Canceled in Saint Petersburg

“Explicit anti-Semitism in the propaganda of Trumpism and the MAGA movement.” Rapper Ye, formerly Kanye West, visits President Trump in the Oval Office, October 2018

The Gazprom Arena in Saint Petersburg, one of the largest halls in Russia with 68,134 seats, is almost sold out. Or rather, it was almost sold out, because as things stand, the two concerts by rapper Ye, as Kanye West has called himself since 2018, that were announced for October 10th and 11th will not take place. The ticket prices, which were very high by Russian standards, were between the equivalent of 90 and 1,500 euros; fans are now worried about whether they will get their money back.

Pro-government media initially praised the rap star's visit as a breakthrough against Russia's international isolation and a sign of growing recognition abroad. The “Western cancel culture,” which is directed against both Russia and the rapper, should be countered.

Media and politicians began to scandalize West's desire to perform in the city that once withstood the Nazi hunger blockade.

Kanye West apologized in January - before the start of his first tour in ten years - for his Hitler worship and open anti-Semitism in recent years, attributing them to various psychological problems. But that hasn't helped his return to big show business: his tour is going slowly, concerts are repeatedly canceled, and Great Britain even refused him entry in April. Nevertheless, he still has a worldwide fan base. In the USA, West filled several arenas, in Georgia he recently gave the largest concert in the country's history, and in Istanbul almost 120,000 people cheered him on. The concerts in Russia would not only have benefited West's comeback, they would also have been a PR win for internationally sanctioned Russia.

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