Kanye West to perform first European concert in more than a decade
By Casey Cooper-Fiske, Press Association Senior Entertainment Reporter
The rapper formerly known as Kanye West, Ye, is to perform what organisers claim is his first European concert in more than a decade, after he apologised for previous comments about Nazis.
Ye, 48, will perform at Vitesse Arnhem’s Gelredome football stadium in the Dutch city on June 6th, followed by a show in Reggio Emilia, Italy, on July 18th.
The rapper headlined Glastonbury Festival in 2015, during which he performed fan favourites such as Power, Stronger and Black Skinhead – which had to be stopped because of a stage invader – and a shortened cover of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody.
Ye also joined his Sunday Service Collective choir in Paris in 2020 as part of the city’s fashion week.
Ye took out an advert in US newspaper The Wall Street Journal to apologise for a number of statements about Nazis, Adolf Hitler and Jews, in which he said he was not asking for “sympathy or a free pass” and wanted to earn forgiveness from the public.
He also apologised to the black community, saying he had let them down, and added that a car crash 25 years ago led to him being diagnosed as bipolar.
He said: “In that fractured state (of his bipolar diagnosis), I gravitated toward the most destructive symbol I could find, the swastika, and even sold T-shirts bearing it.
“One of the difficult aspects of having bipolar type-1 are the disconnected moments, many of which I still cannot recall, that lead to poor judgment and reckless behaviour that (often) feels like an out-of-body experience.
“I regret and am deeply mortified by my actions in that state, and am committed to accountability, treatment, and meaningful change. It does not excuse what I did, though. I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. I love Jewish people.
“To the black community, which held me down through all of the highs and lows and the darkest of times. The black community is, unquestionably, the foundation of who I am. I am so sorry to have let you down. I love us.
“In early 2025, I fell into a four-month long manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behaviour that destroyed my life. As the situation became increasingly unsustainable, there were times I didn’t want to be here any more.”
In May last year, Ye released a single titled Heil Hitler, and he was criticised for posting tweets of an antisemitic nature and describing slavery as “a choice”.
Adidas, which produced his Yeezy trainers, severed its ties with the Power rapper in 2022, and donated more than 150 million dollars (€126 million) to anti-hate groups.
Ye is best known for songs including Black Skinhead, Gold Digger and Stronger.
Pre-registration for the presale for Ye’s European return is available from Tuesday through the official channels of GelreDome and organiser J.Noah.
The presale will begin on February 12th at 9am, followed by the general sale on February 13th at 9am.
A spokesperson for the Gelredome said: “We look forward to welcoming Ye to GelreDome. This is an event of international scale and a special moment for Dutch audiences, we expect significant demand.”
