No vaccine, no problem — at least for Kanye West’s fans.
The rapper’s Chicago listening party is set to be held on Aug. 26 at Soldier Field, however, his venue won’t require music lovers to get vaccinated or have a negative COVID-19 test.
The party for the 44-year-old’s upcoming album “Donda” will admit up to 38,000 fans — slashed down from 63,000 people.
Chicago Park District spokeswoman Michele Lemons said in a statement that the reduced capacity is a show of how seriously the city takes the pandemic.
“Kanye West’s performance is one of many examples that show that Chicago can be open and safe at the same time,” Lemons said, according to the Chicago Tribune. “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.”
West’s “Donda” album listening party will start at 9 p.m. on Thursday. This marks the third time West will host a stadium show to unveil his album, which has yet to be released since the first listening event on July 22.
The Chicago native named his new record in honor of his late mother and has also allegedly constructed a replica inside Soldier Field of the home he shared with her during his younger years. Donda passed away in 2007 at the age of 58 following a breast lift and tummy tuck surgery.
The ex-husband of Kim Kardashian teased the reconstruction of his childhood crib on Instagram on Aug. 20. The 1,600-square-foot house was owned by West’s mother over 18 years ago when she sold it for $121,000 in 2003. It has had several owners and was once foreclosed since the early aughts.
According to his mother’s 2009 memoir, “Raising Kanye: Life Lessons From the Mother of a Hip-Hop Superstar,” West lived in the home for eight years.
“I didn’t know it, but South Shore, and especially South Shore Drive, where we lived, was considered ‘the s–t,’ a prestigious area in a coveted part of town,” the former professor wrote at the time. “We were within walking distance of Lake Michigan and our backyard backed up to Rainbow Park. It’s in the kitchen of that house that Kanye talks about kneeling on the kitchen floor and saying, ‘Mama, I’m gonna love you ‘til you don’t hurt no more.’”