Kanye West is set to bring his ongoing comeback tour to Russia with a pair of concerts in St. Petersburg this fall.
The rapper and producer will perform at the 70,000-capacity Gazprom Arena on October 10th and 11th, according to an announcement from the venue. Tickets for both shows are now available to purchas, with prices currently ranging from 15,000 ₽ ($176) to 225,000 ₽ ($2,650).
The announcement is already drawing pushback within the country. Lawmaker Nikolay Novichkov has said that foreign artists who wish to perform in Russia must first publicly express support for its war against Ukraine.
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“They want to make money,” Novichkov told Ostorozhno Novosti. “If they want to make money, they need to understand that the country is in a special military operation and needs moral support from cultural figures, provided they view themselves as such. Therefore, if that doesn’t happen, I will raise the issue of cancelling the concerts.”
The lawmaker also said he would initiate a review of Ye’s past statements praising Adolf Hitler to determine whether they could warrant prosecution.
The booking extends a resurgence for Ye following a lengthy break from the live circuit. After returning to the stage earlier this year with two sold-out concerts in Los Angeles, he reportedly drew an audience of 118,000 in Turkey before playing two nights in the Netherlands and then another in Georgia. He has since performed in Tampa and San Antonio in the United States and continued his international run with shows in Albania, Spain, Portugal and, most recently, Kazakhstan.
The tour has also been littered with called-off dates, including his planned debut in India that was scrapped because of security concerns. Shows scheduled for the UK, France, Poland, Switzerland, Italy and Brazil were also canceled or postponed amid varying government and venue objections, many stemming from backlash over Ye’s conduct over the past few years.
The Chicago native made a series of antisemitic remarks in 2022 that ultimately escalated into years of controversial behavior, from selling a swastika T-shirt to releasing a song titled “Heil Hitler.” In January, he took out a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal apologizing for his behavior and wrote, “I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. I love Jewish people.”
Kanye West 2026 Tour Dates:
08/28 – New Orleans, LA @ Caesars Superdome
09/03 – Chicago, IL @ Soldier Field
09/04 – Chicago, IL @ Soldier Field
10/10 – St. Petersburg, Russia @ Gazprom Arena
10/11 – St. Petersburg, Russia @ Gazprom Arena
10/24 – Jakarta, Indonesia @ Gelora Bung Karno Stadium