Punk rockers Green Day have pulled out of their May 27 concert at the 45,000 capacity Spartak Stadium in Moscow over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, telling fans this is not the time for a rock show, but they're confident they will return in the future.
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The band announced via their Instagram Story on Sunday, February 27, that it was “with heavy hearts, in light of current events, we feel it is necessary to cancel our upcoming show in Moscow at Spartak Stadium.” Adding, “We are aware that this moment is not about stadium rock shows, it’s much bigger than that. But we also know that rock and roll is forever and we feel confident there will be a time and a place for us to return in the future... Stay safe.”
Aside from Green Day, the easing of COVID health restrictions and mask mandates sweeping the globe saw numerous acts book stops in the Russian Federation on their lengthy itineraries, including shows in March and April from Bring Me the Horizon, Tricky, Disclosure, and more. In May, Yungblud, girl in red, Judas Priest, and OneRepublic also have dates set, and that's not even getting into the festival season.
Due to the violence currently unfolding in Ukraine with no clear end in sight at the moment, this summer, Russian fans and those bitten by the travel bug may also see schedules change at the alt-leaning Bol Festival, and two Park Live Festivals featuring Placebo, Deftones, The Killers, Gorillaz, My Chemical Romance, Iggy Pop, Slipknot, Limp Bizkit, and others, as well as summer dates from Iron Maiden, Imagine Dragons, Bjork, and more.
Geoff Meall, a representative of London's Paradigm Talent Agency, tells Variety, "We’ve got [multiple] of acts due to be going there from next month right through the summer — rock acts, alternative acts, a lot of electronic artists as well. As it stands, I can’t see any of those shows being able to happen. Ukraine is obviously an active war zone so it’s impossible to do a concert there, and with Russia, first, every government is advising its citizens not to go there unless it’s essential business — rock and roll probably wouldn’t be considered that — but more, a lot of artists wouldn’t want to be seen as supporting the actions of that government at the moment."
It is also worth bearing in mind that in response to the invasion, European and other countries have shut down airspace to Russian airlines and numerous sanctions have been placed upon the state and its top leaders. Additionally, the United States has warned American nationals to leave the country immediately. Follow along with Audacy for the latest updates.
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