Düsseldorf Open Air delays force AC/DC indoors

Plans for AC/DC to open Düsseldorf’s controversial Open Air Park venue this summer have been shelved, with the gig instead switching to the nearby Merkur Spiel-Arena.

Venue developers D.Live and local promoter Concert Team had hoped the legendary rockers’ 8 July concert would mark the start of a new era for the city, with a proposed outdoor venue catering for up to 80,000 fans. However, concerns about the number of trees that would need to be cut down, as well as objections about traffic disruption, noise, and anxiety over anti-social behaviour have seemingly delayed the project, with local authorities stalled on approving full planning consent.

Instead, D.Live has announced that the show will take place on the same date in the adjacent Merkur Spiel-Arena (cap. 52,500).

The delay is another setback for Düsseldorf’s venue portfolio, following a similar situation seven years ago when a scheduled outdoor show by Ed Sheeran, in the same location, had to be cancelled after objections in relation to the felling of trees, and worries over local wildlife.

“The event would not have come to Düsseldorf if this opportunity had not existed”

Undeterred by the delay, D.Live managing director Michael Brill notes that AC/DC would not have visited the city at all had they not been able to present Düsseldorf’s range of facilities to the band and their representatives.

“Düsseldorf as the location for the AC/DC concert also reflects the strategic importance of the upcoming Open Air Park,” says Brill. “Although it is now being relocated, the event would not have come to Düsseldorf if this opportunity had not existed. Through its portfolio strategy, D.Live is solidifying Düsseldorf as a top location for live entertainment.”

Noting that, “The relocation of the event has no connection with the development plan procedure for the Open Air Park,” on which the City Council will announce its bylaw resolution on 28 May, Brill adds, “Fortunately, we can react very flexibly to changing requirements here in Düsseldorf and relocate shows to one of our other venues. Of course, we find it very unfortunate that we won’t be celebrating the premiere of the Open Air Park Düsseldorf with AC/DC this year and have postponed it to 2026. At the same time, however, we are pleased that the concert with these global stars will take place in Düsseldorf.”

The show’s relocation means that tree felling in the park will not be carried out this year, but D.Live says other development steps involving the provision of electricity, water, and sewage systems are “still in full swing.”

Fans who had already purchased standing room tickets, or tickets for the outdoor show’s wheelchair access area will need to exchange their ticket to book places in the relevant areas of the arena, but other fans should be able to use their existing tickets for entry to the relocated event.

AC/DC’s PWR UP tour will also visit Berlin’s Olympic Stadium (30 June) and Messe Karlsruhe (17 August), and elsewhere the band’s European dates will include appearances in Prague, Warsaw, Madrid, Imola, Tallinn, Gothenburg, Oslo, Paris, and Edinburgh.

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