On Friday, March 22, a coordinated terrorist attack took place at the Crocus City Hall, a music venue located in Krasnogorsk, Russia, in western Moscow. The attack, which involved four gunmen performing a mass shooting as well as slashing attacks and incendiary devices that set the venue afire, took place just prior to a scheduled sold-out show by the Russian band Picnic.
“The whole country, our whole people, mourns with you,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said in the wake of the attack, which has claimed 139 lives as of this writing. “The main thing now is to prevent those who were behind this bloody massacre from committing new crimes.”
The event in Krasnogorsk is far from the first such terrorist attack to take place at a venue where a concert was either about to take place or had just concluded.
A big teddy bear and flowers are left in memory of the victims of the deadly terrorist attack near Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk on March 24, 2024
Krylya Music Festival, Moscow (2003)
On July 5, 2003, two Chechen suicide bombers committed attacks at the entrance to the Kyrlya music festival, which was held at the Tushino airfield in northwestern Moscow, with one bomber’s detonation only killing herself – the bomb only partially exploded – but the other killing 15 people and injuring up to 60 more.
Bataclan Theater, Paris, France (2015)
There were actually three groups of terrorists who carried out attacks in Paris, France on November 13, 2015, including a trio of suicide bombers who detonated their explosives outside an international football match at the Stade de France as well as a group of attackers who fired on cafes and restaurants on the streets of Paris before one of them detonated an explosive, killing himself and injuring fifteen others. The third attack, however, took place at the Bataclan theater during a concert by the Eagles of Death Metal, with three terrorists opening fire on the crowd, leaving a total of ninety people dead and hundreds more wounded.
Manchester Arena bombing, Manchester, England (2017)
On May 22, 2017, the Manchester Arena fell victim to an Islamic terrorist suicide bombing in the wake of a concert by Ariana Grande. The bombing killed 22 people and injured more than 1,000, making it both the deadliest act of terrorism and the first suicide bombing in the UK since the July 2005 bombings in London. After the incident, Grande released a statement, saying that she would “extend my hand and heart and everything I possibly can give to you and yours, should you want or need my help in any way.” She made good on her word, appearing at the One Love Manchester charity concert, joined by Justin Bieber, Coldplay, Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, Take That and Pharrell Williams.
Supernova Sukkot Gathering, Israel (2023)
On October 7, 2023, Hamas embarked on a surprise attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip at the Supernova Sukkot Gathering, an open-air psytrance music festival in its 23rd year. The attack killed 364 civilians and left countless others wounded. Ironically, the event was billed as a celebration of “friends, love, and infinite freedom.”
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