Photo Credit: Evg Klimov
Kanye will perform two shows in Russia in October, becoming the biggest act to play the country in four years since the start of the Ukraine war.
Ye, the controversial rapper formerly known as Kanye West, is scheduled to perform two shows in St. Petersburg, Russia, this October. Doing so will make him the most well-known Western act to play in Russia since the country’s invasion of Ukraine four years ago.
The rapper will perform on October 10 and 11 at St. Petersburg’s Gazprom Arena. Russian fans immediately rushed to secure tickets after the shows were announced on Monday, nearly all of which were sold out within hours. The most expensive of these cost around $1,850, while the cheapest were priced at about $105.
Ye has been rumored to be planning a performance in Russia for more than two years. Speculation ramped up after he traveled to Moscow to attend the birthday celebrations of Russian fashion designer Gosha Rubchinskiy, with whom the hitmaker has collaborated many times.
West has generated heaps of controversy over the last few years with his antisemitic tirades as well as his embrace of Nazi imagery, culminating with his releasing a song titled “Heil Hitler” and selling swastika t-shirts.
His behavior has led to numerous countries—as well as venues throughout the United States—being unwilling to host his tour despite his efforts to launder his image. That includes his taking out a full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal to issue an apology for his behavior, which he largely blamed on his struggles with his mental health.
However, that apology did little to convince potential tour hosts of his sincerity. Ye has faced resistance to his planned concerts in the UK and several European countries, including France, Italy, and the Czech Republic. Elsewhere, critics continue to call for him to be barred from performing in cities across North America and abroad.
That said, he’s been able to find a receptive audience in other countries, including a record-setting concert in Istanbul, Turkey, that drew 118,000 fans. Another in Tbilisi, Georgia, saw an audience of 70,000. Earlier this month, he performed to a sold-out crowd of over 30,000 in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
But his performances in Russia are undoubtedly going to generate push back within the country. Not only have Russian activists worked hard to sever ties with Western cultural influence, but expressions of support for Nazism in the country can lead to lengthy prison sentences.
Indeed, Russian politician Nikolay Novichkov has already called for an investigation into West’s past remarks in favor of Hitler and Nazi ideology. Novichkov also told Russian outlet Ostorozhno Novosti that West’s concerts should be cancelled unless the rapper publicly expresses “moral support for Russia and the special military operation.”
Perhaps a more pressing issue than whether West will be permitted to perform in Russia is whether he will be allowed to leave the country and return to the United States afterward—and whether the U.S. will come to his aid if he cannot.
But despite Russia being an especially risky place for an American to travel at present, a few Western artists have performed there recently. These have included Flo Rida, Jason Derulo, and Lil Pump.
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