The biggest concerts in the world. The biggest concerts in the world Where are rock concerts

In honor of the anniversary of the Tushino festival "Monsters of Rock", the site has collected eyewitness memories of the most significant concerts of foreign rock musicians in the USSR.

September 28, 2016 marks exactly a quarter of a century since that memorable day, when, according to various estimates, from 500 thousand to one and a half million rock music lovers gathered in the vast expanses of the Tushino field, who got the opportunity to hear and see rock completely free of charge (that is, for nothing) - world-class bands such as AC / DC and Metallica. For some, the Monsters of Rock festival has become one of the most striking musical experiences of their entire lives, for others it is just a demonstration of the inability of domestic organizers to organize something, and good example how low (literally) some rockers can go. For others, perhaps the negative and the positive have become part of the overall picture. And in this sense, we can say that the festival "Monsters of Rock" has become final chord, which crowned the difficult history of rock concerts in the USSR; a story in which the bureaucracy and inexperience of domestic organizers is balanced by the incredible (and sometimes excessive or simply strangely expressed) enthusiasm of music lovers and the genuine joy of meeting idols that many of our compatriots did not hope to see live in their lifetime. Can we say that the tour foreign performers changed the history of our country, gradually loosening the "Iron Curtain"? There may be different opinions on this matter. But it is clear that these rock concerts have changed the fate of some of those who had the good fortune to be on them. And there is evidence for that!

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Variety Theatre, 1977

One of the first Western bands to come to the USSR was the Nitty Gritty Band. This American group gave a number of concerts throughout the country, appeared on Central Television and, according to some estimates, gathered a total audience of 145 million Soviet citizens. For many domestic rock music fans, the problem was only one thing: Nitty Gritty Dirt Band were ... a country band.

Alexander Zheleznov:“The most scrap was in 1977. When we first came (just think!) a real American band! Performed at the Variety Theatre. No one knew at all what it was, who it was. It’s a mystery how they got to us then!

Dmitry Vakhrameev (member of the famous Russian country band Apple Jack):“It was our first cultural exchange with the States - the Pesnyary went there, and they sent us the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. They performed at the Ostankino studio in 1977, and the concert was shown only in 1979. I saw this concert, which struck me. On this basis, I sunk into the banjo.

Alexander Zheleznov: " All this happened rather unexpectedly. In those days, of course, there were no announcements and posters. The information was spread by word of mouth. There was a rumor that some mysterious American band was coming. No one had any idea what kind of group it was. But the very fact that real Americans are coming was a real shock at the time.

Posters were only at the Variety Theater, where they performed. And nowhere else - no announcements, advertising. And there was no afterword in the press either - the times were dense. And before the concert there was a real stir - already at the metro stations they were shooting tickets for any money. And in front of the theater itself, there was a murder in general. Tickets from the hands of 100 rubles! It was the monthly salary of an engineer at the time.

In reality, the people did not understand, firstly, how it happened at all - the very fact that a real American group arrived. "Democrats" and Poles used to come, but then the "decaying West" showed up!

The people tuned in to the fact that it would be some kind of rock, but it was ... country! It turned out to be a large team, about ten people with all the standard country instruments - banjos, washboards and more. At first, the people got a little crazy - because everyone tuned in to something else. There were shouts of “Smoke on the water, come on!”. And they very professionally left these expectations, brought the audience. As a result, the concert was, as they say, with a bang.

Of course, there was no police, at that time no one even thought of such a thing. The people were quite liberated at the end - they clapped, shouted. The people greeted them standing up, they were happy and contented, as far as I understood.”

Elton John, Moscow, Leningrad, May 1979

Amazing, contradicting, it would seem, all the laws of Soviet reality, Elton John's tour became the first ever tour in the USSR by a rock star of a truly global scale. According to the established opinion, these tours solved a purely practical problem - on the eve of the Moscow Olympics, the rest of the world needed to demonstrate the "openness" and "civilization" of the Soviet Union - which was successfully done. Even if the world community at that time simply did not learn about some details of the organization of these concerts.

