Rammstein singer Till Lindemann was questioned by Russian police prior to the cancellation of a music festival in the city of Tver. Lindemann was booked to play the festival, which reportedly would have violated COVID-19 protocols.
Exaggerated reports circulated this weekend claiming that Lindemann had been arrested by police. Rather, police only visited the Rammstein singer’s hotel on Saturday night. According to German newspaper Bild [via DW], the purpose of the meeting was to make sure Lindemann complied with COVID regulations while performing in Tver. Ultimately, the event was canceled outright.
However, Lindemann’s manager, Anar Reiband, faces charges after allegedly violating Russia’s migration laws. When initially entering the country, Reiband apparently claimed the purpose of the visit was “tourism,” even though multiple concerts were planned (Lindemann is also booked for the Spasskaya Tower International Military Music Festival next weekend at the Red Square in Moscow).
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Lindemann’s Russian drama doesn’t end there. The singer is also being accused by Russia’s State Hermitage Museum of illegally selling an NFT of a music video that violates a terms-of-use agreement.
Lindemann shot the video for his interpretation of the Russian song “Lubimy Gorod” (Beloved City)” at the museum in St. Petersburg. The Hermitage had agreed to the video shoot; however, the sale of the video as an NFT violated the agreement for its use, according to the museum.
Lindemann was asking in excess of $100,000 each for 10 digital copies of the NFT, with each purchase including a dinner with Lindemann in Moscow, including flights, accommodation, and visas for two people.
Rammstein has always been a popular and highly controversial act in Russia. Guitarists Richard Kruspe and Paul Landers famously made headlines when they kissed on stage at a concert in Moscow in 2019, protesting the country’s anti-LGBTQ laws.
Meanwhile, earlier this year, a man with ties to imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny was sentenced to two and half years in prison for “distributing pornography” after sharing a video of Rammstein’s “P*ssy” on social media in 2014.