Kanye West to perform two concerts in Russia in October

Rapper Ye, also known as Kanye West, is scheduled to perform two concerts in St Petersburg in October, ERR reported. The shows are due to take place on October 10 and 11 at Gazprom Arena, making West the first major Western artist to perform in Russia since the country invaded Ukraine.

The concerts were announced on Monday and sold out by that evening, including the most expensive tickets, which cost about 1,600 euros. Standard tickets started at 90 euros.

West performed his first full-length concert in the United States in five years in April, after a series of antisemitic and pro-Nazi outbursts. His European tour did not go ahead despite an apology earlier this year for antisemitic and Hitler-related statements.

West had been scheduled to headline the Wireless festival in London but was barred from entering the United Kingdom. Concerts in France, Italy and Poland were also cancelled after negative public reaction. He did perform in the Netherlands, Turkey and Albania.

The planned Russian concerts have drawn criticism from opponents of Russia’s aggression in the West and raised questions among Russian conservatives who believe the country should reject the remaining elements of Western culture. State Duma member Vitaly Milonov said in a video address that Ye should perform traditional Russian songs and expressed hope that the rapper would stop his “rude behaviour and become a normal person,” according to The New York Times.

West visited Moscow in 2024 for fashion designer Gosha Rubchinskiy’s birthday.

Since February 2022, the country has also hosted the less prominent rappers DaBaby and Tyga, who performed in Moscow in 2025. Jason Derulo performed in Moscow this summer; his backing dancers include Estonian Laura Pakasaar.