The planned Rammstein concert at the turn of the year on Munich’s Theresienwiese will not take place. As the organizer announced, he reached an “amicable” agreement with the authorities. In advance it had criticism and security concerns given.
The planning time until New Year’s Eve is not enough for an event with 145,000 visitors, according to organizer Klaus Leutgeb. “An event has to work for everyone involved, which is why I, as the organizer, have decided to end the planned project for reasons of reason.”
City council voted for Rammstein concert
A spokesman for the district administration department (KVR) also confirmed that after a conversation with the city of Munich in the morning, the organizer had surprisingly canceled.
Last week, a majority in the Munich City Council basically cleared the way for the concert. The supporters, such as economics officer Clemens Baumgärtner (CSU), had hoped that this would have a huge advertising effect for Munich, as Rammstein also has a huge international fan base.
Concerns about security concept
At the same time, there were many critical voices. Four months’ notice is far too short for them Planning a concert of this magnitude, had criticized the KVR, for example. There were also doubts about the security concept of the organizer.
Critics also referred to the already heavy burden on the police, fire brigade and rescue workers on New Year’s Eve. The arrival and departure of more than 100,000 people would have been a challenge. Munich’s cultural event organizers also saw themselves as disadvantaged, as they had previously been denied the right to hold large concerts on the Theresienwiese.
Rammstein as a special challenge
The Austrian organizer Leutgeb already has experience with major events. At the beginning of August, 90,000 people came to Andreas Gabalier’s open-air concert at the Munich exhibition center, followed by Helene Fischer (August 20) and Robbie Williams (August 27).
With Rammstein, the situation would have been different again, said the KVR spokesman. Unlike the trade fair, the Theresienwiese is in the city center and there are many residents. The timing also plays a role, so the organizers should have taken into account the launching of New Year’s rockets in the security concept.