The situation is “much bigger” than stadium rock, the band write, adding that they're “confident there will be a time and a place to return in the future”
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Green Day have canceled their forthcoming show in Moscow in response to Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
The show at Spartak Stadium – a 45,000-capacity venue in Russia's capital – was originally scheduled to take place May 29 as part of Green Day's ongoing Hella Mega Tour with Fall Out Boy and Weezer. At present, the date has been removed from the tour section of Green Day's website.
“With heavy hearts, in light of current events we feel it is necessary to cancel our upcoming show in Moscow at Spartak Stadium,” the band wrote yesterday (February 27) on Instagram.
“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.” The band added that refunds for the show are now available at the point of purchase.
(Image credit: Green Day / Instagram)
Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine has been met with widespread condemnation from the international community. Alongside Green Day, other music artists who have canceled appearances in Russia in support of Ukraine include American indie pop trio AJR, who say their decision was based on Russia's “unprovoked and criminal behavior."
We are sad to announce that we will be cancelling our upcoming show in Russia. Thank you to our Russian fans who oppose their country’s unprovoked and criminal behavior. Our hearts are with the people of Ukraine. At this point, the best thing you can do is share ACCURATE info.February 25, 2022
Prominent Russian rapper Oxxxymiron has also canceled shows in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. “I cannot entertain you when Russian missiles are falling on Ukraine – when residents of Kyiv are forced to hide in basements and in the metro, while people are dying,” he said in a recent Instagram video (per Music Ally).
And in other music-related news regarding the crisis, it emerged over the weekend that Russia is to be banned from 2022's Eurovision Song Contest.
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While many artists who are scheduled to play in Russia have yet to comment on the status of their upcoming shows, they may be forced into postponing or canceling them, as many western airlines may soon be banned from flying in Russia's airspace.
Currently, carriers based in the UK and much of Europe cannot fly in Russia's airspace, after a series of retaliatory measures were imposed by the Kremlin. At the time of writing, Russia's airspace remains open to US-based airlines.
Sam was Staff Writer at GuitarWorld.com from 2019 to 2023, and also created content for Total Guitar, Guitarist and Guitar Player. He has well over 15 years of guitar playing under his belt, as well as a degree in Music Technology (Mixing and Mastering). He's a metalhead through and through, but has a thorough appreciation for all genres of music. In his spare time, Sam creates point-of-view guitar lesson videos on YouTube under the name Sightline Guitar.