Vasily Buryanov(in an interview with Interlocutor): “My friend had an export version of the VEF receiver with frequencies of 13, 16 and 19 meters - in this range, “enemy voices” were not muffled, and we learned that the Ministry of Culture was negotiating with Elton John about tours in the USSR. It seems that even one of the high officials himself visited Elton's concert to make sure that he was harmless to Soviet culture. We did not really believe this news. However, I didn’t care - I then lived in Barnaul, studied in a foreign language and, of course, I couldn’t go anywhere, and therefore I didn’t even dream of getting to a concert. But I was lucky: around the middle of May, I was sent to Gorky for All-Russian Olympiad in English. I jumped at this opportunity and made it to Moscow.”

Alexander Zheleznov:“Elton John was also funny - there were no announcements, nothing. There were several concerts. People heard about it. And people really spent the night near the box office, on the slopes near the Zaryadye cinema - there people were in sleeping bags. I don’t remember exactly what the capacity of Rossiya was, something like three and a half thousand - in terms of capacity it was the equivalent of a modern Crocus, but an official piece of paper hung at the box office that there would be 400 tickets on sale. And so people spent the night there for two days in sleeping bags. No one was chased - people are lying in bags, well, they are lying. People were waiting for the opening of the cash desk, there was a dray queue. Only two tickets were given. The tickets sold out immediately. Everything else was distributed exclusively to district committees, city committees and party committees.

Vasily Buryanov:“As I later found out, tickets were not very sold, only a hundred or two lucky ones got it. My friend's father worked as a deputy minister of some industry and got him a ticket to a concert. Another acquaintance also brought a ticket to his father - a nomenklatura worker. And since Moscow was teeming with all sorts of bosses, ordinary people there was nothing to look forward to. I went to Leningrad. Square in front concert hall Oktyabrsky looked different - it was noisy, the crowd was seething, simpletons lined up near the cash register, hoping to sell "armor". I bought a ticket by a miracle. From hands. For 35 Soviet rubles.

Alexander Zheleznov:“So the audience at the concert was appropriate. From the series “We don’t know who Elton John is, but since there is such a hype, it should be noted.” There was a corresponding reaction to the performance - people sat with brick faces. Because the tickets that went on free sale were only for the balcony and the back rows, and from there the audience greeted him joyfully. He got used to a slightly different reaction - he made all this clowning, played the piano with his feet, and people sit and do not understand what is happening at all. Except for the audience in the back rows. There was sepulchral silence in the stalls. By the end, he was only working for those on the balcony, realizing that that was where his audience was.”

Vasily Buryanov:“At the concert, he yelled with urine:“ Get back ... Get back ... Get back to where you once belonged ”and one day he caught the eye of an aunt from the front row. A party worker in a formal dress with a collar and a smooth hairdo with a bump looked at me with such horror, as if I were a devil who had jumped out of the underworld. Somewhere inside I felt disgusted, I actually felt like an “alien element” and a “conductor of bourgeois ideology”, as we were then called. And the next morning I got out of the subway - it seems, on "Sadovaya", - looked around, and it seemed to me that yesterday everything was in reality, and today I'm sleeping. There are such dreams when you go somewhere, turn, run, and all the time you find yourself in a dead end.

Alexander Zheleznov:“The performance was quite specific, because he did not come with a band, but only with his drummer, with Ray Cooper, they were together. No one behaved like now, because everyone was squeezed, frightened. Unlike Nitty Gritty, who passed without leaving a trace, there was a lot of press coverage. Those who were in the subject - those, of course, got real pleasure.

On film miraculously even an impromptu performance by Elton John and Ray Cooper at the restaurant of the Evropeyskaya Hotel in Leningrad, where they were staying at the time, was even included. They were joined on bass by Clive Franks, the band's sound engineer, and on guitar by another unidentified member of the British delegation.

