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Limp Bizkit will not be traveling to Estonia next year. The band’s concert in the Baltic capital Tallinn was canceled after old pro-Russian comments from Fred Durst resurfaced online.
The band was scheduled to perform at the Unibet Arena in Tallinn on May 31, 2026. But the event’s Facebook page has since been changed to “Canceled.”
According to Estonian public broadcaster ERR, the show was initially postponed in the hope of finding a new date before pre-sales start on Monday.
Concert canceled after public criticism
Ultimately, however, the organizer, the Baltic Live Agency, decided to cancel the event completely. “We inform you that due to circumstances beyond the control of the organizer, the Limp Bizkit concert scheduled for May 31, 2026 is canceled,” it said in a statement. “We apologize!”
Representatives for Baltic Live Agency and Limp Bizkit did not immediately respond to requests for comment from ROLLING STONE
Almost immediately after the Tallinn concert was announced on November 7, there was heavy criticism over Durst’s well-known pro-Russian positions. For example, in 2015, after the annexation of Crimea, Durst spoke about his desire to obtain a Russian passport, wrote a letter to the Crimean authorities in which he called Vladimir Putin a “great guy with clear moral principles,” and held up a sign on stage that read “Crimea = Russia.”
Reactions from politics and culture
Durst was at the time married to Kseniya Beryazina, a Russian makeup artist from Crimea. (The marriage ended in divorce in 2019.) Durst’s statements also resulted in Limp Bizkit being banned from Ukraine for five years.
Reacting to the planned concert, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said: “My position is clear and I repeat it. Russia is the aggressor. And Crimea is occupied by Russia. Anyone who justifies Russia’s aggression and the occupation of a neighboring country is not welcome in Estonia. Such people have no place on Estonian stages and should not make money here.”
Officials intervene
According to reports, the Ministry of Culture has also contacted the concert organizers. A spokesman said: “It is unacceptable that people appear in Estonia who support a state whose president is wanted with an international arrest warrant.”
The Baltic Live Agency initially tried to put the impact into perspective. Media boss Gunnar Viese told ERR: “The only explanation for this is that Fred Durst was at that time [bis 2019] was married to a Russian Crimean citizen and apparently lived in a distorted information bubble.”
Organizer defends booking of band
When asked why the agency booked the band in the first place, Viese pointed to Limp Bizkit’s recent concerts in countries that support Estonia and Ukraine against Russia. Including Germany, Austria and Poland. In addition, Durst has not made any overt political statements about Russia or the war in Ukraine recently. Although he told Russian fans on social media in 2024 that he hoped to see them again soon. But these comments were seen as normal communication between artists and fans.