After weeks of having shows postponed and cancelled, Kanye West has scheduled a big concert in Albania. To pull it off, the country is building Ye his own stadium, but there’s obviously a catch: it’s only temporary.
The concert takes place on July 11 in Tirana, Albania, at Eagle Stadium. The venue is home to the Albanian national football team, and has a capacity of 22,500. Officials are obviously expecting more attendees than that. Kurrco reports that they are building a temporary stadium that will allow the show to host around 60,000 fans.
In a statement, Albania’s Ministry of Culture said, “In every aspect, it is our obligation to welcome and facilitate the development of such events that bring numerous benefits to tourism and the economy,” per Balkan Insight. The departed added that Ye’s concert “will have an extraordinary impact on the promotion of tourism and the local economy.”
The news of Ye’s Albania concert comes after his inclusion in London’s Wireless Festival got the entire thing shut down. Ye was announced as the headliner for the 2026 hip-hop music fest, but this was quickly met with criticism due to Ye’s past racist behavior and antisemitic comments.
A spokesperson for London Mayor Sadiq Khan vehemently opposed the announcement, in a statement shared by The Guardian. “We are clear that the past comments and actions of this artist are offensive and wrong, and are simply not reflective of London’s values,” the spokesperson said. “This was a decision taken by the festival organizers and not one that City Hall is involved in.”
A Jewish Leadership Council spokesperson also commented on Ye’s headline concert
In a separate statement, a spokesperson for London’s Jewish Leadership Council also condemned West’s inclusion in Wireless Fest. “It is deeply irresponsible for Wireless Festival to be headlining Kanye West,” they offered. “UK Jewish community is facing record levels of antisemitism, including a terrorist attack in Manchester, the attack on ambulances in Golders Green, and foiled plots which would have killed many more.”
“West has repeatedly used his platform to spread antisemitism and pro-Nazi messaging,” the statement continued. “His most recent apology must be considered in the context that he went on to sell swastika T-shirts and release a song called ‘Heil Hitler’ after apologising previously. Any venue or festival should reconsider before providing their platform to Kanye West to spread his antisemitism.”
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