Kanye West’s highly anticipated concert in Shanghai on July 12, 2025, ended in widespread disappointment and chaos as thousands of fans demanded refunds following a troubled performance marked by delays, technical issues, and accusations of lip-syncing.
The event, held at Shanghai’s Pudong Football Stadium, drew a crowd of around 70,000, eager for West’s first live show in nearly a year and his return to China after 17 years. However, the rapper, who now legally goes by Ye, arrived on stage more than 40 minutes late, sparking immediate frustration among attendees.
The concert was further marred by poor production quality and technical difficulties, exacerbated by heavy rainfall at the open-roof stadium. Fans reported inconsistent sound quality, with the big screens flickering on and off and audio levels fluctuating throughout the show. These issues significantly detracted from the experience, with many expressing their dissatisfaction on social media. A viral video showed the crowd chanting for refunds, reflecting their anger over what was perceived as a poorly organized event.
Adding to the discontent were allegations that West lip-synced much of his performance. One fan, who had followed West since his teenage years, posted on X that the rapper’s microphone was active less than 20% of the time and that West disappeared from the stage for over 20 minutes during the encore, leaving tracks like “Wolves” to play without him. The fan lamented, “I could have just played your music at home man. Came to see u perform????”.
Event organizers, StellarAmberGroup, issued an apology on Sina Weibo, attributing the production failures to the heavy rain and explaining that some planned visual effects could not be executed. Despite the apology, the backlash was fierce, with many fans calling the concert the “worst” they had ever attended and demanding refunds for their tickets, which reportedly ranged from approximately $140 to $400.
This disappointing concert came amid growing legal troubles for West, including a recent lawsuit by his former assistant accusing him of sexual assault and other serious allegations, which his spokesperson has denied. The Shanghai concert was meant to mark a comeback for West’s career but instead highlighted ongoing challenges and controversies surrounding the artist.
A screenshot of Kareena Kapoor Khan's Instagram story where she is flaunting original Kolhapuri chappals.Instagram/@kareenakapoorkhan