Till Lindemann, frontman of German hard rock band Rammstein, was set to perform at a Russian festival. Police visited the singer ahead of the now canceled event.
Till Lindemann's latest gig has been canceled Image: Boris Roessler/dpa/picture alliance
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A Russian music festival which was to star Rammstein singer Till Lindemann on August 29 was canceled due to reported pressure from authorities, festival organizer Maxim Larin wrote on social media platform VK.
The festival site in the city of Tver, 180 kilometers (110 miles) northwest of Moscow, has been cordoned off.
The rehearsals ahead of the event had already been blocked by officials.
Lindemann visited by police
Russian police visited Till Lindemann at his hotel on Saturday night, according to independent Russian news agency Interfax and German daily Bild.
Some articles went on to state that the singer was arrested. But according to information obtained by Bild, the Rammstein singer was only warned that he should comply with certain COVID-related conditions while performing in Tver, and the police left afterwards.
Interfax reports that Lindemann's manager, Anar Reiband, faces charges for having violated migration laws. Upon entering Russia, the touring party stated that the purpose of their trip was tourism, even though concerts were planned.
Russian band covers Rammstein
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Festival organizer involved in opposition party
Even though restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic were the authorities' official reason to block the event, the festival organizer suspects the intervention was linked to the upcoming elections in Russia.
Festival organizer Maxim Larin is a businessman connected to the nationalist opposition party, Rodina (Motherland). A former Rodina local legislature member, his son is running on behalf of the party for the regional parliament.
Authorities also reportedly complained about the name of the event, which could be seen as promoting the party, since it includes the term Rodina.
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Rammstein popular and controversial in Russia
Till Lindemann, who is very popular in Russia, is also set to appear next weekend on the Red Square in Moscow at the Spasskaya Tower International Military Music Festival.
Rammstein's controversial frontman is currently accused by Russia's Hermitage Museum of violating its copyrights by issuing a series of non-fungible tokens with images from the museum.
Rammstein guitarists Richard Kruspe and Paul Landers made headlines when they kissed on stage at a concert in Moscow in 2019. The kiss was widely interpreted as a sign against the country's homophobic legislation.
Meanwhile, Russian Rammstein fan Andrey Borovikov, a former team coordinator for imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison earlier this year for allegedly spreading pornography when he shared a clip of Rammstein's "Pussy" video on social media in 2014. Lindemann has never publicly condemned the arrest.
Rammstein, the dark gods of hard rock
Powerful shows have been the German shock-rockers' trademark for 25 years. They've headlined all the major music festivals, from Moscow to Buenos Aires.
Image: Universal/G. Karp
Music made of nightmares
Knowing no taboos, Rammstein have managed to infuse their performances with humanity's darkest nightmares. It's all about violence and murderous fantasies, cannibalism and various unthinkable acts of horror. They delight in crossing the line, and their provocations are celebrated by a legion of fans. Rammstein is one-of-a-kind — and the band members are worldwide stars.
Image: Universal/G. Karp
Eastern punk heritage
Come from East Berlin and Schwerin, the members first performed in seminal acts within the East German underground punk scene. Guitarist Paul Landers and keyboardist Flake Lorenz played in Feeling B; singer Till Lindemann was with First Arsch, bassist Oliver Riedel with The Inchtabokatables, guitarist Richard Kruspe in Orgasm Death Gimmick, and drummer Christoph Schneider in Die Firma.
Image: Universal
Appearances are deceiving
They actually look like nice guys. This photo was taken in 1995 when the band was one year old. "Herzeleid" (Heartbreak), the first LP, had gruesome texts on issues like child abuse in "Weisses Fleisch" (White Flesh), and necrophilia in "Heirate mich" (Marry Me). All that to harsh guitar riffs, merciless percussion and an edgy electro sound. It reached No. 6 in the German album charts.
Image: Pressefoto
God knows I'm no angel
"Engel" (Angel) in 1997 was the breakthrough. Given much airtime on the MTV and Viva music channels, it was inspired by Quentin Tarantino's film "From Dusk Till Dawn." The second album, "Sehnsucht" (Longing), went platinum both in Germany and in the US. Rammstein's contribution to the soundtrack of David Lynch's film "Lost Highway" kickstarted their career in the US.
Image: Paul Brown
A plea for tolerance in a Hawaiian shirt
Aren't they sweet? The surf boys pose on the Californian beach with pretty bikini-clad girls and sing about the foreigner that is unwelcome. The happy images collide with the hard, rapid industrial beat. When "Mein Land" (My Country, 2011) comes to an end, the candy-colored beach party is over, and it's back to familiar Rammstein imagery with fire and scowling faces.
Image: Universal
Inter-generational collaboration
In a crossover phase, German folk music star Heino covered well-known rock and pop songs, including Rammstein's "Sonne" (Sun). In 2013, the group invited Heino to join them onstage at Wacken Open Air. Facing 75,000 metal fans and flanked by flames and smoke, Heino sang together with Rammstein — looking slightly startled. The periodical "Metal-Hammer" tweeted: "Did Heino know where he'd landed?"
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Heroes onscreen
The film of the Rammstein concert in New York's Madison Square Garden, and the documentary "Rammstein in Amerika," premiered in movie theaters on September 24, 2015. The DVD climbed to No. 1 in the DVD charts in 13 countries. Rammstein has conquered four of the world's five biggest music markets: the US, Great Britain, France and Germany.
Image: picture-alliance/Eventpress
Cultivated pyromaniac
Rammstein lead singer Till Lindemann likes to shock with his outre makeup. But under the wild man exterior, Till's a sensitive, contemplative soul who published a collection of poetry titled "Messer" (Knife) in 2002. Meanwhile, the 56-year-old got his buff physique from high-performance swimming. And what about his love of fire? Lindemann took a course in pyrotechnics in 1996.
Image: Paul Brown
10 years of waiting
Rammstein's 7th studio album (untitled) was released on May 17, 2019. It was an eagerly awaited release, coming 10 years after the previous one. It garnered plenty of media attention ahead of its release, in part due to the music video for the single "Deutschland," which portrayed concentration camp prisoners. It became Germany's best-selling album of 2019.
