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Published
Nov 21, 2016
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Kanye West cancels tour after bizarre concert rants

By
Reuters
Published
Nov 21, 2016

Kanye West abruptly canceled the remainder of his tour on Monday following a series of shows in which he had embarked on rants about politics and the music industry.

"The remaining dates on the SAINT PABLO TOUR have been canceled. Tickets will be fully refunded at point of purchase", concert promoters Live Nation said in a statement.


Kanye West - DR



The statement gave no reason for the cancellation and West's representatives did not immediately return calls for comment.

However, the announcement followed the last-minute cancellation of a concert by West in Los Angeles on Sunday and a rant-filled show on Saturday in Sacramento, California.

West was due to play 21 more dates in the United States, ending on New Year's Eve in Brooklyn.

The influential rapper, who is promoting his current album "The Life of Pablo," made headlines last week when he was booed at his San Jose, California concert for declaring his support for U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

On Saturday, some concert-goers in Sacramento reported on social media that the "Jesus Walks" singer ended his show after 30 minutes, following a tirade in which he criticized performers Beyonce and Jay Z, as well as the U.S. media.

He later flooded his Instagram account with photos of items for his fashion line.

A source close to West, who is married to TV reality star Kim Kardashian, told celebrity magazine Us Weekly the musician was exhausted and stressed after spending almost every night on tour since August, and following the armed robbery on Kardashian in Paris in October that traumatized the family.

West has a history of unpredictable and sometimes controversial behavior.

Last year, he declared he was considering running for U.S. president in 2020, and in 2009 he interrupted Taylor Swift's acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards in New York saying the honor should have gone to Beyonce.

In 2006, he posed as Jesus Christ on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, and earlier this year, he released a music video for "Famous" featuring portrayals of nude celebrities including Trump, Swift and comedian Bill Cosby lying asleep in bed with him.

 

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