Kanye West isn’t requiring proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test at his Chicago listening party.
Kanye West won’t require guests at his upcoming Chicago listening party to provide proof of vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test.
The Chicago native is set to host the third listening party series for his tenth studio album, Donda, on Thursday at the city’s Soldier Field. Approximately 38,000 fans are expected to attend – reduced from the original 63,000 maximum capacity.
Chicago Park District spokeswoman Michele Lemons praised the event as an example of how to be “open and safe” during the pandemic.
“Kanye West’s performance is one of many examples that show that Chicago can be open and safe at the same time,” she said in a statement to the Chicago Tribune. “We have worked with Soldier Field on Covid-19 safety protocols, as we have other venues including Wrigley and Guaranteed Rate Fields, and feel this event can be safely held with the proper mitigation efforts in place.”
West is not the first to host a large-scale event in the city.
Around 100,000 fans flocked to Lollapalooza last month, though the festival organisers required attendees show negative Covid-19 tests and proof of vaccination.
While it’s not clear that decisions around vaccine and test requirements are not directly made by West – he has not promoted the event himself and is relying on a local organiser – the rapper has previously disparaged Covid-19 vaccines.
In an interview with Forbes last year, the rapper called vaccines “the mark of the beast” after revealing he had been previously was sick with the virus.
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