Ye's Summer Tour
Ye, formerly Kanye West, schedules global summer tour featuring Chicago's Soldier Field.
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Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, has announced a U.S. tour expansion that includes a two-night hometown stand at Chicago's Soldier Field on September 3 and 4, according to NBC Miami. The full tour runs from June 26 through September 4 and also covers Tampa, San Antonio, and international stops in Albania, Spain, and Portugal.
The announcement comes as Ye's return to the stage stays controversial. Just two months ago, the UK Home Office barred him from entering Britain, citing his presence as "not conducive to the public good," according to NBC New York. The move forced the cancellation of his planned headline set at London's Wireless Festival.
Soldier Field Homecoming Carries Symbolic Weight
Soldier Field holds a special place in Ye's career. In 2021, he used the 63,500-seat Chicago stadium to host his *Donda* album listening parties, where he built a full replica of his childhood home on the field, according to NBC Los Angeles. The two September shows mark his first return to the venue since then.
The tour launched in early April at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, drawing nearly 150,000 fans across three nights. It is tied to his twelfth studio album, *Bully*, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and sent 16 of its 18 tracks onto the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time.
Senator Rick Scott Fights Tampa Shows Over Jewish Community Concerns
The Tampa leg of the tour has drawn sharp political opposition. Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) sent a formal letter to the Tampa Sports Authority on June 4, demanding that no public money go toward Ye's Raymond James Stadium performances. Scott called the shows a "slap in the face to our state's Jewish community," according to NBC Connecticut.
Raymond James Stadium is publicly owned, which puts the Sports Authority in a legal tight spot. If it cancels the contract under political pressure, Ye's team could sue for breach of contract. The Florida Holocaust Museum announced it would offer free admission during Ye's Tampa tour dates as a form of counter-protest.
UK Ban Pushes Ye to Build His Own Stadium in Albania
Blocked from the UK and facing pressure in parts of Europe, Ye is taking an unusual approach abroad. Reports say he is overseeing construction of a temporary 60,000-seat venue called "Eagle Stadium" in Albania's Tirana-Durrës corridor. Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama supports the project, calling it a major economic and tourism opportunity for the Balkans.
The strategy fits a broader pattern. Ye is selling tickets through his own platform at tour.yeezy.com and building his own venues, cutting out traditional industry partners who have distanced themselves from him. In the Netherlands, two shows at GelreDome in Arnhem drew 450,000 ticket requests for just 80,000 available seats, despite protests from the Jewish organization CIDI.
A January Apology and a Mental Health Explanation
In January 2026, Ye took out a full-page ad in the *Wall Street Journal* to apologize for his antisemitic statements. He wrote: "I am not a Nazi or an antisemite... [the diagnosis] does not serve as an excuse... but rather context for understanding." He attributed the statements to untreated Bipolar Disorder Type 1, according to NBC San Diego.
Critics have not accepted the apology as enough to justify his return to major stages. The European Parliament's Vice President Pina Picierno publicly called out governments that allowed shows to go forward. She urged them to follow the UK and France, both of which have moved to block Ye's performances on public safety grounds.
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