Every year, numerous music legends perform in Munich and thrill their fans with their shows. In the summer, open-air concerts are especially popular, as they simply exude a very special magic. Yet open-air concerts, as we know them today, don’t actually have a very long tradition in Munich. We actually owe them solely to the 1972 Olympic Games—and the Rolling Stones. They were the first to ever hold open-air concerts at the Olympic Stadium, thereby proving its suitability as a music venue.
The 1982 European Tour
Not even a week after the 1972 Summer Olympics, the infrastructure of the Olympic Park found a new use. Mireille Mathieu was the first to perform live on the stage of the Olympic Hall, just six days after the Games ended. A year later, concerts here were already commonplace, and numerous rock bands took the arena by storm, including the Rolling Stones. However, it would still be a while before the first open-air concerts took place in the Olympic Park .
It wasn’t until 1982, a decade later, that the Olympic Stadium was finally used as a concert venue. Following their 1981 American Tour, the Rolling Stones embarked on their 1982 European Tour. They kicked off the tour in their home country of Great Britain at the end of May, then traveled through the Netherlands to Germany, and finally arrived in Munich. On June 10, 1982, the moment had arrived, and the Rolling Stones played their first open-air concert at the Olympic Stadium, with the second following on June 11. A total of 150 people were involved in the construction of the stage where the legendary rock band was to perform their two shows. Setup began as early as Sunday, even though the first performance wasn’t scheduled until the following Thursday.
The Rolling Stones’ Performance at the Olympic Stadium
A total of 27 semi-trucks and five heavy-duty trucks accompanied the Stones on their European Tour. They brought two sets of every piece of equipment to avoid scheduling bottlenecks. While the Rolling Stones were still in Berlin, part of their team was already on site in Munich, setting up the stage and sound system for the concerts at the Olympic Stadium. Before the band took the stage for the first time in an open-air concert in Munich on June 10, Peter Maffay opened the show—and regretted it.
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Around 78,000 rock fans had gathered in the stadium and couldn’t stand the soft pop singer at all. They booed him and his band and threw objects at them. Nevertheless, Maffay finished his set and then made way for the British rock legends. With the first-ever open-air concert at the Olympic Stadium, the Rolling Stones made music history—at least in Munich. For they laid the groundwork for all those who came after them: Michael Jackson, Robbie Williams, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Coldplay, and many, many more.
The Olympic Stadium Today
Initially, not only were concerts held at the Olympic Stadium, but FC Bayern Munich also played its matches there. Over time, however, the stadium became exclusively a concert venue, and FC Bayern is now at home in the Allianz Arena. For now, though, the club is once again sharing the stadium with the world’s music stars, as the Olympic Stadium is currently undergoing renovations. For this reason, the city is moving all open-air concerts to the Allianz Arena until the work is completed.
The stadium’s renovation will cost nearly 300 million euros. Then, hopefully, it will once again be available for performances by major stars, which you can experience either directly in the arena itself or from the Olympiaberg. With the 2031 World Championships in Athletics, sports will return to the stadium, and with a little luck, perhaps even the Olympic Games starting in 2036.
