St. Petersburg, Russia, the cultural capital of the nation, home to Fyodor Dostoyevsky, the Hermitage Museum and the Kirov Ballet.
Recently, this noble list was lengthened however briefly by cultural giants of our own age, names like Hasselhoff and Imbruglia, Bolton and Simple Minds.
From July 6 to 8, Peter the Great’s wide window on the west played host to the “White Nights of St. Petersburg” music festival, an odd little affair in which 18 contestants from 15 countries compete before a panel of judges headed by ex-X Factor evaluator and one-time singer/dancer, Paula Abdul.
Performances by competitors were interspersed by B-list acts from the '80s and '90s, including Tony Hadley from Spandau Ballet, Natalie Imbruglia and Michael Bolton.