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CTS Eventim EVP steps down after 26 years

CTS Eventim’s executive vice president and general counsel Rainer Appel is leaving the company at the end of March, after 26 years.

Following his departure, the long-serving executive will transition to an advisory role at the German live entertainment firm.

His position as non-executive director for the Italian subsidiary TicketOne and for the Eventim Apollo in London will not be affected.

Arne Fritz, vice president venues & real estate, will take over Appel’s venue business. Tilman Wink will assume the role of general counsel and head of the legal department from 1 April.

“I am extremely grateful to Rainer for his loyalty, his tireless dedication and the excellent collaboration that has connected us for more than a quarter of a century. CTS Eventim has grown tremendously during this time, and Rainer always kept his eye on the big picture, without losing sight of the important details. So I’m delighted that he will continue to work with us in an advisory role. I wish Rainer the very best for this new phase of life,” says Klaus-Peter Schulenberg, CEO, CTS Eventim.

“I am extremely grateful to Rainer for his loyalty, his tireless dedication and the excellent collaboration”

Appel adds: “After nearly 26 years of making CTS Eventim my priority, it’s now time for me to focus more on my personal life. I was lucky to experience an incredibly exciting phase in the evolution of a wonderful company and I am deeply thankful to Klaus for the trust he put in me. I am also grateful to my colleagues, everyone at CTS Eventim, and the countless other outstanding people I had the honour of working with over so many years.”

After joining the company in 1998, Appel was actively involved in the growth of the CTS Eventim group. Alongside his role as general counsel, he took responsibility for many other areas of the business, including corporate communications and international business development.

Over the past 16 years, Appel established and grew CTS Eventim’s venue division, which today includes some of the best-known and most popular event venues in Europe.

Appel also drove forward the planning and construction of the largest and most sustainable multifunctional arena in Italy, Arena Santa Guilia, which will be completed in late 2025.

In the past fortnight, CTS Eventim has enjoyed several milestones including its 18th record year of revenue since its IPO in 2000 and its highest-ever share price, which today peaked further at €82.20.

 


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Ed Sheeran to headline Euro 2024 fan festival

Ed Sheeran is to headline a 90,000-cap fan festival two days before the start of the UEFA European Football Championship in Germany.

Co-promoted by FKP Scorpio and agency Pro Events, FAN FEST EURO 2024 be staged at Theresienwiese in Munich on Wednesday 12 June. Tickets will cost €95 for the show, which will also star Nelly Furtado, Mark Forster and Dylan. The general sale starts tomorrow (28 March).

The performances will also be screened live by sponsor Deutsche Telekom on its MagentaMusik and MagentaTV platforms. The company is offering priority tickets for the event to customers as part of its loyalty programme.

“Football and music bring people together,” says tournament director Philipp Lahm. “Thanks to strong partners like Deutsche Telekom, the concert organiser FKP Scorpio, the event agency Pro Events and my hometown of Munich, we can offer people another highlight at fair admission prices.”

FAN FEST EURO 2024 will mark the first time that Munich’s Theresienwiese has been as a location for a major cultural event

Former Germany international Lahm and EURO ambassador Celia Šašić will appear as guests on stage during the programme, with further appearances by football personalities also planned.

FAN FEST EURO 2024 will mark the first time that Munich’s Theresienwiese has been as a location for a major cultural event. In addition to the concerts, other entertainment will be provided on stage and in the grounds, along with a range of culinary options.

It has not the first time Sheeran has linked up with the international football tournament. During Euro 2020, he set a new record for the most-watched live music performance on TikTok as part of the video app’s partnership with UEFA.

The record-breaking livestream took place at Portman Road, the home of Sheeran’s hometown football club Ipswich Town.

 


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Adele adds final two shows to Munich residency

Adele has added two final concerts to her upcoming German residency after more than 2.2 million people registered to buy tickets, taking the total number of shows to ten.

Due to “unprecedented demand”, the British singer will now perform at the 80,000-cap pop-up stadium at Munich Messe exhibition centre from 2-3, 9-10, 14, 16, 23-24 and 30-31 August.

The 35-year-old’s 100-night Weekends with Adele run at The Colosseum (cap. 4,100) at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas is due to wrap up in June this year. Aside from the Vegas run, Adele has played only limited live dates in support of her most recent album, 2021’s 30 – performing two nights at the 65,000-cap BST Hyde Park in London, UK in July 2022.

