How Ye Ended Up Working With an Israeli Concert Crew
Rolling Stone • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Ye (formerly Kanye West) is set to perform in Tbilisi, Georgia on June 12, in a concert produced by Live Nation Israel, despite his history of antisemitic remarks and concert cancellations in Europe.
- The concert is part of Starring Georgia, a government-supported initiative to bring major international artists to the country, and the 70,000 tickets sold out within a day.
- Live Nation Israel has rebranded as Live Nation Central Asia, shifting operations to regional markets like Georgia and Azerbaijan due to the decline of international concerts in Israel amid ongoing conflict.
- The decision to work with Ye, given his antisemitic and Nazi-sympathizing actions, has sparked controversy, especially since an Israeli company is involved; some industry figures question the balance between business interests and moral accountability.
- Despite reports of potential future concerts by Ye in Israel, insiders doubt this will happen soon due to his effective ban from major touring markets like the UK and France over hate speech concerns.