Kanye West’s Shanghai concert descended into complete disaster when the rapper arrived more than 40 minutes late, triggering a night of bedlam that saw fans chanting for a refund and lashing out online.
Kanye West’s Shanghai concert on July 12 at the sold-out 70,000-seat Shanghai Stadium was meant to be a triumphant live comeback. Instead, it began to disintegrate quickly, and badly.
Not only was Kanye greatly behind schedule in reaching the stage, but fans immediately sensed that something was amiss. In accordance with several reports from attendees, the rapper scarcely used his mic. One viral video in the crowd revealed agitated fans to be hurling into chants to get their money back. On X, user @Fabian_Lemuel was not shy, accusing Kanye of “mostly lip syncing” and estimating that “his microphone must have been up less than 20 percent of the time.”
It didn’t get any better during the encore either. The same fan claimed Kanye walked off stage for more than 20 minutes while songs such as “Wolves” were replayed continuously without him being seen anywhere on stage. “I could have just played your songs at home, man. Came here to watch you perform?” they continued, aligning with what many other fans felt too was lacking was live energy or even decent production.
This performance was Kanye’s first since September of 2024. But whatever hype that greeted his return was soon overwhelmed by frustration and scandal. The performance also followed disquieting new claims from his ex-assistant, Lauren Pisciotta, who’s now accusing him of oral rape and sexual assault.
Pisciotta had previously sued last year for sexual harassment against Kanye, such as sending her unsolicited explicit materials while she was working with him from 2021 until she got fired in 2022. But in a newly filed amended complaint obtained by People magazine, she added the allegations to include allegations of sexual battery and assault. In accordance with the report, Kanye supposedly forced himself on her during several business trips, one of which is a gruesome story where he pushed her onto a bed and forced oral sex. Pisciotta says she froze in terror and pleaded for him to stop.
She also claimed Kanye attempted to kiss her repeatedly against her will, locked her in a room and masturbated before her, and even attempted to strangle her by the throat at a concert. To add to this, she accused Kanye of sending individuals to harass her by reporting fake emergencies at her residence, which prompted repeated visits from authorities and services.
Kanye’s lawyers replied last year by declaring the allegations “baseless” and accusing Pisciotta of extortion and blackmail. Nevertheless, these new revelations contribute to a swelling mountain of scandals for the rapper, who lost business deals and has been subjected to significant public backlash since his antisemitic tirades and unorthodox behavior in the past three years.
In spite of all of this, Kanye’s Shanghai concert looked like it could be a do-over. But with the fans livid over the experience, and with real legal claims hanging in the air, any sort of comeback story now feels utterly premature. What could’ve been a historic performance has instead further ignited debate about Kanye’s dependability on stage and his behavior off of it.
Mia Brooks dives deep into the beats and rhythms of the music industry, covering everything from chart-topping albums to underground artists. With a passion for discovering new talent and exploring the stories behind the songs, Mia keeps readers updated on all things music.
