SAN ANTONIO — Calls to cancel rapper Ye’s planned July 4 concert at the Alamodome intensified this week as several San Antonio and Bexar County officials condemned the artist over his past antisemitic remarks, while city officials said the event remains on schedule.
An Alamodome spokesperson told KENS 5 that the concert will proceed as planned and that early ticket sales indicate strong demand, with more than 60,000 people expected to attend.
On Saturday, San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones called for the cancellation of the concert in a post on X.
“Military City USA should not host someone with a record of hate speech and antisemitic comments in a city-funded facility,” Jones wrote.
“Not ever, and certainly not on July 4th, our Nation’s 250th birthday,” she added.
Other local officials echoed her concerns on Monday.
Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai said hateful words and actions should be condemned, while Precinct 3 Commissioner Grant Moody criticized Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, for his past statements.
“When someone repeatedly spreads antisemitic hate, praises Nazis, denies the Holocaust, and tries to intimidate our Jewish community, we have a responsibility to call it out directly and forcefully—and I am,” Moody said.
District 2 Councilwoman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez questioned the decision to book Ye at the city-owned venue.
“Not all money is good money,” McKee-Rodriguez wrote on Instagram. He added that he was seeking answers on how “an individual with such a well-documented history of antisemitic behavior was booked at a city-owned venue in the first place.”
District 1 Councilwoman Sukh Kaur opposed Ye’s rhetoric but said canceling the concert could raise concerns about censorship.
“The mayor wants to cancel the concert, and I believe that’s a slippery slope for censorship,” Kaur said.
Kaur also pointed to the event’s economic impact.
“There’s over $9 million in ticket sales that already occurred. The hotel bookings have increased by 22% for that weekend after his concert was announced,” she said.
Kaur said many concertgoers are expected to travel from outside Bexar County, which could benefit local hotels, restaurants and retailers during the summer.
“There is a following that wants to see him and it’s going to help our small business here that need the support during the summer months, when often times because of the heat here we don’t get as much traction,” she said.
The city issued a statement Monday saying Alamodome staff evaluates all events using the same criteria, including public demand, economic impact, facility revenue and hotel bookings.
“The July 4 Ye concert is expected to draw more than 60,000 people,” the statement said.
The city added that about 50,000 tickets had been sold as of Monday, including 14,180 in Bexar County, 23,345 in other Texas counties, 15,485 outside Texas and 195 internationally.
The Jewish Federation of San Antonio also urged city officials to reconsider hosting the event.
In a Facebook post, the organization said it “respectfully urge[s] the City of San Antonio and the management of the Alamodome to decline the use of this publicly owned venue … and to review its policies and procedures that led to this decision.”
Despite growing criticism from some elected officials and community groups, the July 4 concert remains scheduled at the Alamodome.
