Russians are so desperate to see Western pop stars, they are paying to go on 'concert vacations' abroad

• A Russian tour operator is offering concert-themed package vacations.
• Russian fans can pay to see pop stars like Ed Sheeran and James Blunt in Europe.

Western pop stars have largely boycotted Russia amid its invasion of Ukraine.

Russian music fans, however, appear to be so desperate to see their favorite artists that they are paying thousands to go on "concert vacations" abroad.

Tour operator Russian Express has seen large demand for its concert-themed vacation packages, according to The Telegraph. The packages include the chance to see Ed Sheeran in Zagreb, Croatia, and James Blunt in Dubai.

A spokesperson for the operator told The Telegraph that it had sold 150 concert vacations since it launched its packages in the fall of last year. The spokesperson said these kinds of vacations are "consistently popular" and that it selects artists that appear to both "young people and the older generations."

"Imagine Dragons and Snoop Dog are the choice of young people. Scorpions and Rammstein are the choice of older people," the spokesperson told The Telegraph.

One of the packages — a five-day trip to see Ed Sheeran perform in Belgrade, Serbia, in August — costs around $1,123.

Sheeran, who last performed in Moscow in 2019, has publicly expressed his support for Ukraine and performed at the Concert for Ukraine fundraiser in 2022.

"Western superstars don't perform in Moscow anymore," Jonny Tickle, a British man living in Moscow, wrote on X. "As a result, some companies have set up travel packages including flights, accommodation, and concert tickets for Russians who want to watch their favourite singers like Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa and Adele.'"

Tickle also posted ads by Moscow-based radio station Europa Plus, which is running a competition called "Live Tour 2024." Prizes include packages to see Adele in Munich, Coldplay in Budapest, and Taylor Swift in Vienna.

In 2021, Coldplay's bassist Guy Berryman wrote on X that the band would "for sure" want to perform in Russia after a fan asked if there was anywhere he would like to play that he hadn't visited.

However, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Coldplay didn't include Russia dates on its tour.

In 2022, Coldplay invited Svyatoslav Vakarchuk, lead singer of the Ukrainian rock band Okean Elzy, onstage at their show in Brussels.

"We are at war. I want you to know we are fighting not only for Ukraine, we are fighting for world peace, freedom, and democracy," Vakarchuk said in a video of the concert posted to X.

Russian Express and Europa Plus did not immediately respond to requests for comment.