Thanks to his recent flirtation with Nazism and a string of other outrageous behavior, Kanye West isn’t welcome in many places these days. Last year, he publicly complained about being blackballed by US venues, and he’s reportedly faced similar challenges abroad — a music festival in Slovakia recently canceled his appearance after thousands signed a petition demanding his removal. In fact, since 2023, the only countries where West has managed to stage live events are South Korea and China.
On Saturday, he returned to China for what was billed as his first full-length concert in nearly a year. But according to local media reports, many attendees at the 70,000-capacity Shanghai Stadium were left confused and frustrated by West’s antics. Per The Global Times, West took the stage more than 40 minutes late—a delay that likely didn’t sit well with many attendees, as punctuality is especially important in Chinese culture and late starts are often viewed as a sign of disrespect. The stage design featured minimal production and lighting, with the rapper performing alone in the middle of a giant oval. It was also raining at the time, which impacted the sound quality at the outdoor venue.
As the night went on, West appeared to experience issues with the DJ, causing him to skip and restart several songs. He repeatedly walked on and off the stage, eventually disappearing altogether near the end of the show—leaving only the backing track to play in his absence. On the plus side, he did appear to self-censor his most anti-Semitic lyrics.
Related Video
Some fans in attendance — who paid upwards of $400USD for tickets — eventually tired of West’s antics and began chanting for a refund. The show also became a trending topic on Chinese social media, with one user saying they had “never seen such a poorly organized concert.”
Shanghai consumers DO NOT PLAY.
Massive crowd was shouting REFUND after Ye was late 40 minutes to his concert. https://t.co/vK75CurL0O pic.twitter.com/7ZFt3ynuv2
— 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐖𝐓𝐘𝐌𝐄 🇨🇳🇺🇸⚜️ (@DetroitShowtyme) July 12, 2025
Ye, Kanye West performed “Flashing Lights” in Shanghai, China yesterday🔥 pic.twitter.com/IK8gitp9er
— Gregor Estevan (@gregor_estevan) July 13, 2025
