U.S. rapper Kanye West, also known as Ye, performed before a crowd of 118,000 people at Istanbul’s Ataturk Olympic Stadium on Saturday, marking his first appearance in Europe since 2014 and his first-ever concert in Türkiye.
The performance came despite a series of cancellations and restrictions in several European countries linked to his past antisemitic remarks and other controversies.
According to state-run Anadolu Agency, fans traveled from across Türkiye as well as Britain, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Russia, Poland and countries across the Middle East to attend the event.
The nearly two-hour concert was one of the largest music events of the year in Türkiye, with the stadium reaching full capacity hours before the show began.
West opened the performance with “Father” and concluded with “Stronger,” performing a selection of songs from across his career, including “Runaway,” “Power,” “Flashing Lights,” “Heartless,” “Black Skinhead,” and “Homecoming.”
The artist performed atop a giant spherical stage positioned at the center of the venue.
The structure was transformed into a globe through projection technology and accompanied by extensive lighting displays, smoke effects and synchronized visuals.
Thousands of spectators illuminated the stadium with cellphone flashlights, creating a sea of lights across the venue.
The concert was also streamed live on West’s official YouTube channel and attracted millions of viewers within minutes.
The Istanbul concert took place amid continued scrutiny of West following years of antisemitic statements and the release of content featuring Nazi imagery.
In April, Britain denied him entry, leading to the cancellation of a planned appearance at London’s Wireless Festival.
Later that month, he postponed a show in Marseille after reports that French authorities sought to block it, while a planned concert in Poland was also cancelled.
West is scheduled to perform in the Netherlands on June 6 and 8.
In January, he published a full-page advertisement in The Wall Street Journal renouncing his past admiration for Adolf Hitler and apologizing for his behavior, attributing it to an undiagnosed brain injury and untreated bipolar disorder.