The exclusive European performances, promoted by Live Nation, mark the first time Adele has performed in mainland Europe since 2016. After an initial four dates were announced, a further four shows were added before today’s confirmation of an additional two.

Tickets go on general sale on 9 February, with prices reportedly ranging between €74.90 to €419.90.

“There are already more registrations than for Adele’s concerts in Hyde Park and Las Vegas”

“There are already more registrations than for Adele’s concerts in Hyde Park and Las Vegas,” says organiser Marek Lieberberg, as per BR.

Austrian promoter Klaus Leutgeb, who is co-promoting the run, has enlisted the help of renowned stage designer Florian Wieder.

Speaking to Krone earlier this month, he said: “I have been in contact with management for two years; I had a vision that drove me forward. I had to develop something very special, something that was 100% Adele.”

“It’s a multifunctional arena, twice the size of a football stadium, with a diameter of 300 meters, the stage alone is 220 metres wide. But for me, it’s not about size or dimension. For me it’s about content, I want to realise my dreams and visions because that’s the only thing that makes me happy and I’m restless.”

Adele is represented by Lucy Dickins and Kirk Sommer at WME.

 


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Leutgeb on co-promoting Adele’s Munich residency

Austrian promoter Klaus Leutgeb has spoken about co-promoting Adele’s 80,000-capacity residency in Munich, Germany.

The run was announced last Wednesday (31 January) as a four-date stint in August but a further four days were added due to “phenomenal demand”.

“I have been in contact with management for two years; I had a vision that drove me forward,” Leutgeb told Krone. “I had to develop something very special, something that was 100 percent Adele.”

The summer shows will take place in a “bespoke stadium” with a combination of grandstand seating and standing areas, based at convention centre Munich Messe.

“It’s a multifunctional arena, twice the size of a football stadium, with a diameter of 300 meters, the stage alone is 220 meters wide,” says Leutgeb, who has enlisted the help of renowned stage designer Florian Wieder.

“I had to develop something very special, something that was 100 percent Adele”

“But for me, it’s not about size or dimension. For me it’s about content, I want to realize my dreams and visions because that’s the only thing that makes me happy and I’m restless.”

The promoter, who has previously organised shows at Munich Messe with artists including Andreas Gabalier, Helene Fischer and Robbie Williams in 2022, will co-promote the shows with Marek Lieberberg of Live Nation GSA.

The exclusive European dates mark the first time Adele has performed in mainland Europe since 2016.

At the time of the announcement, Adele said: “I was too curious to not follow up and indulge in this idea, a one-off, bespoke pop-up stadium designed around whatever show I want to put on? Ohh!? Pretty much slap bang in the middle of Europe? In Munich? That’s a bit random, but still fabulous!”

The singer’s 100-night Weekends with Adele run at The Colosseum (cap. 4,100) at Caesars Palace is due to wrap up in June this year. The first 24 dates grossed US$52.8 million (€48.8m).

The 35-year-old star is represented by Lucy Dickins and Kirk Sommer at WME.

 


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Adele plans 80k-cap residency in ‘bespoke stadium’

Adele has announced a series of 80,000-capacity outdoor shows in Munich, Germany, this summer.

The four concerts (2–3 and 9–10 August) will take place in a “bespoke stadium” with a combination of grandstand seating and standing areas, based at convention centre Munich Messe.

These exclusive European dates, promoted by Live Nation, mark the first time Adele has performed in mainland Europe since 2016.

“So a few months ago I got a call about a summer run of shows,” Adele wrote in a statement shared on social media. “I’ve been content as anything with my shows in London’s Hyde Park and my residency in Vegas, so I hadn’t had any other plans.

“However, I was too curious to not follow up and indulge in this idea, a one-off, bespoke pop-up stadium designed around whatever show I want to put on? Ohh!? Pretty much slap bang in the middle of Europe? In Munich? That’s a bit random, but still fabulous!”

“I couldn’t think of a more wonderful way to spend my summer”

The singer’s 100-night Weekends with Adele run at The Colosseum (cap. 4,100) at Caesars Palace is due to wrap up in June this year. The first 24 dates grossed US$52.8 million (€48.8m).

The Live Nation-promoted residency, which was postponed just 24 hours before opening night in January 2022, ultimately kicked off that November before being extended in spring 2023.

