Russia bans US band over flag in underpants stunt

As The World Turns

US rock group Bloodhound Gang have been banned from a Russian music festival after a band member stuffed the Russian flag into his underpants on stage – an act considered a criminal offence in the country.

In a video filmed at the July 31 concert in Odessa, Ukraine, the bass guitarist ‘Evil’ Jared Hasselhoff can be seen grabbing a Russian flag, shoving it through his underpants, and then throwing it into the crowd. “Don’t tell Putin,” he asks before the stunt, as the audience explodes with cheering. 

The band later apologized and attempted to explain the bass player’s motivation, saying he was only trying to “appease their fans.” However, the stunt has cost the rockers more than they expected, and could even result in a legal pursuit on Russia’s territory.

YouTube link.

Upon arriving in the South Russian city of Anapa for the KUBANA music festival, the band learned that their concert was called off following the furious reaction by Russia’s Minister of Culture. The minister called the band members “idiots” and said they should be “packing their suitcases.”

There's a news video here.