Kaylah Walton
Kanye West’s much-anticipated comeback performance in Shanghai on Sunday evening turned out to be a disaster, leaving many fans demanding refunds after a performance they deemed chaotic and unsatisfactory.
This concert, held at Shanghai’s Dongxihu Stadium, was supposed to mark West’s first full live appearance in almost a year, yet it devolved into a night of discontent, delays, and complaints about poor management.
Everything that could go wrong, did
Attendees waited over 40 minutes past the scheduled start time before West, who now goes by Ye, finally appeared. Unfortunately, technical difficulties immediately marred the performance.
According to concert-goers and various videos circulated on social media, the large screens flickered on and off, and the sound quality fluctuated throughout the show. The production team later attributed these issues to the ongoing heavy rain.
Adding to the frustration, there were accusations of lip-syncing. Several clips online indicated West’s vocals continued playing even while he turned away from the microphone. An annoyed fan commented on Weibo, China’s leading social media platform, “Was he even performing? We braved the rain for this?”
Things deteriorated further towards the end when West exited the stage during the final song and remained absent for about 20 minutes. He eventually returned briefly to bow silently before departing for good. Fans reported that he performed only a handful of songs from the line-up advertised.
Kanye West faces crowd outrage
As the main lights illuminated the venue, the audience erupted in anger. Chants of “Refund! Refund!” resonated in both English and Mandarin throughout the space. Social media footage showed frustrated fans throwing water bottles and shouting as they left.
“This was the worst concert I’ve ever attended,” one attendee told local news. “I traveled from another province just to see him. I want a refund.”
Event organizers respond
The managing group, Galaxy Wave Entertainment, issued an apology early Monday, attributing the technical issues to adverse weather and stated that they would explore possible compensation, including partial refunds. No timeline for this was provided, and Kanye West or his representatives have yet to comment.
This incident comes at a challenging time for West, as he was just named in a court case by a former assistant, who has accused him of sexual battery and false imprisonment, charges which he and his team have firmly denied.
West is scheduled to perform again in Shanghai on Tuesday night, though confidence in the next show’s success is low. Ticket resale sites are already inundated with listings, with many sellers trying to offload tickets quickly at reduced prices.
While Kanye West’s reputation as a performer is undeniable, his Shanghai debacle demonstrates the difficulties of making a successful comeback, especially when reality falls short of expectations.
Whether Tuesday’s concert will redeem Sunday’s failure remains to be seen.