Aside from the Vegas run, Adele has played only limited live dates in support of her most recent album, 2021’s 30 – performing two nights at the 65,000-cap BST Hyde Park in London, UK in July 2022.

Adele last went out on the road for her 2016/17 Adele Live tour, which grossed US$278.4m across 120 shows at the box office. The Australian leg of the tour made concert history down under after playing to more than 600,000 people over eight stadium dates in 2017, breaking attendance records at all eight venues.

The 35-year-old star is represented by Lucy Dickins and Kirk Sommer at WME.

 


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Fruzsina Szép on “almost perfect” Superbloom

Superbloom director Fruzsina Szép has spoken to IQ about the “almost perfect” second edition of the German festival.

The two-day event returned to Munich’s historic Olympic Park last weekend (2–3 September), featuring artists including Imagine Dragons, Martin Garrix, Peter Fox, Ava Max, Ellie Goulding and more.

Despite last year’s teething problems, the Goodlive-promoted festival continued its sell-out streak, with 50,000 attendees on each of the two days.

“We had so many learnings from 2022 and only one year to apply them but all the effort was worth it because we really succeeded in correcting the mistakes and failures,” says Szép.

One of the biggest issues with last year’s edition was crowd flow around the 70,000-capacity Olympic Stadium, which meant organisers were forced to halt entry to the main stage before it reached full capacity.

“I’ve never experienced a festival like this, that I’ve been involved with”

“This year, we moved the stage to the head of the stadium so it was much easier to get in and out and there was a constant flow, no backlogs,” she explains. “All the space was there to stand or sit and we had separate areas for our premium guests.”

Crowd flow around the festival was also relieved by increased signage: “We communicated with the audience beforehand and throughout to inform them about the challenges [of the festival site] and of the time it takes to walk between stages,” she adds.

The extreme weather at the debut edition, which forced Years & Years to forego their set on the main stage, was also a distant memory and the band returned to perform in 23-degree heat.

Also contributing to a successful edition was the lack of incidents at this year’s festival. “It was an absolutely beautiful and calm atmosphere throughout those two days. I’ve never experienced a festival like this, that I’ve been involved with,” says the seasoned festival pro, who has previously worked on Sziget (Hungary) and Lollapalooza Berlin.

“We did a lot of communication upfront about safety and security and how important that is for us,” says Szép. “We let our audience know that we doubled the inclusion and awareness teams this year. It’s about creating safer spaces all over the festival and having mobile teams.”

“People said they’ve never seen so many people with disabilities partying together with the crowd”

Szép believes the increased support teams, in combination with a diverse programme, is the reason for Superbloom’s majority-female audience, which has increased from 60% to 70% since last year.

Female representation on the lineup was also high – at 45% – though the director says the goal isn’t to achieve a gender-balanced bill. “The goal is to have a good bill that is also diverse, with plenty of queer artists and artists living with disabilities,” she says.

Accessibility was once again a top priority for Szép, who grew up with a blind father. For this year’s edition, Superbloom doubled the size of the wheelchair area in the stadium and increased the number of disabled toilets. The festival attracted three times more people living with disabilities than last year.

“Audience members said they’ve never seen so many people with disabilities partying together with the crowd and how amazing it was to see that,” says Szép. “Everybody should have the possibility to have the best time of their life at a festival.

“In our experience areas, we programmed a lot of content that was about inclusion, diversity and social issues – like what is it like to be living with a disability. And we had a German rapper, who creates ironic songs about his disability, perform and appear on a panel. These are small but important things for our mission.”

“I never want to organise a perfect festival – although this year was almost perfect”

Though Szép has been widely celebrated for Superbloom’s accessibility, including by the German government, it firmly remains top of her list for the next edition.

“For the 2024 edition, I’d like to develop more services for disabled people. I’d also like to work on more special partnerships with companies that represent global, local and social issues, and on the experience aspect of the festival, making more use of the lake,” she says.

“There’s always space for development. My expectations are pretty high but I know you have to improve step by step – I think it’s important to have a natural development and not to do everything at once. I never want to organise a perfect festival – although this year was almost perfect.

“It’s also a financial question anyway. In times like these, when prices are getting higher and higher, organising a festival or creating a new brand is a huge financial risk. It will take some time for Superbloom to be profitable – it’s an investment – but we already have a strong brand in year two.

