In August, dates for Kanye West’s tour in Russia were announced. The shows have now been officially cancelled.
However, the status of the concerts was uncertain for a while after the Gazprom Arena – the stadium in St. Petersburg where the concert was said to take place – denied agreeing to hold one.
Shocked, fans began seeking answers and brought up the tickets in droves.
Say Agency, the Moscow-based event organizer, previously assured them it was in talks with the authorities and arena officials to end the uncertainty.
However, now the same group said, “Friends, it is with sincere regret that we inform you that the YE concerts in St. Petersburg will not be able to take place on the scheduled dates.”
“We will issue an official statement regarding the status of the project and our future plans in the near future,” the organization said in a Telegram statement.
But Maria Zakharova revealed what led to the cancellations.
She is the spokesperson at the Russian Foreign Ministry and, in an interview with Soloviev Live, she said, Ye cannot perform in St. Petersburg or any other city in Russia due to his statements expressing support for Nazism.
The diplomat, referring to sieges of St. Petersburg and Leningrad, said, “How can someone who glorifies Hitler ride along the same streets where people walked these kilometers for water or crumbs of bread, or carried those who died of hunger on sleds?”
Not stopping there, Zakharova further took a dig at the West, saying, “How could something like this happen in any other city in our country? Would it have been better in Moscow?”
Russia’s decision to cancel echoes those of European countries; his concerts were axed, sometimes at the eleventh hour.
But Ye still performed in other countries, several in Europe, and received a rousing reception there.
