What was meant to be a triumphant return to the stage for Kanye West quickly turned into a chaotic disaster on Sunday night, leaving fans furious and calling for refunds after a deeply disappointing performance in Shanghai.
Billed as West’s first full concert in nearly a year, the highly anticipated show at Dongxihu Stadium drew thousands of excited concertgoers ready to witness the artist’s comeback. However, the evening unraveled almost as soon as it began, plagued by delays, technical glitches, and widespread complaints about the event’s poor organisation.
Fans were left standing in the rain for more than 40 minutes past the scheduled start time before West—who now goes by Ye—finally appeared. But his entrance did little to ease the growing tension.
From the moment West took the stage, a string of technical issues dominated the performance. According to dozens of videos circulating on social media, the stadium’s giant screens flickered erratically, and the sound cut in and out, making it nearly impossible for many attendees to hear the performance properly.
Organisers later attributed the problems to heavy rainfall earlier in the evening, but fans were unconvinced. The frustration only deepened as accusations of lip-syncing began to surface. Multiple clips shared online appeared to show West’s vocals playing while he looked away from the microphone.
“Was he even singing?” one dismayed user wrote on Weibo, China’s leading social media platform. “We waited in the rain for this?” Adding to the chaos, West abruptly left the stage near the end of the show, midway through what was expected to be one of his closing songs.
He was gone for 20 minutes, only to return briefly, offer a silent bow, and exit for good without explanation. Many in the crowd were left stunned and angry. Reports from attendees state that West performed only a small portion of the songs promised in promotional materials.
As stadium lights came on, signaling the end of the concert, the atmosphere turned hostile. Chants of “Refund! Refund!” erupted in both English and Mandarin. Some fans were seen throwing water bottles and shouting as they left the venue.
“This was the worst concert I’ve ever been to,” a tearful fan told local reporters. “I flew from another province just to see him. I want my money back.” Galaxy Wave Entertainment, the company behind the event, issued an apology Monday morning, blaming “weather-linked tech problems” and promising to “look into pay-back ways, maybe part refunds.”
No concrete timeline was offered, and as of now, neither Kanye West nor his team has commented on the incident. West is still scheduled to perform again in Shanghai on Tuesday night.