In one of Kursiv.media’s latest articles about Ye’s (Kanye West) concert in Kazakhstan, scheduled for today, we wrote that «if it’s meant to be, he’ll perform in Almaty.» It turns out it wasn’t meant to be. The concert has been postponed to Aug. 15 at 9 p.m.
The announcement was made at Almaty Central Stadium in front of the assembled audience.
Power outage and bad weather
A few hours earlier, Almaty experienced a massive power outage, the likes of which had not occurred in the city in a long time, bringing parts of the city to a standstill. An accident at the Toktogul Hydroelectric Power Plant in neighboring Kyrgyzstan reportedly caused instability in the Central Asian power grid. Eight regions of Kazakhstan were left without power.
The situation was followed by strong winds and heavy rain in Almaty.
According to Mash, organizers were concerned that the rain could make the stage dome slippery, potentially posing a safety risk to Ye during the performance.
Ye’s first major concert in Kazakhstan
Ye’s performance in Almaty is set to be his first major concert in Kazakhstan. The show was originally scheduled for Aug. 14 as part of his YE TOUR 2026 world tour.
Organizers previously said the concert date had been changed during the presale phase. Due to logistical adjustments and changes to the order of cities on the tour, they had to quickly coordinate the Aug. 14 date.
Preparations at Central Stadium
Preparations for the performance at Almaty Central Stadium took several weeks. A large spherical structure — one of the elements of Ye’s show — was installed at the arena. Organizers also reported that more than 100 tons of technical equipment had been delivered to Almaty.
Interest in the concert was already high when presales began: half of the available tickets were sold on the first day.
At the time of the initial announcement, tickets were distributed through Freedom SuperApp and Ticketon. All tickets will remain valid for the rescheduled concert and are also available through Ticketon.
