Ye’s cancelled St Petersburg shows were set for 10 and 11 October

Ye’s two planned concerts at St Petersburg’s Gazprom Arena will not go ahead on 10 and 11 October, organiser Say Agency has said. The Moscow-based agency confirmed the cancellation in a Telegram statement reported by BBC Newsbeat. [1]

The shows had been in doubt since August, when Gazprom Arena said it had not signed a rental agreement with the promoters and could not host them. Say Agency subsequently said it was working to resolve the issue. [1]

The stadium also said it had received complaints about the planned performances. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova criticised the concerts, citing Ye’s glorification of Hitler. [1]

Say Agency said it would explain the project’s status and its plans in a further statement. It has not announced replacement dates. Ye had not publicly commented on the cancellation when BBC Newsbeat reported it on 1 October. [1]

Update

The concerts had been described as sold out, Nieuws.nl reported. The publication also said Gazprom Arena had stated in August that it had not signed a rental agreement for the shows. The reason for the cancellation remains unclear. [2]