Kanye West books first European concert in 11 years after antisemitism apology
Just weeks after issuing a public apology for years of antisemitism, Ye’s live music career appears to be getting back on track.
The divisive rapper, formerly known as Kanye West, is scheduled to perform his first European concert in over a decade.
The show, set for June 6 at Vitesse Arnhem’s GelreDome football stadium in the Netherlands, marks a significant comeback for Ye to the continent. Following that performance — two days before his 48th birthday — the “Jesus Walks” rapper will head to Italy to headline the new Hellwatt Festival in Reggio Emilia on July 18.
Ye’s last major European concert was in 2015, when he headlined the Glastonbury Festival, performing hits such as “Power,” “Stronger” and his controversial 2013 track “Black Skinhead.”
News of his upcoming show in the Netherlands comes roughly two weeks after Ye took out a full-page, open-letter ad in the Wall Street Journal apologizing for his string of pro-Hitler rants and embrace of Nazi symbols.
In the letter — addressed to “Those I’ve Hurt” — West attributed his behavior to untreated brain damage stemming from an injury he sustained in a 2002 car crash, which wasn’t properly diagnosed until 2023.
“At the time, the focus was on the visible damage — the [jaw] fracture, the swelling, and the immediate physical trauma,” Ye explained in his apology. “The deeper injury, the one inside my skull, went unnoticed.”
He claimed the brain injury was the cause of his bipolar disorder, which he’d rejected in the past but has since come to accept. He said he’s finally receiving treatment following “a four-month-long manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behavior that destroyed [his] life” in 2025.
Ye noted he was not seeking “sympathy or a free pass,” but aimed to earn public forgiveness. He also extended an apology to the Black community, acknowledging he had disappointed them.
“The Black community is, unquestionably, the foundation of who I am,” the White Lives Matter T-shirt designer wrote. “I am so sorry to have let you down. I love us.”