Paris-France-Transit, c / c "Olympic", 1983

Under this rather tricky name, due to some legal problems, was hiding the electronic project of the Frenchman Didier Marouani, who until recently released records under the much more famous Space banner. But our country knew all the heroes, and all the concerts of the Marouani group were held with a real full house. For our listeners, it was still Space.

Alexander Zheleznov:“Some kind of breakthrough was Space in 83rd. People saw lasers for the first time during the show. The music was famous because the band was already really popular at the time. Recordings went, "Melody" released their debut album under license. Everyone knew their music then and loved it very much. Therefore, rock was not required. And at first no one understood - they go into the hall, and everything is in a fog - what is it? Forgot to ventilate the room? Nobody saw the smoke either.”

Alexander Zheleznov:“At the concert, everyone was just stunned. Everyone knew about lasers - but in a completely different application. And so, when all these lasers appeared in a foggy hall, people just went nuts. All Space concerts were sold out. Although they were to hell. If my memory serves me right, tickets cost 3-5 rubles.

Billy Joel, Moscow, Leningrad, July 1987.

The “American Elton John” and the hero of the “Morning Mail”, despite all the frivolous associations, always knew how to give real rock and roll and how to turn on the audience - which he did at several concerts in Moscow and Leningrad. At that time for foreign musicians tours in the USSR looked like a landing on Mars, and Joel proudly celebrated his Soviet tours with the release of a live album with the curious title “KOHUEPT” and the writing of a very heartfelt song “Leningrad” - based on a true story ... But more on that later.

Dmitry Shipov (worked as a vigilante at many concerts of the 80s):“Were there many posters at that time? Posters at that time were not needed at all. The poster hung only in front of the Olympic.

Dmitry Shipov:“There were three concerts at the Olympic. In Leningrad, he spoke later, after Moscow. As far as I remember, it was July 1987. In Moscow, these were the last days of July. It was pure rock and roll. All three concerts were packed, and the audience did not sit with their hands on their knees. As far as I remember, there was a considerable number of his fans, namely Americans. The people turned up pretty quickly. I can’t remember exactly from what moment the people, having risen, no longer sat down. There was a very loud sound. And there was a song about Vietnam that started with the sound of a helicopter flying by. And that sound of the helicopter rumbled very cool. This is not transmitted in any way in the recording, it was necessary to be present.

At the second concert of three, he went crazy, he noticed, apparently, that the illuminators shone into the camera that was filming, or they blinded the audience themselves. In short, he noticed that something was going wrong, that the light was not shining where he thought it was right. He overturned the electric organ, grabbed the microphone stand and slammed it against the stage with all his might. It was a complete surprise for everyone, including the musicians of his group. And since this was the second concert, at the third I expected him to throw something out again, but he didn’t throw anything out.

Dmitry Shipov:"The combatants had Golden Rule, when instructed that you can’t climb into the ranks if a person got up, and even if some combatants did this (in principle, at concerts), they were cut down. Only in Luzhniki the briefing was different - there, if a person stood up, he was allowed to sit back in his place. This has never been done at the Olympic. The only thing was that it was impossible to let him get closer to the stage, but Billy Joel bypassed this method, he just went down to the hall himself, went out into the aisle, took one of the audience by the hand, and the chain that he drew turned out. Neither the police nor the combatants could stop him. He just led people to the stalls, to the front rows.”

The Moscow circus worker Viktor Razinov was not originally going to go to Billy Joel's concert, but history wanted their meeting to become one of the highlights of his visit to the USSR for the American musician. With the help of Yuri Nikulin, Victor got tickets for a concert for himself and his friend, and on July 26 they went to the Olimpiysky together.

