Tori Amos performed a lesbian anthem in a Moscow concert as part of her recent world tour. The singer told News.com.au she was intentionally making a point by performing ‘Not Gonna Get Us’ by t.A.T.u, who are famous for their lesbian image.
“The Russian audiences suggested it and I thought OK, that’s a really good idea. Little did I know, Putin was the next person to take that stage. He was going to be giving a speech there the next morning. His security showed up at the end of my show to start scoping the place, not knowing I’d just sung a lesbian anthem on stage…
You can’t not do those songs without knowing what it can mean… I mean I’m 50, I’m not completely naive! You can’t be coy about it. To play a t.A.T.u. song, a lesbian anthem, in Moscow — you’ve gotta grab it with both hands, because if you don’t, it’s not going to work. [In Russia] you’re kind of safe, but even then you have intimidating security everywhere.
My tour manager, who’s a lesbian, made them stand down because they were very threatening. But the Moscow show was great; we had people from Russia there, and people from Kiev, and to see them joined in unity, above and beyond government, was inspiring to see. I don’t sing for government, I sing for the people.”
Tori Amos
