The concert of American rapper Kanye West (Ye), originally scheduled for the evening of August 14 at the Central Stadium in Almaty, has been postponed to August 15. The announcement was made directly at the stadium in front of the gathered audience and confirmed by Kazakh blogger and businessman Beibit Alibekov. Organizers apologized and cited safety concerns as the reason, according to infohub.kz.
"We apologize, but we are forced to postpone tonight's show to tomorrow at the same time. All your tickets will be valid via the same links, and they are also available on Ticketon. We ask for your understanding, as safety comes first," the announcement at the stadium said.
According to Mash, the postponement was due to weather conditions: organizers fear that rain could make the stage dome slippery, posing risks for the artist during the performance. The new concert time is 9:00 PM on August 15.
Earlier in the day, the concert's fate was uncertain due to a massive power outage in Almaty, which affected the Bostandyk district where the stadium is located. Power supply was later restored in the city.
Reporters from Kursiv near the stadium report that the gathered fans are upset by the postponement: most had arrived at the venue by the scheduled start time.
Ye's performance in Almaty is expected to be his first major concert in Kazakhstan. Initially, the show was set for August 14 as part of the YE TOUR 2026 world tour. Organizers previously said that the date had already been changed during preparation: due to adjustments in logistics and the order of cities on the tour, they had to quickly coordinate the concert for August 14.
Preparations for the Central Stadium performance took several weeks: a large spherical structure, one of the elements of Ye's show, was installed at the arena. Organizers also reported delivering over 100 tons of technical equipment to Almaty.
Interest in the concert was high from the start of sales: half of the available tickets were sold on the first day of presale. At the time of the initial announcement, tickets were distributed through Freedom SuperApp and Ticketon.