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| Mark Cancels Gigs In Russia; Moscow and St Petersburg | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Friday, 5. April 2013, 06:57 (181 Views) | |
| qjamesfloyd | Friday, 5. April 2013, 06:57 Post #1 |
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Mark has issued the following statement: Given the crackdown by Russian authorities on groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, I have regretfully decided to cancel my upcoming concerts in Moscow and St. Petersburg in June. I have always loved playing in Russia and have great affection for the country and the people. I hope the current climate will change soon. MK I'm glad Mark has taken a stand about this, it would be so easy for him to not be bothered about things like this, but he is bothered, even though he is not always overtly political like for instance Roger Waters, but he does take a stand on certain issues, and I guess this was always going to happen after Mark gave his support to the Russian women in the group Pussy Riot. It is a shame for the fans in Russia though :( |
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"Yeah, me and my mate like ac-dc Hot & sweaty, loud & greasy" Mark Knopfler. | |
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| vgonis | Friday, 5. April 2013, 08:22 Post #2 |
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Maybe so, but I wonder whom is he punishing with this. The Riot girls has happened long before this tour was scheduled and his fans (probably) had nothing to do with these recent "breaking down". I am always very skeptic with such decisions, not because of their initial logic, but to the results they might have. A concert there could have been a better way to raise the issue and bring awareness at least to the ones attending the show. Maybe he could do what he did with BiA in South Africa. Anyway. Still wondering why he left out Greece and Portugal. |
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| dsmolik | Friday, 5. April 2013, 17:24 Post #3 |
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I am on the fence on this one. I've read many of the hundreds of comments on markknopfler.com ... many from Russian fans - both pro and con. Interesting discussion to say the least. I can see both sides. The entire incident prompted me to read more about Putin and his regime - and the possible rationale (???) behind the actions. One can only hope that no more concerts are cancelled. |
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Regards, Darryl If heaven's like this then that's where I'll be Where the living is fine and living is free | |
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| vgonis | Friday, 5. April 2013, 22:14 Post #4 |
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No I guess there is no need to argue. Every system has its flaws and I really don't like the systems that do not respect the human life. In that respect the Nobel price for peace given to the EU would have been the best joke, if it didn't have so tragic results for the Europeans. Anyway, I know that our man is logical so there is logic in his decision. Maybe the same reason applies to his not coming to Greece. :( Putin is presented like a dictator from the western media, but knowing the games of power that are conducted in the backround, I don't believe what I hear. I don't live in Russia and I don't know what people think of him there. I know that some societies demand a very special kind of government, due to their special characteristics and history (vastness and former communism). It is the same with other middle east or African countries. All of them might look vicious or power-crazy to people from the western developed countries, but most of the times, people are at least used to them. |
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| Hophead | Friday, 5. April 2013, 23:27 Post #5 |
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I think that this is one time where Mark may have gone a bit too far...I could understand him writing a song about the issue..and would love to hear it. But cancelling shows that fans have already paid for hurts no one but the fans that were looking forward to attending the show. Sometimes we here in the west tend to think too highly of our so-called 'free speech' ..we are too quick to believe what the press feeds us. We forget that even the 'free' press is profit driven..they can't publish if they can't sell papers. So they portray Putin as dictatorial..a byproduct of the old right-wing Soviet era. There probably is some truth to that..although I believe he is a victim to a system that is heavily corrupted..and therefore he is forced to appear heavy handed in order to appease those that supported him throughout the years. Imho of course..I just feel bad for the fans that were caught in the middle of this. |
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| suprlinda | Saturday, 6. April 2013, 03:41 Post #6 |
Making Movies
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And hopefully, before the next time Mark crosses the pond, one or some of our "illustrious" lawmakers don't come up with something that will decide Mark to not come over here, too! I can't imagine the disappointment and anger this decision is raising over there. Of course, I also know Mark has to be true to himself, too, so it is a really tough issue. :( |
| A pack of dog jackals and a rabble of ravens | |
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| superval99 | Saturday, 6. April 2013, 07:48 Post #7 |
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At the moment I am feeling very sad for the fans and I can empathise with them, having had it happen to me recently. I don't remember Mark ever having cancelled a concert before (except for 2003) and I'm sure he wouldn't have made this decision lightly. It would be lovely if he could make it up to the Russian fans in some way, like a free open-air concert somewhere not too far away from them! Mark isn't perfect, of course, but I do respect his decision - It can't have been an easy one to make. |
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| vgonis | Monday, 8. April 2013, 22:47 Post #8 |
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I have been thinking about it for some days, even though my initial reaction was that nothing's changed in Russia in the last few months, and that he could do greater good by going there. But now I have two theories: 1. The obvious one, probably too in our faces to consider it. That all the world noticed and talk about it for a whole week already! Raising awareness is the best thing. And he did that simply by cancelling. Now I have been talking with a friend of mine about Putin's popularity in Russia and he's been telling me that he is extremely popular and it is genuine. 2.If "follow the money" is the explanation for many things, I guess that people getting their money back when returning the tickets, will also deprive the state from a considerable amount of VAT and taxes. And believe me, MK loses money with this decision so it was not taken lightly. So bravo Mark! Maybe he should cancel some more tours for similar reasons in Europe and of course in the UK. |
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