Despite being one of the biggest artists in the world, Kanye West has largely avoided formally performing in Europe. Sure, he’s had listening parties in Italy for his Vultures albums with Ty Dolla $ign. However, Ye hasn’t done a proper concert since 2014. Now, he’s hitting the stage again. Recently, it was announced that Kanye is set to headline the Hellwatt Festival, taking place across three weekends. The show takes place from July 4th to the 18th, where Ye will make his grand return.
Moreover, the event takes place at the RCF Arena in Reggio Emilia, Italy, one of the biggest venues in the world. The venue accommodates up to 103,000 people, marking a massive milestone for Kanye West. It has the potential to be the largest show in his career if the festival sells out. For ravenous fans, tickets go up on early bird presale on December 22nd at 10:00 am CET with Ticketmaster.
Kanye West Slated To Perform for the Biggest Audience of His Career
Ye has been hard at work attempting to repair his image by going overseas. This has worked to varying effects. On a positive note, Japan absolutely went nuts when he showed up at a Travis Scott show back in November. Initially, the appearance seemed a little awkward, standing around as “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” played and likely soaking in the adulation. Then, Kanye West performed “Through The Wire” and he cracked a smile. People felt like that old Kanye they know and love might still be in there somewhere.
However, Brazil wasn’t nearly as charitable. Reports stated that the State Public Prosecutor’s Office in São Paulo would be on standby for Ye’s comeback in late November. “If he sings a song or makes any kind of apology for Nazism,” officials had the authority to arrest him. Ultimately, this was all an elaborate effort to ensure he didn’t perform his wildly controversial “Heil Hitler”.
This all goes hand in hand with Kanye West going through something of an apology tour for his antisemitic comments over the years. During a meeting with of prominent Rabbi Yoshiayao Yosef Pinto, he wished to make amends with the Jewish community. In the end, he took accountability for his words and placed a lot of blame on his bipolar disorder.
“I feel really blessed to be able to sit here with you today and just take accountability,” Kanye West said. “I was dealing with some various issues, dealing with bipolar also. So it would take the ideas I had and have me take them to the extreme where I would forget about the protection of the people around me and/or myself.”
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