Ye, the rapper also known as Kanye West, has said the…
- In a social media post , external , St Petersburg's Gazprom Arena said no rental agreement had been signed with the concert promoters.
- 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.
- In its statement, Say Agency said it announced the concerts earlier this month based "on an official letter that was approved by" Gazprom Arena.
- The stadium subsequently sent a rental agreement, Say Agency claimed, and the agency acknowledged the contract had not yet been signed but said the deadline to do so did not expire until later this week.
- 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…
- "Not everything Kanye West said should be forgotten," it said.
Sources
- BBC — source text fetched for this pass link