Moscow attack: were the band Picnic deliberately targeted?

On the night of Friday, March 22, at around 8pm local time, the Crocus City Hall concert hall in Moscow became the scene of a bloody attack – the exact scenario of which is still the subject of speculation. At least 137 people were killed in the massacre, while many others are in critical condition. They were waiting for a show by the Russian rock band Picnic, which would start at 9pm.

‘Wash yourself in your own blood’

Russia has been in a state of shock ever since. While the entire world expresses its solidarity, rumors and false information circulate. Four Tajik suspects were taken to court in the Russian capital. They were formally charged with involvement in a terrorist attack by the Basmanny district court on Sunday night and face possible life imprisonment. At the same time, people wonder why terrorists chose this specific event. Was the attack aimed at the band Picnic?

“Fear nothing, fear nothing – no fire, no vibrant shadow. You are no longer a rosy child. Wash yourself in your own blood in the morning. And shake off the blooming day.” These are some lyrics from Picnic’s new song, which was released on March 7, 2024, on the band’s YouTube channel.

These lines seem almost prophetic now. A message posted on the band’s website reads: “We express our deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims. We pray for the speedy recovery of those injured. We are deeply shocked by this terrible tragedy and we grieve with you.” The band’s musicians were unharmed because they managed to hide in the dressing room.

Picnic is a veteran band in Russia, with progressive rock origins. Founded in 1978 in St. Petersburg, which at the time was still called Leningrad, the band initially called itself Orion. It changed its name to Picnic in 1981. Both names hark back to the typical Soviet rock scene trick of choosing names that sound Western but cannot be banned.

In the 1980s, however, Picnic ended up on the list of bands that were denied major public appearances. Musicians and their audiences therefore lived their love for models such as Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones in rock clubs, sometimes underground. Singer-songwriter Edmund Shklyarsky has been the band’s leader since 1982. The son of a renowned scientist and a concert pianist, Shklyarsky attaches great importance to his Polish roots and Catholic faith. From an early age, his sources of inspiration were not only the Rolling Stones and the Animals, but also Russian avant-garde poetry.

Picnic members considered loyal to Putin

In May 2023, Russian nationalist writer and activist Zakhar Prilepin praised the band’s leader, who rarely makes public statements. Prilepin said Shklyarsky actively supported Russia’s “special operation” in Ukraine and even made donations. Prelepin judged this to be the “normal position of a Russian man and a Russian musician.” His comments were neither denied nor confirmed by Picnic members.

The fact that they were booked to perform at such a renowned venue as the Crocus City Hall near Moscow can be seen as proof of the band’s loyalty to the Russian state – which demanded a clear commitment from the country’s rock and pop scene. , especially when the war against Ukraine began. Musicians and bands who spoke out against the war – including Russian stars such as Boris Grebenshchikov (Aquarium), Yuri Shevchuk (DDT) and Zemfira – had to leave Russia and suffered setbacks in their careers. Russian pop diva Alla Pugacheva sharply criticized Putin’s regime abroad.

On the other hand, stars loyal to the regime were rewarded with lucrative performances and prizes. The approximately 6,200 tickets for the Picnic show on March 22 were nearly sold out, as was the second show planned for Saturday. Ticket prices ranged from the equivalent of €100 to €300 (US$108 to US$325), and according to advertising the band would be accompanied by a symphony orchestra and a “spectacular stage and light show”.

Even before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Picnic was added to the list of artists who were not welcome there due to their repeated performances in the occupied Crimean peninsula, including in Sevastopol.

On Saturday, several interview requests, including from DW, were met with statements of grief and shock. On Sunday, Edmund Shklyarsky released a video message.

“I would like to express my condolences to all the victims and families of this terrible and senseless tragedy,” he said, adding that no words have yet been invented that can revive people and comfort their fellow human beings.

Whether there was a special significance in the terrorists’ choice to attack a concert by this particular band remains a matter of speculation – as does the question of whether Crocus Town Hall played any special role as a target.

A concert hall of superlatives

Crocus City Hall is a state-of-the-art concert hall housed in an exhibition complex and is one of the most prestigious stages for musicians in the Moscow region. With a capacity for 5,000 to 10,000 people, it is much larger than a traditional concert hall.

Completed in 2009, Crocus, as it is known, quickly became one of the most important concert halls in Russia. Located about 20 kilometers from the Kremlin, the site can be reached in 30 minutes from the city center, depending on Moscow’s notorious traffic jams.

The excellent public transport links could have been an argument for the terrorists to choose Crocus Town Hall for their attack. Furthermore, safety precautions in the surrounding area are not as strict as in the center of Moscow.

Cultural events canceled in Russia

The concert hall belongs to a group of companies owned by Russian-Azerbaijani construction magnate and oligarch Aras Agalarov and his son Emin, a businessman and singer. There were jokes when it opened that Aras Agalarov had built a stage for his son.

In recent years, however, Emin Agalarov has put his pop career on hold and focused mainly on the development and marketing of Crocus. Over the years, internationally renowned artists including Scorpions, Smokie, Pet Shop Boys, Nazareth and a-ha, Sting, Elton John, Thomas Anders and Vanessa May have performed here. In 2013, Donald Trump even took to the stage as a special guest at the Miss Universe final.

A look at Crocus City Hall’s schedule reveals a mix of concerts by regime-abiding musicians and events like Japanese drum shows or female stand-up comedy. For now, all major events have been cancelled, not just in the damaged Crocus City Hall, but in theaters, cinemas and museums across Russia.

This article was originally written in German.