The plan caused heated debates in Munich: an organizer wanted the metal band to perform on the Theresienwiese on New Year’s Eve. The concert was canceled, but now Rammstein speaks up himself – and raises new questions.
A planned mega concert by Rammstein on New Year’s Eve in Munich caused a stir and was finally canceled. Now the Berlin musicians around front singer Till Lindemann make it clear that they had not yet confirmed the performance. “It is correct that the band had a fundamental request for this, not for the Theresienwiese, but for the Munich exhibition center,” said a band spokesman on Thursday of the German Press Agency in Munich. “There was neither a final commitment from the band nor an event contract.”
The Leutgeb Entertainment Group did not comment on this. She only pointed out that she had mutually agreed with the authorities that there was not enough time until New Year’s Eve to be able to safely carry out a concert of this magnitude. “An event has to work for everyone involved, which is why, for reasons of common sense, I decided to end the planned project,” said von Leutgeb. According to the plans of the Austrian concert organizer, 145,000 people should celebrate the New Year with Rammstein on the Theresienwiese. A message that electrified fans in Germany and other countries, as the metal band likes to use spectacular pyrotechnics at their concerts.
The city of Munich, sometimes mocked as a village of millions, hoped for an enormous advertising effect. The city council therefore approved the venue at the beginning of August, against the votes of the Greens, Left and ÖDP. Further approval was now up to the district administration department. Among other things, critics had put forward the noise pollution for residents, as well as the capacities of the police, rescue services, fire brigade and hospitals, which are already under a lot of pressure on New Year’s Eve.
The concept for the safety of the crowds of visitors was also discussed. After a conversation with the city and administration on Tuesday, the concert organizer surprisingly canceled. “The processes are rated as very unfortunate by the band,” said the Rammstein spokesman. This gave the impression that the musicians had considered a New Year’s Eve concert in Munich to be confirmed and had announced this themselves. But that was never the case. The band also has nothing to do with the cancellation: “They don’t cancel anything because they haven’t promised anything.”