Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, most of the country's musical acts have taken sides, either supporting or condemning the war – but not Picnic.
The aging Russian rock band has refrained from making statements about the invasion of Ukraine. Many of their fellow musicians faced tour bans or exile for voicing their opposition, while others appeared at the forefront in solidarity with the Kremlin or occupied Ukrainian territories.
Now, 46 years after its creation, Picnic has drawn global attention more than ever for tragic reasons: Its scheduled concert at Crocus City Hall in Moscow became the site of a mass shooting last Friday (March 22), with at least 137 lives lost. are lost in the terrorist attack. ISIS-K, an offshoot of the ISIS terrorist group, claimed responsibility for the March 22 attack.
Since then, some Russian media have he claimed that the band supported Russia's military operation in Ukraine, suggesting that this was one of the reasons armed terrorists targeted the show.
The band did not comment on these reports. In fact, the band's current frontman, Edmund Shklyarsky, who joined in 1981 as a guitarist and soon became Picnic's main songwriter, has remained steadfastly apolitical since the terrorist attack. In his only public comments since the tragedy, he released a video address expressing his “condolences to all those who, unwittingly and naturally, were involved in this terrible, completely senseless tragedy. It is clear that there are no words that can resurrect or comfort people. But, of course, we express our condolences to all the relatives.”
Picnic will take to the stage again on Wednesday (March 27) at St. Petersburg's Oktyabrsky Concert Hall. The concert will be dedicated to the victims of the Crocus City Hall attack, with the band announcing on social media that the proceeds will go to the families of those who lost their lives or were injured in the attack.
The band's manager, Yuri Chernyshevsky, would not comment on Piknik's views on the war with Ukraine and said Advertising sign that “you should ask the terrorists why they targeted the Picnic show or why they targeted Crocus City Hall. I hope law enforcement will determine that.”
In the early 1980s, Picnic became part of the Leningrad Rock Club, an organization, allegedly controlled by the KGB, that facilitated underground and semi-underground rock bands to perform at a time when rock music in the Soviet Union was facing scrutiny, if not outright bans. Later, Picnic's songs drew criticism from communist authorities for lyrics that referred to illegal drug use.
In the second half of the 1980s, Picnic, like other bands, benefited from perestroika and glasnost reforms in the Soviet Union, which allowed former underground rock bands to officially tour and record. However, unlike some prominent bands of the period, Picnic largely avoided social and political issues, focusing more on esoteric and mystical themes in their lyrics.
Currently, the band includes 68-year-old Shklyarsky, his son Stas on keyboards, bassist Marat Korchemny and drummer Leonid Kirnos. The band's fan base is diverse, from older listeners who have followed Picnic since the 1980s to younger fans who were introduced to the band through social media.
At the time of the March 22 attack, musicians from Picnic and a 65-piece orchestra accompanying the rock band were in their respective dressing rooms and were immediately evacuated. However, Ekaterina Kushner, a member of Picnic's management staff manning the merchandise table, died in the attack.
Another concert by Picnic and the symphony orchestra was scheduled at the same venue on March 23. Almost all tickets for both shows at the 6,200-seat Crocus Town Hall were sold out.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/concerts/russian-rock-picnic-moscow-terrorist-attack-1235641925/