When Pan Am Games organizers announced that Kanye West would be headlining the closing ceremonies, reactions seemed like they were split down the middle. Some recognized the announcement as a huge get for the games, and predictably, ‘Ye haters flocked to online petitioning site Change.org to voice their frustration with the announcement. The petition currently has over 50,000 signatures, which might lead one to believe that Kanye may not be received warmly at the event on Sunday night.
Petitions aside, apparently the announcement actually helped the Pan Am Games fill the majority of 54,000 seats. In a press conference this afternoon, Saad Rafi, CEO of the Pan Am organizing committee, said that they saw “an immediate uptick” in sales following the confirmation of Kanye West’s performance. Hold on, you’re telling me that having the most influential artist of this generation perform at your event increases ticket sales? Unbelievable.
The event isn’t entirely sold out yet, but Rafi promised some “fantastic surprises.” Here’s hoping we’ll see a winner-takes-all rap battle between Drake and Meek Mill.
The closing ceremonies for the Pan Am Games are this Sunday, July 26th at the Rogers Centre, beginning at 6:45PM. In addition to what will (probably) be an underwhelming 5 minute medley of all of your least favourite Kanye songs, you’ll be treated to performances by Pitbull and Serena Ryder. You can still pick up tickets here, or stream them live here.