Viktor Razinov:“We meet on Prospekt Mira, and the people are rushing invisibly. [In front of the complex] there were all sorts of bosses, party workers - it is not clear whether it was a rock concert or a party meeting. They all went through the service door. I looked and thought, well, to hell with him, there will be something like Karel Gott. And suddenly the music started! Never have I heard anything like it. A sound was heard from the hall on the street - like a helicopter is flying. The windows were trembling. I think you should come and listen. The sound just amazed me. We go to our balcony and look - below, in the first rows, these bosses are sitting, hands on their knees. And we young people don't know what to do. Then there was the second branch. I sit, I look - the guys work just great. But there is no return from the hall. Only we are active from behind. And Billy sees that the audience that was sitting in the front, these bosses, are gone. He sees that there are empty seats, and rushed to one of the songs to our balcony. And all for themselves. There are cops all around, gebnya ... I think, “Oh my God!” and I jump right on this pillar from the balcony, and - bang! - down! How I didn't crash, I don't know. Here we rushed after him! There were cops: “stop, where are you going?!”. But they realized that it was better to step aside here. Such a mass rushed! But everyone was very friendly, no aggression. It felt like he finally opened the gate for us! Together with the American students, we all embrace… Hurrah, it started! Here we just started dancing. It was an amazing atmosphere."

Viktor Razinov:“The next day, at lunchtime, we gathered from the circus to go to the Academy of Sciences. And I forget my keys. And our elephant was sick, and he yelled. Damn it, someone had to be on duty near him. Well, I think, okay, I'll go, I'll stay. Went back. And then I look into the circus comes ... I scream from the opposite exit: “Billy! Billy!!" All our folk artists wondering who is this? Translator Oleg Smirnov runs up: “How do you know him?” I say: "It's Billy, I was at his concert yesterday!" Oleg says, “Can you say two words to him on camera?”. And then Billy comes up with Christy and Alexa [Christine Brinkley - supermodel, then-wife of Joel; Alexa Ray - their daughter, who at that time was two years old - site], we started talking. I say: "Billy, I liked the sincerity and honesty with which you spoke."

Billy got carried away talking to Victor, and then Victor gave Alexa an impromptu tour of the circus. “If you want to conquer our audience, dedicate a song to Vysotsky,” Viktor advised American musician. As a result, Joel, who had visited Vysotsky's grave the day before, did just that, performing his song “Honesty” in honor of the famous bard. Victor, along with his brother Vyacheslav, was also at this concert - this time at the invitation of Billy Joel himself. Soon, again at the invitation of the musician, Victor followed him to concerts in Leningrad, where he arranged for Billy a tour of the most "hip" points of the Northern capital, and also contributed to his appearance in the program " Music ring". Billy Joel was so touched by the reception that he received in the Soviet Union, as well as communication with Victor, that, impressed by what he saw, he wrote the song “Leningrad”, in which he practically retold the entire biography of Victor and the story of his meeting with him. Many years later, in 2015, they met again, and their meeting was as emotional as the meeting of two good friends who have not seen each other can be. long years. And today, footage of Billy Joel's communication with Victor and his brother Vyacheslav can be seen in the video for the song "Leningrad" and in the documentary "A Matter of Trust - The Bridge to Russia", which is dedicated to "Viktor Razinov and all Soviet people who opened his heart to rock 'n' roll.

Uriah Heep, Moscow, c / c "Olympic", December 1987

This is not to say that at the end of 1987 the veterans of Uriah Heep played a significant role on the world rock scene. However, ten (ten!) concerts at the Olimpiyskiy became important historical event not only for the 180 thousand Soviet rock fans who attended these performances, but also for the group itself, which, thanks to performances behind the Iron Curtain, was able to somewhat improve its shattered reputation.

Alexander Zheleznov:“Uriah Heep is still bowing to us because the band was dying, and only the reputation of the first band that broke through Iron curtain, they were raised to some height, and they rushed on.

Dmitry Shipov:“Uriah Heep is historically considered the first rock band to come to the USSR. At the "Hip" in Olimiisky, the organizers vacated the entire stalls, it was empty, and people were not allowed into the standing stalls. This, of course, was a deplorable sight. At some point in the concert, in the middle, or towards the end, they just descended into this empty space, ran up to the front rows of spectators who were sitting in the stands.

