Where is Ye: Kanye West has removed concerts in Russia from his tour schedule
The situation around Kanye West's tour has taken a new turn — two October shows in St. Petersburg have disappeared from the tour program on the artist's official website. The rapper planned to perform at "Gazprom Arena". The organizers ask you to be patient. Some viewers, tired of the uncertainty, have already appealed to the court to refund the money for the tickets. Meanwhile, speculation is growing about the likelihood of moving the concert to another venue or even to another city, and this may threaten the organizers with additional financial costs, experts say.
Will Kanye West perform in Russia
Despite the fact that Kanye West's St. Petersburg concerts, which were scheduled to take place at "Gazprom Arena" on October 10 and 11, have been in a zone of uncertainty for about a month, until today they were in the program of the concert tour of the rapper, and the agency Say Agency insisted that the event is valid.
""We are doing everything to ensure that the shows go according to plan — on October 10 and 11 at the Gazprom Arena," the Say Agency told Izvestia on September 14."
However, on September 18, Ye's concert announcements in Russia disappeared from his website. Shows in Jakarta, Houston, Dallas and Phoenix are still on the schedule. The organizer of the Russian performances explained this with a wave of hate and chaos directed not only at the agency, but also at the artist.
— There's just something that we can't physically solve faster. Unfortunately, we really want to, but we can't. When everything is completed, everything will appear everywhere, and the artist will return everything too. Therefore, we all need to be patient," the company said.
However, it is becoming increasingly difficult for some viewers who have bought tickets to remain patient. The concert is less than a month away. Many people planned to come to St. Petersburg from other cities.
— I'm from Moscow. I was going to get there by car, I have already booked accommodation. A ticket to the dance floor cost 25 thousand rubles, plus a commission of 2.5 thousand rubles. Today I decided to check the possibility of a refund, and the message came out: "Refund is not available now." I am waiting for the official confirmation of the cancellation of the concert from the organizer and will try again," Alexey Karpov, one of the spectators, shared with "Izvestia".
The message also recommends contacting the event organizer. In addition, it says that tickets purchased as part of the promotion are non-refundable and cannot be exchanged.
— I would recommend recording the ticket operator's refusal to refund. Next, make a written claim. In addition to the provisions of the law on consumer protection, it refers to circumstances known from public sources. Let me remind you that there was a warning from the regulator to the organizers. In addition, it is known that the concert announcement has disappeared from the artist's website. The combination of these circumstances suggests that the event is highly unlikely to take place. ""The consumer can demand a refund and indicate that if the requirements are not met, he will seek compensation for moral damage and a fine for failure to comply with the requirements in a pre—trial manner," explained Evgeny Rozenblat, partner, Head of the Complex Litigation Practice at Aronov & Partners International Law Firm, Izvestia."
Some have already gone that way. The first claim against Say Agency was accepted by the Central District Court of Voronezh. As explained by Alexey Sadovnikov, the plaintiff's lawyer, in an interview with "Izvestia", his client applied to the organizer for a refund twice, but was refused. He paid 145,200 rubles for four tickets.
The second claim against Say Agency was registered in Moscow at the Sokolniki judicial district. The reason was the agency's refusal to refund the money for the tickets for the promotion. We are talking about 46 thousand rubles. Now the buyer is demanding not only this amount, but also compensation for moral damage and the award of a fine to "Say Agencie" LLC.
"Claims for damages may be made to the Organizer"
The position of the stadium where Kanye West was announced remains adamant. ""On September 4, they reported that "there are no concerts by foreign performers in the calendar of events for October 2026 at the Gazprom Arena." On September 9, a member of the rapper's team told "Izvestia" about the likelihood of the concert being postponed to Moscow. In theory, this situation may result in additional financial costs for the organizer.
— If the concert is postponed through no fault of the artist, the legal risks are primarily borne by the party responsible for holding the event and fulfilling contractual obligations. Depending on the circumstances, she may be charged with damages, penalties, and in some cases fines directly stipulated in the contract," Igor Trunov, President of the Russian Bar Association, Doctor of Law, told "Izvestia".
At the same time, the lawyer noted, from a legislative point of view, the transfer of the concert to another city does not in itself mean an automatic fine for the organizer. It all depends on the specific contract.
"In international contracts with artists, such provisions can be particularly significant: it can be not only about the refund of the already paid fee or compensation for additional expenses of the artist and his team, but also about contractual penalties for disrupting an agreed performance," added Trunov.
It is possible that when the show is moved to Moscow, you will have to answer not only to the artist, but also to the audience. Even if the concert does take place on the specified date, due to the change of venue, it will be possible to request a refund of the ticket price.
And in case of cancellation of the event, the artist may not return the prepayment, experts say.
— Usually 50% of the fee is paid before the start of sales, and the remaining amount is transferred later. Most likely, the contractor will not refund the money. But for such cases, appropriate risks are provided," Evgeny Finkelstein, head of the PMI production corporation, told "Izvestia".
This story still raises more questions than it answers. Meanwhile, the provocative rapper's first announced concert is only three weeks away.
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