“I’m really thankful to our audience that they trusted us and bought our tickets, despite the problems that we had last year. So many festivals in Germany and Europe struggled but we sold out again. I think after year three we can be sure Superbloom will have a very stable future.”

 


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Springsteen Germany gig hit by fake ticket scam

Hundreds of Bruce Springsteen fans were left disappointed after the tickets they bought on secondary platforms for the rocker’s show in Germany turned out to be fake.

T-Online reports that around 300 fans were caught out by the scam for The Boss’ 69,000-cap concert at Munich’s Olympic Stadium with the E Street Band on 23 July. Some people had paid up to €600 for the counterfeit tickets.

Katharina Wenisch, spokesperson for promoter Live Nation GSA, says between 200 and 300 fans were turned away with fake tickets, leading police to be informed.

According to SZ, similar reports were received in Austria regarding Springsteen’s 18 July show at Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium.

“The higher the desire, the greater the risk that people will buy on the secondary market if there are no more tickets from the official providers”

“The higher the desire, the greater the risk that people will buy on the secondary market if there are no more tickets from the official providers,” adds Wenisch.

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band’s 2023 Tour was No.2 in Pollstar‘s mid-year rankings, behind only Taylor Swift, after grossing US$142.6 million (€129m) from 673,277 ticket sales in the first six months of this year. The average ticket price was $211.80.

Ticketing for the run was subject to controversy before it even began after individual tickets reached more than $5,000 via Ticketmaster’s market-based platinum pricing model when the first wave of US tour dates went on sale last summer.

The backlash prompted the 73-year-old’s manager Jon Landau to defend the pricing, insisting it was in line with shows for acts of a similar stature, while Springsteen himself told Rolling Stone: “Ticket buying has gotten very confusing, not just for the fans, but for the artists also. And the bottom line is that most of our tickets are totally affordable.”

 


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Artists support Roger Waters over German gig ban

Artists including Eric Clapton, Brian Eno, Nick Mason, Peter Gabriel and Tom Morello are among more than 10,000 people to have signed a petition demanding for Roger Waters’ upcoming concerts in Germany to be allowed to go ahead.

Waters was scheduled to perform at Munich’s Olympiahalle and Festhalle Frankfurt on 21 and 28 May, respectively, as part of the German leg of his This Is Not a Drill tour.

However, the dates have become shrouded in controversy, with Munich City Council and the city of Frankfurt attempting to block the Pink Floyd co-founder from performing over allegations of antisemitism.

In response, Waters said last week that he is taking legal action over the “unconstitutional” move, which he says is “without justification, and based upon the false accusation that Roger Waters is antisemitic, which he is not”.

“Mr Waters believes that if this blatant attempt to silence him is left unchallenged it could have serious, far-reaching consequences for artists and activists all over the world,” concluded the statement issued by the 79-year-old’s management.

“We… are deeply disturbed by the recent efforts by German officials to discredit and silence musician Roger Waters”

Launched by American journalist Katie Halper, the new petition is backed by a raft of high-profile signatories also including intellectual Noam Chomsky, actor Susan Sarandon, film directors Ken Loach and Terry Gilliam, and musician Robert Wyatt.

“We artists, musicians, writers, and other public figures and organisations are deeply disturbed by the recent efforts by German officials to discredit and silence musician Roger Waters,” it reads.

“The Frankfurt City Council says that they cancelled Waters’ concert ‘set a clear signal against anti-Semitism’, describing the musician as ‘one of the most widely spread anti-Semites in the world’. As evidence, the council says that Waters ‘repeatedly called for a cultural boycott of Israel and drew comparisons to the apartheid regime in South Africa and put pressure on artists to cancel events in Israel’.

“There is no other evidence other than these two claims: that Waters has supported the Palestinian-led cultural boycott of Israel campaign and that he has compared contemporary Israel’s government to the apartheid regime in South Africa. Neither of these claims is unique to Waters or outside the boundaries of mainstream public opinion.”

It concludes: “Officials in Germany, concert organisers, and music platforms must not succumb to the pressure of those individuals and groups who would rather see Waters’ music removed than engage with the issues his music highlights. We call on those who have cancelled Waters’ concerts to reverse their decisions.”

 


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Roger Waters takes legal action over axed gigs

Roger Waters is taking legal action over moves to cancel his upcoming concerts in Frankfurt and Munich.

