The world-famous rap artist performed in Türkiye for the first time, drawing an estimated 118,000 fans to one of Istanbul’s largest live music venues. The concert, organised in collaboration with NTRteam, attracted a highly international audience, with attendees travelling from across Türkiye as well as the United Kingdom, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Russia, Poland, the Middle East and other regions.
Long before West took the stage, the stadium was already packed, with fans filling both stands and pitch areas hours ahead of the performance. The anticipation reflected the scale of the event, which was widely presented as one of Istanbul’s biggest music moments of the year.
West opened the night with “Father,” immediately setting a reflective tone before moving through a catalogue of some of his most recognisable hits. His setlist included fan favourites such as “Power,” “Flashing Lights,” “Heartless,” “Runaway,” “Black Skinhead,” “Homecoming,” “King” and “All The Love.” He closed the concert with “Stronger,” bringing the two-hour performance to a high-energy finish.
The show was staged on a spherical platform, echoing designs previously seen in his Los Angeles SoFi Stadium productions. The setup was enhanced by intense lighting effects, fog bursts and synchronised visuals that transformed the venue into a globe-lit spectacle visible across the stadium.
As the performance unfolded, thousands of fans illuminated the arena with their phone lights, adding another layer to the atmosphere and turning the crowd into part of the visual design.
The concert also drew a number of well-known Turkish public figures, including actors Şükrü Özyıldız, Alina Boz, Nilperi Şahinkaya, Hazar Ergüçlü, Yasemin Allen, Afra Saraçoğlu and Aslı Tandoğan, alongside Ayşe Tolga, Umut Evirgen, singer Elif Buse Doğan and Burak Kut.
Beyond the stadium experience, the show reached a global digital audience after being streamed live on Kanye West’s official YouTube channel, attracting millions of viewers within minutes and extending the reach of the Istanbul performance far beyond the venue itself.
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