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US rapper Kanye West's two planned concerts in Russia have thrown the country into a heated debate after the shows were announced last week, only for the venue to pull out days later, leaving officials divided over whether the performances should go ahead.
West, who goes by the stage name "Ye," has been barred from several European countries over past antisemitic comments. He would be the biggest Western musician to headline in Russia since Moscow launched its Ukraine offensive in 2022, and some Russian officials have welcomed the shows as a way to dispel the notion that Russia is isolated over the war.
Others have raised concerns over his past comments glorifying Nazi Germany, a sensitive issue in Russia, and the original planned venue has since distanced itself from the concerts. It remains unclear whether the shows will take place.
Tickets for the two concerts, scheduled for Oct. 10 and 11 in Saint Petersburg, appeared on the website of Moscow-based events organizer Say Agency earlier this month.
The agency advertised the events as taking place at Saint Petersburg's Gazprom Arena, which also shared adverts for the concert on its Telegram account.
A week later, however, Gazprom Arena denied it would host the shows, saying it had not signed any contracts to lease the stadium for the event. The apparent cancellation caught organizers by surprise and prompted anger among social media users, some of whom had already bought tickets ranging from around $100 to almost $2,000.
The agency denied the concerts had been cancelled and said it was working on a solution. Over 100,000 tickets had already been sold, according to state media.
Saint Petersburg's Fontanka media outlet reported that the decision to pull the shows came from high up, citing sources who said the concert had not been approved by all necessary authorities and was "cancelled by a phone call from Moscow."
The RBK news outlet reported that debates over whether Ye should perform were taking place in the Kremlin, Russia's presidential administration.
West has voiced admiration for Adolf Hitler on multiple occasions, including declaring his "love" for the Nazis in a 2022 interview with Alex Jones. He apologized for past antisemitism in 2023 and later attributed his behavior to his bipolar disorder.
Russian lawmaker Vitaly Milonov accused the West of doing "vile, obscene things" but spoke out against banning him, while Ekaterina Mizulina, head of Russia's internet safety watchdog, called him an "admirer of Adolf Hitler," noting Saint Petersburg's history as a city that endured a devastating Nazi siege in World War II.
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Several other venues have offered to host the events, including Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium, Russia's largest by seat capacity, and a medieval-themed museum near the southern town of Anapa.
Concerts by Western stars have become rare in Russia since the Ukraine offensive began, though a few, including Jason Derulo and Flo Rida, have performed there. West has not yet commented, and Fontanka reported he may have already received a down payment worth millions of dollars for the planned dates.
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