Kanye West to Perform 2 Shows in Russia’s St. Petersburg This October
US musician Kanye West announced two upcoming concerts in Russia’s St. Petersburg slated for October 2026 on Tuesday.
West’s planned concerts in Russia mark the highest-profile US entertainer to perform in the country since its 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
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The BBC reported that the concert is scheduled to take place at the city’s 70,000-capacity Gazprom Arena, with tickets ranging from 9,000 rubles ($106) to 160,000 rubles ($1,880).
The outlet said tickets sold out within hours, while a local travel agency told Russian state media RIA Novosti that train ticket bookings to St. Petersburg spiked 41-fold after the announcement, with hotel searches registering a 16-fold spike.
Russian producer Iosif Prigozhin told the outlet that West’s fee likely cost upwards of $20 million.
“He has a hefty contract – $20 million. My friends offered him various financial terms, but he wouldn’t agree. I’m in the industry, after all. The fee for each concert is approximately $10 million, but certainly no less,” Prigozhin said.
Prigozhin added that West’s concerts will likely bring in “more than 50,000 foreign tourists” to boost Russia’s tourism revenue and help rehabilitate Russia’s image.
“If West comes to Russia, a huge number of tourists will follow him; more than 50,000 foreign tourists will come to St. Petersburg and see a normal human atmosphere,” he said.
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“Kanye West is, in a sense, making a challenge, and it’s not just about money. Because during these difficult times, many foreign artists are being banned from coming and performing in our country. Not us, but them,” he added.
West’s rise to fame began as a rapper, but he has since branched out into other fields, such as fashion and business, through his Yeezy brand.
West is also known for his controversial remarks, including praise for Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and other anti-semitism remarks. He has since publicly apologized for the antics and blamed his alleged bipolar disorder.
West visited Moscow for a day in 2024, which Russian ultraconservatives lambasted at the time. An Orthodox fundamentalist group also filed a complaint to Russian authorities regarding a song written by West with the lyrics, “She want me to put some of this coke in her butt, ugh. She Russian, I beat up the p***y for Ukraine.”
West’s upcoming concerts follow a similar thaw from international bodies on earlier restrictions imposed on Russian participation in international events following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
In July, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) permitted Russian athletes to compete under their national flag in the upcoming 2028 Olympics, lifting a ban in place since the 2022 invasion.
Similarly, the World Archery Federation announced a similar decision in August, citing the IOC’s decision.
Meanwhile, Russia’s war in Ukraine has continued unabated, with one of the latest Russian missile attacks at the time of publication killing 10 in eastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv.