Calls to cancel Kanye West’s planned July 4 concert at the Alamodome are growing louder, with several San Antonio and Bexar County leaders publicly condemning the rapper over his history of antisemitic comments.
Despite the opposition against West, who now legally goes by the name Ye, an Alamodome spokesperson told KENS 5 the concert is still scheduled to move forward. The spokesperson said early ticket sales indicate the event is shaping up to be a major draw for the city, with more than 60,000 expected to attend.
On Saturday, Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones posted on X in support of canceling the concert, saying “Military City USA should not host someone with a record of hate speech and antisemitic comments in a city-funded facility.”
“Not ever, and certainly not on July 4th, our Nation’s 250th birthday,” the mayor wrote.
Other local leaders echoed those concerns come Monday.
Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai said hateful words and actions should be called out, while Precinct 3 Commissioner Grant Moody issued a strong condemnation of the rapper.
“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, in regards to the economic benefit, said on Instagram that “not all money is good money.” He also said he was working to get 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.”
Not all elected officials agree that canceling the concert is the right response.
District 1 Councilwoman Sukh Kaur said she opposes West’s rhetoric but believes preventing the concert from happening 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 economic impact the concert could have on San Antonio.
“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.
According to Kaur, a significant number of concertgoers are expected to travel from outside Bexar County, bringing additional business to local hotels, restaurants and retailers during a traditionally slower summer period.
“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,” Kaur said.
On Monday, the city released the following statement:
“The Alamodome staff reviews all events — whether Paul McCartney, Disney on Ice, Monster Jam, or Ye — using the same factors, including public demand, expected economic impact, facility revenue, hotel bookings and the goal of bringing a wide range of events to San Antonio. The July 4 Ye concert is expected to draw more than 60,000 people.
“As of Monday, June 22, about 50,000 tickets had been sold. That includes 14,180 from Bexar County, and many more from outside Bexar County — 23,345 from other Texas counties, 15,485 from outside Texas and 195 international sales.”
The Jewish Federation of San Antonio also took to Facebook to call out the concert. Officials with the federation said they “respectfully urge 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.”
For now, despite mounting criticism from local leaders, the July 4 concert remains on schedule at the Alamodome.