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\n\tKanye West<\/a> reportedly drew a crowd of 118,000 to Istanbul\u2019s Atat\u00fcrk Olympic Stadium on Saturday (May 30), with the rapper claiming that it was the largest stadium performance in history.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tExplore\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p><\/div>\n \t\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n <\/p>\n \t<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n See latest videos, charts and news<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \n\t\u201cI just want to tell y\u2019all, we just broke the record, 118,000, largest stadium performance of all time,\u201d West told the audience, according to T\u00fcrkiye Today<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n \n\tThe show \u2014 which began at 9 p.m. local time and evolved into an all-night festival-style event featuring DJ sets, laser and light shows, pre- and after-party gatherings and performances by Turkish artists including Yener Cevik, Mavi, Sena Sener, Pera and Motive \u2014 drew fans from across Turkey and abroad, with attendees travelling from Russia, Kazakhstan, the U.K., Germany, the U.S. and Poland. <\/p>\n \n\tOrganisers opened stadium gates at 3 p.m. to manage the anticipated influx, with crowds quickly filling metro platforms and corridors across the city as showtime neared. Travis Scott<\/a> also joined West on stage during the show.<\/p>\n \n\tThe Istanbul date marked the opening night of West\u2019s first European tour in 11 years \u2014 and it came after a summer of closures across the continent. In April, the U.K. government denied West<\/a> entry, ruling his presence \u201cwould not be conducive to the public good,\u201d leading to the cancellation of his Wireless Festival<\/a> headline slot, which had already lost major sponsors<\/a> including PepsiCo and Diageo. <\/p>\n \n\tA Marseille show was postponed after French officials attempted to block it, and concerts in Poland and Switzerland were also cancelled. On the same day as the Istanbul concert, Italian authorities banned West and Travis Scott from performing at a July show at the 103,000-seat RCF Arena in Reggio Emilia, citing security concerns following requests from consumer group CODACONS and Jewish communities in Modena and Reggio Emilia.<\/p>\n \n\tWest has attributed his past antisemitic statements \u2014 which included comments praising Adolf Hitler, the release of content using Nazi imagery and the release of a song titled \u201cHeil Hitler\u201d \u2014 to manic episodes caused by untreated bipolar disorder. He published a full-page apology in the Wall Street Journal in January 2026. Despite the European bans, several countries have permitted him to perform. His remaining confirmed tour dates include shows in the Netherlands on June 6 and 8, Tirana, Albania on July 11, and Georgia and Spain later in the summer.<\/p>\n\n