In Novosibirsk, reports emerged about Lights going out during a Night Snipers concert at the Lokomotiv Arena. The moment occurred as Diana Arbenina concluded a spoken segment, and the audience suddenly found itself navigating the venue in darkness. Attendees then exited with flashlights, and there was no lighting available in either the cloakroom or the parking area of the sports complex, creating a brief sense of disarray in the backstage and spectator zones.
Observers initially speculated that the blackout was an intentional part of the show. However, a later post by Arbenina on the Telegram channel appeared to suggest that the disruption was connected to efforts to ease crowd congestion within the hall, a claim discussed in the context of traffic management and audience flow in large venues according to coverage in Novosibirsk media.
Arbenina described her experience as part of a moving crowd, noting that the hall became a single, cohesive organism where concertgoers trusted one another. The moment underscored the sense of collective adaptation as people navigated the darkened environment together, an observation echoed by local witnesses and subsequent commentary in the press about crowd dynamics during performances.
Prior to the event, residents in Novosibirsk reportedly circulated a petition calling for the cancellation of Arbenina’s performance. The proposed action stemmed from the artist’s longstanding statements about SVO and the song Do not be silent, discussions that have generated controversy in the region and influenced public sentiment around the concert engagement in question.
Following these discussions, rumors circulated about the reasons behind the scheduling and promotion of the shows, with at least one account mentioning rumors of a paused or delayed campaign labeled as a couch ping-pong of information. On October 20, it was noted that information about the Novosibirsk concert had disappeared from promotional posters. Promoters later clarified that the posters were updated because all tickets had sold out, a fact confirmed by collectors and organizers.
The event on October 22 took place at Lokomotiv Arena, a venue designed to accommodate around five thousand spectators, where the concert proceeded despite the surrounding chatter and the earlier concerns about attendance and reception in the city.
Earlier in the week, the widow of Shatunov attended a memorial concert dedicated to the artist, joined by a German fashion model who appeared at the event, an arrangement that drew attention for its cross-border celebrity presence and the way such appearances intersect with regional cultural events in Novosibirsk.