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Faith & Spirit Quote by Alan Parsons

"In Russia we had to have special visas in our passports, and when we had to show our passports at the Kremlin gates, we realized that, Oh my God, we're actually playing in THE Kremlin!"

About this Quote

Parsons frames the Kremlin not as a symbol of power but as a stage door with consequences. The line starts in bureaucracy - special visas, passports - the dull machinery that usually drains romance from travel. Then it snaps into adrenaline: the checkpoint becomes the moment the band understands the scale of what theyre doing. That pivot is the whole point. He doesnt hype the gig with rock-star bravado; he lets the state do it for him.

The subtext is that in Russia, access is narrative. The visas and gates are not just security measures, theyre instruments of spectacle, reminding you that culture there moves through permission. When Parsons says, Oh my God, hes admitting the psychological effect of being processed by an institution built to intimidate. The Kremlin is supposed to be untouchable, a place where history happens to other people. Suddenly, its where your road cases are headed.

Context matters: a Western musician describing the surreal honor of performing inside one of the most charged political symbols of the 20th century. For artists who came up during the Cold War, the Kremlin wasnt merely a building; it was shorthand for an entire opposing system. So the excitement carries a faint edge: triumph, disbelief, and the subtle realization that soft power cuts both ways. The state that once projected menace now hosts a rock show, and the band becomes part of the story the venue wants to tell about itself.

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APA Style (7th ed.)
Parsons, Alan. (2026, January 15). In Russia we had to have special visas in our passports, and when we had to show our passports at the Kremlin gates, we realized that, Oh my God, we're actually playing in THE Kremlin! FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/in-russia-we-had-to-have-special-visas-in-our-144440/

Chicago Style
Parsons, Alan. "In Russia we had to have special visas in our passports, and when we had to show our passports at the Kremlin gates, we realized that, Oh my God, we're actually playing in THE Kremlin!" FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/in-russia-we-had-to-have-special-visas-in-our-144440/.

MLA Style (9th ed.)
"In Russia we had to have special visas in our passports, and when we had to show our passports at the Kremlin gates, we realized that, Oh my God, we're actually playing in THE Kremlin!" FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/in-russia-we-had-to-have-special-visas-in-our-144440/. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.

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Alan Parsons on performing in the Kremlin
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About the Author

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Alan Parsons (born December 20, 1948) is a Musician from United Kingdom.

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