A Limp Bizkit concert in Estonia has been cancelled after frontman Fred Durst’s pro-Russia comments resurfaced.
Since forming in 1994, the American new metal band has been nominated for three Grammy Awards and have sold over 40 million records worldwide.
This summer, they played shows at Reading and Leeds Festival in the UK and are next due to play gigs across South America next month.
However, it’s now been announced the plug has been pulled on a scheduled show in Estonia next year.
Limp Bizkit had been set to play at the Unibet Arena in the country’s capital city Tallinn on May 21, 2026.
However, the event’s Facebook page now lists it as ‘cancelled’, as per Rolling Stone.
According to Estonia’s public broadcaster, ERR, the gig was first postponed, with hopes of finding a new date, before pre-sale tickets were made available on Monday, November 10.
But the show’s promoter, Baltic Live Agency, has now chosen to cancel the gig altogether. In a statement, it simply wrote: ‘We inform you that due to circumstances beyond the organiser’s control, the Limp Bizkit concert planned for May 31, 2026, is cancelled. Our apologies!’
Although no reason was given for the cancellation, many are speculating it’s due to Durst’s history of making pro-Russian comments.
In 2015, after Russia’s annexation of Crimea – which is recognised as a Ukrainian territory by many countries – the musician discussed his desire to obtain a Russian passport.
He also wrote a letter to Crimean authorities calling Russian President Vladimir Putin a ‘great guy with clear moral principles’.
Durst, 55, also sparked backlash after holding up a sign on stage that read ‘Crimea= Russia’.
His comments and actions then resulted in Limp Bizkit being banned from Ukraine for five years.
At the time, Durst was married to Russian make-up artist Kseniya Beryazina. They divorced in 2018.
Although Estonia declared neutrality at the outbreak of World War II, the country was repeatedly invaded and occupied and ultimately annexed into the USSR, until regaining full independence in 1991.
After Limp Bizkit’s Tallinn show was initially announced, Rolling Stone reported that Estonia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Margus Tsahkna, had said: “My position is clear, and I will repeat it: Russia is the aggressor, and Crimea is occupied by Russia.
‘Those who justify Russia’s aggression and the occupation of a neighbouring country are not welcome in Estonia.
‘They have no place on Estonian stages and should not be earning income here.’
At the time Baltic Live Agency addressed the anger, with its media director Gunnar Viese telling local outlet ERR: ‘The only way we can explain it is that at the time [until 2019], Fred Durst was married to a Russian Crimean woman and evidently living in a distorted information bubble.’
Defending booking the band, he added that Durst had not made any overtly political statements about Russia, or the war in Ukraine in recent years.
The band is yet to comment publicly on the cancelled show.
Limp Bizkit’s current line-up also includes drummer John Otto, guitarist Wes Borland, and turntablist DJ Lethal.
However last month its co-founder Sam Rivers was found dead aged 48 at his home in Florida.
Soon after, the band issued a statement paying tribute. It read: ‘Today we lost our brother. Our bandmate. Our heartbeat. Sam Rivers wasn’t just our bass player – he was our magic. The pulse beneath every song, the calm in the chaos, the soul in the sound.
‘From the first note we ever played together, Sam brought a light and a rhythm that could never be replaced. His talent was effortless, his presence was unforgettable, his heart enormous.
‘He was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of human. A true legend of legends. And his spirit will live forever in every groove, every stage, every memory. We love you, Sam. We’ll carry you with us, always. Rest easy, brother. Your music never ends.’
Metro has contacted representatives for Limp Bizkit and Fred Durst for comment.
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