In between changing his name, doxxing Drake, and rebuilding his childhood home inside Chicago’s Soldier Field stadium (how very Synecdoche, New York of him), Kanye West has found time to roll the Delta dice for his upcoming Donda listening party.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the rapper will not require proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID test at his upcoming Donda listening party, taking place at Soldier Field on Thursday, August 26. Consequence points out that Soldier Field doesn’t have a roof or dome, which technically qualifies it as an outdoor concert, which means that it wouldn’t fall under Chicago’s indoor mask mandate. Still, there will be an audience cap: only 38,000 people will be permitted in the stadium, which has a max capacity of around 63,000.
“Kanye West’s performance is one of many examples that show that Chicago can be open and safe at the same time,” Chicago Park District spokesperson Michele Lemons said. “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.”
As for when Donda will actually be released, that still remains to be seen. The album was expected to be released after each listening event, but that has obviously not happened. This next event is on August 26, so at this point, one would assume the album currently has a planned August 27 release. But you know what they say about assuming: it makes an ass out of you and Ye.