Vladimir Putin and his Russian military forces are continuing their unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The act of war has been met with nearly unanimous international condemnation. The nations and people of the world have joined forces to boycott and sanction Russia into submission. The majority of countries, businesses, and organizations in the U.S. have decided to stop doing business with Russia outright. As the old saying goes, everybody’s got a price.

Several huge music acts were scheduled to perform in Russia before the hostilities began. Many such as Imagine Dragons and Green Day have canceled any further appearances in Ukraine or Russia as the war has made for a very dangerous situation, even aside from the politics involved. Others still appear to be honoring these dates and have given no explanation, according to TMZ.

Among those who are still slated to perform in Russia are several household names. Famed bluesman Eric Clapton, Judas Priest, Bjork, Korn, Slipknot, Gorillaz, and Five Finger Death Punch still have shows scheduled in cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg. The performances are all scheduled between May and July.

The outlet reached out to every one of the named artists and bands. Only Korn responded. They said they had no statement on the matter and would not comment on their plans for the Russia trip.

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The Killers were scheduled to play the Park Live Festival along with some of the bands named. They have said that they are now refusing to play in Russia. Some of the musicians are being guided by conscience while others are either ignorant of the global situation or are simply making financial decisions.

Time will tell what these artists decide to do. Performing in Russia at this time would be met with a lot of western resistance. It could be a career-ender. Lots of tough decisions will need to be made in the coming weeks.

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Michael Perry

Michael Perry is a news contributor for Ringside News and Thirsty for News. Michael has an M.A. in Communication Technology from Point Park University in his hometown of Pittsburgh, PA.

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