How Max Korzh's concert in Istanbul went. Even a former propagandist made it there
Fans who don't have a Schengen visa were finally able to attend Max Korzh's concert in Istanbul. Perhaps this led to some unexpected happenings that hadn't occurred before.
The most famous Belarusian singer performed on June 6 at the "Beşiktaş" stadium, which can accommodate 40-42 thousand spectators. Even such a venue wasn't enough for the fans – more than 75 thousand people waited in the virtual queue for ticket sales to start on the website.
The traditional commotion in the city began a few days earlier: on June 3 and 4, endless mosh pits were organized in the Taksim area – there were minor clashes with the police and dissatisfied local residents who complained about walls painted with quotes from Korzh's songs.
On June 5, several double-decker buses were booked, touring Istanbul, while fans of the artist from Luninets chanted his songs.
Then, a gathering was announced at the Kabataş ferry terminal. From there, more than 10 ships simultaneously sailed into the Bosphorus. Fans wildly pushed on the decks and again shouted the artist's songs. On one of the ships, an attempt was made to ban singing Korzh's songs – and even the Turkish anthem was played to force them to be silent. But could this really calm down the fans of the Belarusian singer?
Only Turkish merchants didn't lose their heads. While some sold fake merchandise on the streets, others set up speakers outside their shops and cafes, loudly playing Korzh's songs – luring fans in. And it really worked.
Russian-speaking TikTokers boasted that Turks asked them if all concert-goers were Russians. And they replied with some pride: "All Russian-speaking people are here."
Fans themselves treat the commotion with irony: some overlay famous sounds from "The Hunger Games" onto videos of the crowd, others joke about the places people hide flares to smuggle them into the stadium.
Yuliyana Leanovich – a former propagandist for "Sovetskaya Belorussiya" who resigned last year to work as a tour guide – arrived at the stadium 3 hours before the concert began. She said it was to avoid standing in line for food for 2 hours. She filmed three men posing before the concert with a red-green flag.
Yuliyana, who wrote about culture for many years (and after 2020 – about "correct" artists and presenters), was only upset that the concert wasn't in Minsk.
It should be noted that Korzh previously banned flags at his concerts – for example, in Bucharest, security confiscated Ukrainian flags from attendees. At that same concert, the artist from the stage forbade chanting "Putin - khuilo" in the hall. He added that he only allowed shouting his own name or the name of someone from his team.
At the beginning of the concert, Korzh said: "Seven damn years, countless attempts, a multitude of failed attempts, a bunch of mistakes, a multitude of losses – and we are all here."
After the concert, Istanbul residents probably also couldn't sleep – Korzh's fans organized after-parties.
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