Kanye West took the stage at Portugal's Algarve Stadium on Friday night, performing before an estimated 34,000 fans. The concert went ahead despite a vocal campaign by Israel's ambassador in Lisbon, Oren Rozenblat, who had urged Portuguese authorities to cancel the event over West's history of antisemitic remarks and praise for Hitler.
The Algarve show was one of the few European dates on West's current tour to survive. The rapper, also known as Ye, has faced cancellations in the United Kingdom, France, Poland, Italy, and Czechia, while Australia refused him a visa. In Portugal, however, the concert was never officially challenged, and the event passed without major incident, according to local media and social media reports.
A controversial figure on stage
West, a 24-time Grammy winner, arrived on stage 45 minutes late, standing atop a giant globe placed on the pitch. He performed hits including "Stronger," "Gold Digger," "American Boy," and "I Can't Wait," and invited his daughter, North West, to join him for a duet. Notably, he avoided the controversial remarks that have marked his recent public appearances.
This was West's third performance in Portugal. He first played at Cool Jazz in Oeiras in 2006, then at the Sudoeste Festival in Zambujeira do Mar in 2011. The Algarve concert was part of a tour promoting his 12th album, Bully, which has been overshadowed by his past statements.
In a full-page advertisement in the Wall Street Journal, West apologized for his past antisemitic comments, describing them as the result of "a four-month manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behaviour" and saying he had "lost touch with reality."
Despite the apology, Rozenblat had been outspoken in his opposition. In a social media post, he wrote: "Someone who glorified Hitler, promoted antisemitism and claimed that slavery was a choice – a phrase that deeply offended millions of descendants of slavery victims. This is not provocation, it is hate speech." He argued that allowing the concert would be "a shame for Portugal and for the Portuguese."
The organiser of the Portuguese event, Raya Culture, dismissed the controversy as "a non-issue" driven by "misinformation." CEO and co-founder João Vasconcelos told Euronews in April: "It is a music event that is going to take place. It would become a political issue if the authorities were to identify a national threat to public order, which is not the case."
West's career has been marred by a series of controversies beyond his hate speech. He has faced lawsuits from former employees accusing him of abuse, and a former assistant has alleged sexual assault, claiming he strangled a model on a music video set in 2010. His public behaviour with his wife, Bianca Censori, has also drawn criticism for being degrading and sexist.
The Algarve concert was not the subject of widespread public outrage in Portugal, unlike in other European countries. The decision to proceed reflects a broader debate about freedom of expression versus the consequences of hate speech, a tension that continues to play out across the continent.
Following the Algarve show, West is scheduled to perform in Kazakhstan at Almaty's Central Stadium on 14 August, before returning to the United States for concerts in New Orleans on 28 August and Chicago on 3 September 2026.
For those interested in the broader context of controversial performances in Europe, the Budapest concert by Queen in 1986 offers a historical contrast, showing how music can sometimes bridge political divides. Meanwhile, the Algarve region continues to attract international attention, with Nobu planning a new resort there by 2029, and the recent search for a missing surfer off its coast highlighting the area's powerful seas.
