after two bizarre concerts last week during which kanye west came out in support of president-elect donald j. trump and ended a set early after a fiery but discursive 17-minute monologue , the rapper has canceled the rest of his tour dates for 2016. live nation, the tour<u+2019>s promoter, and a representative for mr. west said that all tickets for the second leg of the <u+201c>saint pablo<u+201d> tour, which was to include two nights at the barclays center in brooklyn on dec. 30 and 31, would be refunded at the point of purchase. the tour began in late august and was called one of the year<u+2019>s best thanks to its novel, minimalist design, with mr. west hovering slightly above the crowd on a suspended platform. the new york times critic jon caramanica called the rapper <u+201c>improbably close and tantalizingly out of reach.<u+201d> <u+201c>he was the host, but also a reveler,<u+201d> mr. caramanica wrote. after more than 30 dates in north america the <u+201c>saint pablo<u+201d> run had been extended, with 23 additional stops through the end of the year. but last month, mr. west abruptly stopped a performance at a festival in new york when he was informed on stage that his wife, kim kardashian west, had been robbed at gunpoint at a hotel in paris. she has since receded from the spotlight, including social media; mr. west has not addressed the incident publicly. for the tour<u+2019>s first part the shows had been notable not just for the stage design but also for mr. west<u+2019>s relative silence. while concerts by him in recent years could typically be expected to include an interlude from music in the form of a so-called <u+201c>kanye rant,<u+201d> he frequently let <u+201c>saint pablo<u+201d> shows pass without addressing the crowd in detail. that changed dramatically last week. at a concert in san jose, calif., on thursday, mr. west announced that he had not voted, but voiced support for mr. trump, calling his methods of communication <u+201c>very futuristic.<u+201d> two nights later, in sacramento, he doubled down and said he was channeling the president-elect as he aired out personal and professional issues with everyone from beyonc<u+00e9> and jay z to mark zuckerberg. <u+201c>i<u+2019>ve been sitting here to give y<u+2019>all my truth even at the risk of my own life,<u+201d> mr. west said. <u+201c>even at the risk of my own success, my own career.<u+201d> the following evening, his show at the forum in inglewood, calif. <u+2014> a makeup date for a concert he cut short because of throat problems earlier this month <u+2014> was canceled at the last minute, foreshadowing the end of the tour. this year had proven to be especially fruitful for the prolific artist. in addition to <u+201c>the life of pablo<u+201d> album, which was released in february and included hits like <u+201c>father stretch my hands, pt. 1<u+201d> and <u+201c>famous,<u+201d> mr. west released multiple sneakers in partnership with adidas, presented two extravagant fashion collections , and staged elaborate performances on festival stages and <u+201c>saturday night live.<u+201d> a version of this article appears in print on november 22, 2016, on page c3 of the new york edition with the headline: kanye west gets political, and then cancels tour. order reprints | today's paper | subscribe
kanye west cancels the rest of his <u+2018>saint pablo<u+2019> tour
joe coscarelli