Kanye West, now known asYe, is preparing for a major concert in Tbilisi, Georgia, in a performance that has already attracted intense attention due to reported ties to executives connected with Live Nation Israel.
The show, scheduled for 12 June at Dinamo Arena, the largest stadium in Georgia, marks one of the rapper's biggest international appearances in recent months. Reports indicate that all 70,000 tickets were sold within a single day of release.
The concert was first detailed byThe Rolling Stone, which reported that production figures associated with Live Nation Israel were involved in organising the event.
However, Live Nation later clarified that the concert itself is not officially being produced by the company. A spokesperson told media outlets that the event is instead being handled by Blue Stone Productions, a company founded by Israeli promoter Guy Beser.
The Tbilisi performance is part ofStarring Georgia' a programme partly supported by the Georgian government to attract internationally recognised artists to the country. The initiative aims to expand Georgia's profile as a destination for large-scale entertainment events.
Social media posts from Beser and members of the production team suggested preparations for the concert were already underway in Tbilisi ahead of the June event. Reports also noted that Live Nation Israel has internally used the nameLive Nation Central Asiawhile working on entertainment projects across countries including Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Live Nation Central Asiawas responsible for hosting major international acts, including Justin Timberlake in Azerbaijan and Guns N' Roses in Georgia, in 2025.
The announcement has generated discussion online because of Ye's history of antisemitic remarks and public controversies in recent years. Several European appearances linked to the rapper have faced backlash, while some events were reportedly cancelled or blocked following criticism from political figures and advocacy organisations, according toEl Pais.
The connection between Kanye andIsraeli-linked production figureshas become a major talking point online due to his previous comments about Jewish communities. Media coverage described the collaboration as unexpected given the backlash that followed many of his earlier public statements.
A representative for Live Nation denied direct involvement in producing the concert, distancing the company from reports that initially described the event as a Live Nation Israel production. TMZ separately reported that the Blue Stone Productions was responsible for organising the performance.
Source: International Business Times UK