Russian stadium dispute clouds Kanye West’s planned St. Petersburg shows

A dispute has erupted over Kanye West’s planned October concerts in Russia after the venue set to host them said no rental deal was ever signed — a claim the promoter disputes, insisting the shows remain on.

St. Petersburg’s Gazprom Arena said in a Telegram statement Monday that it was “not and is not” the organizer of the two concerts, adding that the venue said it had never signed a rental agreement and that “the concert cannot take place at our venue.” The stadium had promoted the shows on social media just a week earlier, calling Mr. West one of the most influential musical artists of his time.

The Moscow-based promoter, Say Agency, pushed back on that account. Company chief executive Anna Subcheva told Russian outlet RBC that Mr. West had a signed contract for the two performances and had already received an advance payment, which the Moscow Times put at 1.5 billion rubles, or roughly $17.7 million. Ms. Subcheva said her agency had signed a proposed rental agreement on its own end and was seeking Gazprom Arena’s signature by Thursday.

The concerts, scheduled for Oct. 10 and 11, were expected to make Mr. West one of the most prominent Western performers to play in Russia since the country’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Tickets for the roughly 70,000-capacity venue sold out within hours of the announcement, with organizers saying more than 100,000 had been sold across both nights, according to Meduza.

The reversal has fueled speculation of behind-the-scenes political pressure. St. Petersburg outlet Fontanka reported that the shows had not received full government approval and were called off after a phone call “from above” in Moscow, a claim relayed by the Moscow Times. A separate government source told the outlet Rotonda that the concerts had not been cleared with senior officials. Gazprom Arena, for its part, has said the organizer began advertising and selling tickets without the documents necessary to hold the concert.

The booking had already drawn objections from some Russian politicians over Mr. West’s history of antisemitic remarks, including past praise for Adolf Hitler — comments that led numerous Western brands to sever ties with him beginning in 2022. Conservative lawmaker Vitaly Milonov suggested in a video statement that Mr. West should perform traditional Russian songs instead of his usual set, saying, “Maybe after this he’ll stop his disgusting antics and become a normal person,” as reported by NME.

Despite the uncertainty at Gazprom Arena, Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium signaled it would be open to hosting the shows if the St. Petersburg venue falls through.

Mr. West’s 2026 tour has faced cancellations across several European countries, with organizers repeatedly citing his history of antisemitic comments.