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Kanye West’s latest gig has been blasted as ‘the worst’, with fans chanting for a refund before he even took to the stage.
The Gold Digger rapper is no stranger to controversy, having previously declared he ‘is a Nazi’ as well as numerous erratic rants online.
Ahead of the gig, Kanye, who goes by Ye, was sued by Lauren Pisciotta for assault, battery, sex trafficking and false imprisonment – which he has denied.
However, his own fans turned against him in Shanghai, angrily chanting for a ‘refund’ outside the stadium.
Ye, 48, was said to be around 40 minutes late on stage, prompting outrage from the awaiting crowd of 70,000 people.
The Saturday night show was the first gig the rapper had performed at in almost a year, with his last live performance also in China in September.
Timing is strictly monitored for Shanghai shows, with an abrupt cut-off should you start late, according to local fans on social media.
Not only was he delayed, but the rainy gig was plagued by technical issues, according to The Global Times.
The DJ had to restart several songs; meanwhile, the overall sound quality was not up to scratch, leading to complaints across social media.
‘So I’ve been a fan of Kanye West since I was a teen,’ said Fabian Lemuel on X, while sharing a clip of the performance. ‘MBDTF opened my ears to the sonics in music.
‘Was hard to get tix for him in Shanghai but got it. Was hyped af. Couldn’t even sleep night before. But. Worst concert I’ve ever been to. @kanyewest u can be better.’
DetroitShowtyme said Kanye ‘finally showed up 40 minutes late’ and added: ‘For those familiar with the strict rules in CHINA, this time WILL not be added back. They will cut his show precisely according to schedule 🎬.’
Videos of the crowd chanting ‘refund’ in English appeared on various social media platforms.
‘Shanghai consumers DO NOT PLAY,’ DetroitShowtyme continued. ‘Massive crowd was shouting REFUND after Ye was late 40 minutes to his concert.’
Others were praising the concert, with Gregor Estevan stating, ‘they can’t cancel the goat’.
Event promoter StellarAmberGroup posted a message on Sina Weibo, a platform similar to X, in which they apologised to fans.
‘For this long-awaited return after 17 years, Ye’s team insisted on prioritising artistic integrity,’ they wrote. ‘After emergency adjustments, the show was delayed to ensure the best possible experience and to minimise the disappointment for the audience.
‘We are deeply moved by the understanding and patience shown by many of the attendees and express our heartfelt gratitude. We also extend our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience caused and appreciate everyone’s attention and support.’
During the concert itself, Ye had a rare self-censor when he altered the lyrics of his antisemitic song Heil Hitler, which ends with a sample from a speech by Adolf Hitler in 1935 in the original German.
He sang ‘hallelujah’ instead of the offensive lyric, which has reportedly resulted in the Power rapper being banned from Australia.
Earlier this month, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke told ABC: ‘Once he released the Heil Hitler song, he no longer has a valid visa in Australia.
‘It wasn’t a visa for the purpose of concerts. It was a lower-level and the officials still looked at the law and said, you’re going to have a song and promote that sort of Nazism, we don’t need that in Australia.’
Ye’s wife Bianca Censori has family down under, so he had a ‘lower-level’ visa, which has now been revoked.
The Shanghai gig comes days after Rubicon Festival in Bratislava, Slovakia, was cancelled for announcing Ye as a headliner.
Artists were rapidly dropping out of the festival with fans signing a petition against the gig, calling his inclusion ‘an insult to historic memory, a glorification of wartime violence and debasement of all victims of the Nazi regime.’
Metro has reached out to Ye’s team for comment.
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