War and Music: Why Foreign Artists' Performances Continue to Be Cancelled

Two iconic Russian rock musicians, Alexey Kortnev and Maxim Leonidov, have given concerts in Kazakhstan.

Neither hides their anti-war stance, which they express in songs and public statements. Orda.kz has put together a synopsis of other musicians' concerts canceled in Kazakhstan this year.

2023 may be remembered as the "year of cancellations" in Kazakhstan. Last year, concerts were canceled quite often and were topical. Discussions mainly concerned artists who supported Russia's invasion of Ukraine: Polina Gagarina, Larisa Dolina, and the KVN team "Kamyzyaki."

This year, there were fewer such concert cancellations. This could be because some musicians announced cancellations, such as the DDT concert in Almaty, before their official announcements.

Yuri Shevchuk and his team gave three concerts in Kazakhstan last winter: Astana, Qaraganda, and Semey. They were also expecting one in Almaty. As our sources claim, the organizers could not agree with the Akimat regarding the venue.

Unclear

Unlike in 2023, this year, performances by open opponents of the war in Ukraine were more often canceled. At least three concerts by Russian musicians with such a position were canceled due to concerns for the performers.

The first was Morgenstern. In early April, the Russian rapper canceled concerts in Kazakhstan, stating that, according to information he had received, it was not safe for him to be there. 

He did not clarify why, however.

The next to announce a concert cancellation were the musicians of the group Bi-2. 

They were supposed to perform at the August festival Family Rock Fest in Qonayev. At the end of May, the group announced they would not perform at the festival. They did not name the reasons for the cancellation.

But the most likely one was prosecution. The January incident in Thailand attests to this. After a performance in Phuket, the musicians of Bi-2 were arrested likely because of the Russian authorities. Israeli authorities intervened, as some band members have citizenship.

A year earlier, Bi-2 gave a tour of Kazakhstan, and the proceeds from the concert in Semey were sent to help
victims of the Semey Ormany Reserve fire.

Russians being periodically detained in Kazakhstan at the Russian authorities' request could be an explanation for the musicians' hesitance.

Singer Elizaveta Gyrdymova also canceled her concert in Kazakhstan due to similar concerns. The artist was supposed to perform in Kazakhstan this fall.

On October 7, the Moscow Prosecutor's Office opened a criminal case against her for "Failure to Fulfill the Duties of a Foreign Agent." 

I dreamed of going to a concert in Kazakhstan. We already had the date and the venue ready. Now we have to cancel it. Because if I come, as they explained to me, they will have to send me to prison in Russia, Gyrdymova told the Dozhd at the time.

However, as practice shows, there have been no deportations to Russia under articles absent in Kazakhstan's Criminal Code. Still, a person can be held for several months in a pre-trial detention center under extradition arrest, as was the case with anti-war activists accused in Russia of "Discrimination against the Army."

In September, a criminal case was also opened against Alisher Morgenstern for “Failure to Perform Duties of a Foreign Agent.”

Morgenstern did not make any notable anti-war statements. His song "12" could be considered one, or the video.

Meanwhile, "Kasta" has toured Kazakhstan. In September-October, they traveled to several cities, presenting a new anti-war album, "New Foreign Rap."

No Thanks 

Two more notable concert cancellations were also related to the war against Ukraine.

Western musicians refused to perform at the festival in Almaty, originally called Yandex Park Live. Before the war, it was long held in Moscow. The festival's gimmick has always been world stars as headliners.

Due to the current situation, the festival moved to Almaty and was rebranded as Park Live Almaty this year.

Die Antwoord, Tyga, and The Kooks were at it this year, though there should have been more.

In July, the British group Editors refused to perform at Yandex Park Live, but this flew under the radar.

A week before the festival, Placebo was listed among the headliners. But on September 3, the band announced that they would not perform in Almaty or Georgia.

The Placebo members did not directly state what the cancellation was related to:

There are compelling indirect reasons for this that are not related to the professionalism of the organizers, which we were unable to resolve.

The Editors, on the other hand, directly stated that they refused to participate in the festival when they learned that the main organizer had ties to the Russian Federation.

Regarding Placebo, it can be assumed that the group's Ukrainian fans played a significant role. From the moment they were announced as headliners, they said the band was working with Russian organizers. 

Breaking Out of Trends

The performance of Belarusian singer Max Korzh was also canceled. Korzh claimed technical reasons were the issue. 

There are always games that come up that don't give us enough days to get everything ready for a big break,Korzh wrote on his Instagram. 

In 2022, Max Korzh repeatedly spoke out condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine, canceled concerts in the Russian Federation, and released the song "My Home" dedicated to Ukraine.

The Butyrka group's September concert in Qostanay was also officially canceled due to venue problems. The KSTU University, which owns the cultural center where the group was supposed to perform, explained that the equipment had burned out.

However, Butyrka stands out from the trend of anti-war cancellations. Its leading performer, Oleg Simonov, declared his support for the invasion almost from the beginning of the war. He also spoke of plans to write a song dedicated to the "Heroes of the Special Military Operation."

Almost no one else spoke out against the war. Perhaps only Lviv resident Garik Krichevsky.

The war in Ukraine was also linked to a rumor that Kazakh rappers Scriptonite and Jah Khalib were put on a “blacklist” in Russia.

A photo of the alleged list emerged online. The authenticity is questionable, however.

Both rappers made anti-war statements at the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Jah Khalib has faced issues organizing concerts.

In 2024, neither of them touched on the topic of war. Jah Khalib’s concerts were also canceled because of his controversial statement about domestic violence. Scriptonite has recently said he does not plan to give concerts until the end of the year due to health reasons.

Original Author: Igor Ulitin

The original article was published on 27/10/24. It has been modified to reflect the current timeframe. Please refer to the original article in Russian for accuracy.