JohnCenaFan28
02-10-2009, 09:55 PM
Vladimir Putin has denied attending a secret Abba tribute band concert - and says he prefers The Beatles.
Bjorn Again claimed they performed a private gig for the Russian prime minister and eight friends at a Russian holiday resort.
Reports of the £20,000 show raised eyebrows in Moscow, where Russians are struggling to weather the financial crisis.
But Mr Putin's spokesman has taken the unusual stop of writing to The Times to deny the reports.
"I don't know who their audience consisted of, but Vladimir Putin was not one of them," Dmitry Peskov wrote to The Times.
"He was actually working in his office that Thursday evening, meeting members of the Cabinet."
The spokesman said he was "sorry to disappoint" the tribute act, but added: "Mr Putin is more of a Beatles fan than an Abba one, as you can see if you read an interview by Andrew Lloyd Webber with Mr Putin on our website."
Bjorn Again founder Rod Stephen said the band had been paid £20,000 for the gig, and Mr Putin had a "great time".
He claimed the prime minister sat on a sofa veiled by a lace curtain with a "glamorous" woman during the concert on the shores of Lake Valdai.
-Nova
Bjorn Again claimed they performed a private gig for the Russian prime minister and eight friends at a Russian holiday resort.
Reports of the £20,000 show raised eyebrows in Moscow, where Russians are struggling to weather the financial crisis.
But Mr Putin's spokesman has taken the unusual stop of writing to The Times to deny the reports.
"I don't know who their audience consisted of, but Vladimir Putin was not one of them," Dmitry Peskov wrote to The Times.
"He was actually working in his office that Thursday evening, meeting members of the Cabinet."
The spokesman said he was "sorry to disappoint" the tribute act, but added: "Mr Putin is more of a Beatles fan than an Abba one, as you can see if you read an interview by Andrew Lloyd Webber with Mr Putin on our website."
Bjorn Again founder Rod Stephen said the band had been paid £20,000 for the gig, and Mr Putin had a "great time".
He claimed the prime minister sat on a sofa veiled by a lace curtain with a "glamorous" woman during the concert on the shores of Lake Valdai.
-Nova