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Photos: Amnesty International Concert Gets Pussy Riot Members Kicked Out Of Their Own Band
By
Jen Carlson
Published Feb 6, 2014
Modified Feb 7, 2014
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Feb 6, 2014
Modified Feb 7, 2014
Share
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While it wasn't the epic Amnesty International concert of yesteryear, last night's resurrection of the big events (which took place in the '80s and '90s) did bring two formerly jailed members of Pussy Riot to Brooklyn, alongside their champion Madonna. The latter was not there to perform, but to introduce the members of the band, who spoke through a translator before leaving Barclays Center (reportedly the trio went to have dinner together). Their message: “Freedom is not a given. It’s something we have to fight for.”
But the other members of Pussy Riot are lambasting Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina for taking part in the concert, writing on their website that selling tickets to a show "is highly contradictory to the principles of Pussy Riot. We're a female separatist collective. We never accept money for our performances... we only stage illegal performances in unexpected public places." They added that "Masha and Nadia are out of the group."
As for the rest of the show, Rolling Stone reports that it lacked in "revolutionary energy," but it wasn't without some fleeting highlights from the likes of Debbie Harry, Flaming Lips, Yoko Ono, and of course the supportive crowd, who chanted: "Russia will be free," over and over.
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Amnesty International
concert
pussy riot
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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