The Pink Floyd co-founder was scheduled to perform in Germany at Barclays Arena in Hamburg (7 May), Cologne’s Lanxess Arena (9 May), Mercedes Benz Arena in Berlin (17-18 May), Munich’s Olympiahalle (21 May) and Festhalle Frankfurt (28 May) as part of his This Is Not a Drill tour.

However, the dates have become shrouded in controversy, with the city of Frankfurt attempting to block Waters from performing over allegations of antisemitism. The site is also of historical significance as Jewish Telegraph Agency notes that the Festhalle was the site of the deportation of 3,000 Jews to their deaths during the Holocaust, just after Kristallnacht.

A statement issued by Frankfurt City Council says: “The background to the cancellation is the persistent anti-Israel behaviour of the former Pink Floyd frontman, who is considered one of the most widely spread antisemites in the world.

“He repeatedly called for a cultural boycott of Israel and drew comparisons to the apartheid regime in South Africa, and put pressure on artists to cancel events in Israel.”

Munich City Council is also looking to ban the 79-year-old from performing in the city, alleging that he “keeps stirring up antisemitic resentment”, as well as “spreading conspiracy ideologies that relativise and justify Russia’s brutal war of aggression against Ukraine”.

“Mr Waters has instructed his lawyers to immediately take all necessary steps to overturn this unjustifiable decision”

However, through a statement issued by his management, Waters has hit back at the “unconstitutional” course of action, which he says is “without justification, and based upon the false accusation that Roger Waters is antisemitic, which he is not”.

“As a result of this unilateral, politically motivated action, Mr Waters has instructed his lawyers to immediately take all necessary steps to overturn this unjustifiable decision to ensure that his fundamental human right of freedom of speech is protected and that all of those who wish to see him perform, are free to do so in Frankfurt, Munich and in any other city in any other country,” reads the statement.

“Mr Waters believes that if this blatant attempt to silence him is left unchallenged it could have serious, far-reaching consequences for artists and activists all over the world.”

Last month, a cross-party group of politicians in Germany joined forces to demand the cancellation of Waters’ Cologne date due to his comments on the war in Ukraine. Two scheduled concerts by Waters at Tauron Arena in Krakow, Poland, were cancelled last year over the same issue.

Subsequently invited by Moscow to address the UN Security Council via video link last month, Waters used the platform to condemn Russia’s “illegal” invasion of Ukraine “in the strongest possible terms”, but repeated his claim that it “was not unprovoked, so I also condemn the provocateurs in the strongest possible terms”.

 


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Live Nation to launch Rolling Loud in Germany

Live Nation and Austrian promoter Leutgeb Entertainment Group are teaming up to bring hip-hop festival Rolling Loud to Germany next year.

The news comes shortly after Live Nation’s Mojo Concerts announced that its Dutch festival Woo Hah! would become Rolling Loud Rotterdam next year.

The Germany spin-off is to take place from 7–9 July 2023 at the Munich Exhibition Center, where Leutgeb has organised multiple concerts this year. The line-up for the Munich edition is yet to be announced.

Since launching in 2015, Rolling Loud has grown from a one-day event in Miami into the world’s largest hip-hop festival franchise, with a presence in the US, Canada, the Netherlands and Portugal.

This summer, the brand made its European debut in Portugal, which was headlined by J Cole, A$AP Rocky and Future. The Live Nation-backed inauguration, which was delayed due to the pandemic, was held on Praia Da Rocha Beach, Portimão, in the Algarve.

“Rolling Loud has grown to become the most powerful hip-hop festival in music history”

Rolling Loud also launched a Canadian edition in September at Ontario Place, Toronto, with headliners Dave, Future and Wizkid.

Later that month, the New York edition took place at Queens Citi Field, headed by Nicki Minaj, A$AP Rocky and Future.

The festival returned to its hometown of Miami for its biggest event to date, featuring Kid Cudi, Kendrick Lamar and Future.

Rolling Loud will not only plant its flag in Germany and the Netherlands in 2023, it will also make its first foray into Asia with a Thailand chapter. Plus, the brand will return to Los Angeles next year for the first time since 2019.

“Under the leadership of its founders, Matt Zingler and Tariq Cherif, Rolling Loud has grown to become the most powerful hip-hop festival in music history,” says Live Nation.

 


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