Russian Stadium Refuses to Stage Kanye West Concerts
The venue said no rental agreement was signed, while promoter Say Agency said the 2 sold-out shows remain scheduled and contracts are pending.
- Gazprom Arena announced on Monday that rapper Kanye West's planned Petersburg performances will not take place, claiming it never signed rental agreements despite previously promoting the shows.
- According to Fontanka, the cancellation followed a call 'from above' in Moscow; organizers also failed to secure mandatory approvals from the Petersburg Culture Committee for gatherings exceeding 300 people.
- Anna Subcheva, CEO of Moscow-based Say Agency, insists the concerts remain scheduled, stating, 'Everything will definitely take place,' and claims Gazprom Arena sent an agreement requiring signature by August 27th.
- Separately, Russian Telegram channel VChK-OGPU reported that businessmen Mikhail and Yuri Kovalchuk, associates of Vladimir Putin, moved to prevent the performance, while sources claimed filmmaker Nikita Mikhalkov opposed the Grammy-winning artist's Petersburg appearance.
- Since the invasion of Ukraine, West was on track to become the first top Western musician to perform in Russia, following large-scale appearances attended by 118,000 people in Istanbul and 70,000 in Tbilisi.
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The controversial rapper is set to play two concerts in St. Petersburg this fall, but the announcement has met with widespread criticism from politicians and commentators in Russia.
Russian Stadium Pulls Plug on Ye Venue Deal BUT Promoter Says Shows Aren’t Canceled!
Kanye West’s planned October concerts in Russia have hit a major roadblock after Gazprom Arena announced the rapper will not perform at the St. Petersburg stadium, despite the shows previously selling out. The venue said it never signed a rental agreement for the Oct. 10 and 11 concerts, which had been promoted as Ye’s biggest Russian appearances and a rare visit by a major Western artist since the war in Ukraine began. “Gazprom Arena has not si…
Tickets for the concerts announced for October last week sold out immediately.
leprogres.fr
The Gazprom Arena, where the American rapper was scheduled to perform for two dates in October, was already full with more than 100,000 tickets sold.
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