Alexander Zheleznov:“It was no longer Space, it was hard rock, which our officials have always feared as a terrible western contagion. They were afraid that something would happen. It really was the first hard group we had, and the Olympic was half open, and instead of the stalls there was a bare concrete floor. The people sat only in the stands. In the stalls, along the entire stage, there were soldiers in dark blue training suits - God forbid someone jumps out. The musicians got a little crazy about it.. When they went on stage and saw this emptiness, they thought that no one came to the concert. And then, when the spotlights flashed, did they see? that the stands are packed to the brim. Bernie Shaw then spat on everything and with the Soviet flag rushed to the front rows of the stands to shake hands.

Festival "Rock Summer", Tallinn, August 1988

The Baltic States, located in close proximity to Europe, has always been considered the most "progressive" part of the vast Soviet country. While Moscow and Leningrad were storming the concerts of "rock veterans", a rock festival was held in Estonia, where you could see all kinds of alternative and post-punk bands, including Public Image Ltd or simply PiL - John Lydon's band, which for ten Years before, under the name Johnny Rotten, he led the main punk band in the Universe, the Sex Pistols.

Lev Goncharov:“There are a lot of people, the Singing Field is simply huge. Everywhere these new Estonian flags of theirs, which was surprising. A bunch of punks came to Rotten - I didn’t even suspect that we had so many of them - from St. Petersburg (really gangster-like, not like Moscow ones) and even “from Krasnoyar”. The hip crowd also gathered from different cities, many I knew, all sorts of rock activists, self-publishers, etc. Rotten, of course, was the main star, I couldn’t even believe it - they almost called him a fascist until recently in our newspapers, Nazareth hadn’t reached us then ... But at the same time there were Big Country (which struck with an absolutely studio sound - for the first time faced with this - although pop music, of course), and Steve Hackett, whom many specially came to (even some of the punks knew him, which is surprising) and who completely ridiculously came out with classical guitar in a three-piece suit and portrayed Andres Segovia. Well, and, basically, the local regional "conglomerate" - Scandinavians-Finns, etc. Everything is rather styleless, brutal - well, it’s cool to stare, we haven’t had this before. Some kind of Leather Nun (they were very worn with him), the Finnish Leningrad Cowboys are completely clowning. Gunnar Grapps (well known to us) just played dumb heavy metal.”

Lev Goncharov:“PiL left such an ambivalent impression - yes, Rotten himself is jumping here, it’s cool, but I personally got tired of this two-guitar strumming sound by that time, quite standard for those times, also “semi-synthetic”. And over time, it turned out that the most vivid impression was left by the post-festival concert of local punk bands in the Tallinn courtyard with the name "Bastion", it seems - several dozen people from the local party, very colorful looking, their girls of a medieval look (beautiful, by the way), gothic the walls around, the sun, short fast songs to the fuzz - authentic, in short.

Sonic Youth, Moscow, movie theater "Eaglet", April 1989

IN next year modern rock got to Moscow - and in a very decent form: Sonic Youth arrived in the capital, who at that time had just released their famous album "Daydream Nation" and were at the very forefront of American alternative rock.

Lev Goncharov:“In the 89th year, Sonic Youth played a couple of concerts in St. Petersburg and Moscow. I had not heard them before, I only knew that this was some kind of fashionable "indie". For some reason, Vova Blue was in the first department. Then zinc boxes were brought onto the stage and electric guitars began to be unloaded from them in enormous quantities, and they were lying there like sprats in cans, without any cases. At that time I was more interested in Hendrix's notes and had no idea about any alternative tunings (although I noticed that they did not play a single normal chord during the entire concert), so I just stared at all these beaten, tape-wrapped vintage Jaguars, Jazzmasters and Telecasters, wondering why there are so many. Among them, I was surprised to find Gedear's Eterna Deluxe - Moore pounded on it with a drum stick.

Of course, they set up their economy for quite a long time, but then such a SOUND went from the stage, which I have never heard - neither before nor after. It was a force field, woven from a million overtones, sharp and beating, physically pulling everything around into itself. There was a strange feeling of participation in the common action, we seemed to be floating in this sound, and it didn’t matter at all who exactly was making it. And it had nothing to do with the usual url "energy exchange" at rock concerts ("Shai-boo!" - "I can't see your hands!"). They did not make heroes out of themselves, did not flirt with the audience and did not at all try to overcome the notorious “fourth wall”, against which the artists and the public shouted “We are together!” they constantly break their forehead - because she was completely absent.

Lev Goncharov:“Unfortunately, at that concert, our unity and complicity was destroyed - someone from the crowd screaming in front of the stage threw a beer can at Kim Gordon - most likely, without malice, for a drive. Moore did not like this treatment of his wife, he slowed down his Jaguar and ran into the crowd with a heavy army boot. The punks were offended and started to beat Moore. Several people immediately jumped out from behind the curtains, stood on the edge of the stage and began to knead the crowd with their feet. At first I even decided that they were carrying security with them, but it turned out that it was the organizers who stood up (there were no security guards then). This went on for quite a long time, but I was unable to shoot, because the trunk with an interchangeable lens was somewhere in the hall among the fighters. Suddenly, a little man appeared on the stage, fell next to Shelley's drums and, with wild cries, began to beat all his limbs and his head against the boards. And looking at him, everyone gradually stopped fighting for some reason.

This case illustrates well the difference in mentalities. We have “the buyer is always right”, the artist can be offended, but he has no right to answer. Someone well recalled the dances of the 70s: “If the group liked it, then the brick, before being thrown onto the stage, was wrapped in a padded jacket ...” And the Sonics do not feel like “artists”, everyone is on an equal footing, there is no fourth wall. They finished the game quite calmly, but, of course, there was no unity any more.

Pink Floyd, Moscow, c / c "Olympic", June 1989

The concerts of Pink Floyd, who came to Moscow to “roll” their album “A Momentary Lapse Of The Reason”, became, without a doubt, the most significant solo performances of any rock band in the USSR. The group's prices by the standards of the State Concert were simply sky-high, and the ruble exchange rate reduced the chances of Pink Floyd's performance in the USSR to almost zero. After very curious offers of barter (timber, oil and even black caviar), the group agreed to perform almost for free - as a result, the Soviet side paid only for the flight and accommodation of the musicians.

Alexander Zheleznov: " There were big problems with tickets. Personally, I have not seen them for sale at all. For speculators, the price reached 100 rubles at a face value of 9-10! Posters were printed, but when the excitement began even without them, the entire circulation was put under the knife so as not to stir up passions! Only a few pieces survived - the walls were pasted over at the press conference.”

Dmitry Shipov:“Pink Floyd - in my opinion, this was the first time that the wall was removed, dividing the Olympic into two parts. The sound and light made the strongest impression, without a doubt. It is indescribable in words. It was the first time for us - such a large-scale sound show.

Dmitry Shipov: " The main rule of the combatants was not to allow open fire, because if someone started to light lighters on slow songs, they could simply be taken away. In order to avoid getting fire on the hair of the person in front, suppose. After one of the concerts of these concerts, Pink Floyd was told that some crowd broke through the cordon of vigilantes - although there were no serious skirmishes. There, of course, it was necessary to hold back the crowd, and the organizers, seeing such a desire of people to break through the cordon, built special square barricades, barriers that were difficult to overcome. Something had to be done to avoid this crush. There were people who service personnel passed in the morning, and then all day they hid somewhere under the stands.

The enthusiasm of the public was so strong, and the Soviet security services were so unaccustomed to such manifestations. folk love that after the concert, the most stubborn fans were even able to block the road to the bus with the musicians.

Alexander Zheleznov: Die-hard fans lined up in front of the bus, chanting "Pink Floyd, Pink Floyd...". The poor driver could not even move, and the policeman simply did not know what to do (now they would quickly calm everyone down with batons). Seeing such a thing, an interpreter got off the bus and asked what, in fact, the people wanted. The people wanted one thing - autographs!

Returning about five minutes later, the interpreter said: "To hell with you, just put everything together, I'll pass it on myself." Apparently they consulted and decided that it was easier to give autographs than to spend the night on the bus. Who held out tickets, who was a poster that was sold at a concert, who pulled off a T-shirt, who even had a passport, in a word, who had what. To be honest, I was afraid to give the cover of A Momentary Lapse of Reason autographed by Mason in such a turmoil (and, as it turned out later, I did the right thing) and gave a postcard with a diver from Wish You Were Here. The interpreter collected everything and disappeared into the bus. The curtains were drawn so we couldn't see what was going on. About ten minutes later the doors opened, and the interpreter simply threw everything he had in his hands away from the bus, right on the wet pavement. Can you imagine what happened here! If a wad of $100 bills had been thrown into the air during peak hours at a subway station, the effect would have been less! I miraculously tore my already crumpled postcard out of someone's hands. It, like all other items that flew off the bus, was signed by Gilmour! While the people almost to the point of a fight proved who owns this or that ticket, the bus quickly departed.

Moscow Music Peace Festival, Luzhniki stadium, August 12 and 13, 1989

In the summer of 1989 Soviet Union, which under the leadership of Mikhail Gorbachev opened the gates to Western influence, which was no longer considered "pernicious", was blessed with a real rock festival. The popular view of this concert claims that the Moscow Peace Festival took place solely due to the fact that the famous American promoter Don McGee was caught with an illegal substance and began to sew him a term. It cannot be said that the anti-drug and anti-alcohol festival, which Don had to organize in order to escape prison, completely dispensed with the use of what the festival fought so fiercely. In addition, some groups and performers had time to quarrel among themselves properly - so there were also certain difficulties with the world. However, all this did not prevent the 200,000 Soviet rock fans from enjoying the music - and the atmosphere.

Alexander Zheleznov:“There were two days. It was advertised very well. Tickets were ten rubles, quite freely. The festival was announced a la "Russian Woodstock". It started almost in the afternoon, at 12 o'clock, and went until late in the evening. The people there were safely lying on the grass - they were relaxing, sunbathing, that is, indeed, the atmosphere was reminiscent of Woodstock. The audience was normal, there was no alcohol, no super-search, searches, who was carrying what, there was no. Drinks other than alcohol, please—shops lined the treadmills. Because all this went on for a long time: the concert went on for probably six hours.

Alexander Zheleznov:“The choice of headliners was not entirely correct. The specifics of our audience set slightly different priorities. "Headliners" Bon Jovi didn't roll very well, people were most dragged by Scorpions. People expected and reacted the most to Ozzy and the Scorpions, but to be honest, I didn't like Ozzy at all. He, as always, poured water on everyone, tore his T-shirt to shreds, but vocally, he was simply nothing.

Festival "Monsters of Rock", Tushino Airfield, September 28, 1991

The Soviet Union was falling apart before our eyes. If the coup of August 1991 and the events that followed it gave our fellow citizens for the first time a feeling of completely new freedom, then the free Monsters of Rock festival, which brought together an excellent line-up of rock bands, including such giants as Metallica and AC / DC, helped everyone who came to the boundless Tushino field, to believe that they did not dream of this new freedom. Unfortunately, as always happens, not everyone was mentally prepared for this freedom.

Nikolay Kotov:“There were advertisements in newspapers and on television, in youth programs they said that the concert will take place, focusing on AC / DC, and not on Metallica. It was considered the second rock festival after the festival with Ozzik. There was a feeling: "They won't come here again."

Nikolay Kotov:“When we were already approaching the field, about two hours before the start, we saw that the most ardent comrades had long occupied the seats in front. The funny thing is that for many of those who came a long time ago, it was clear that they had come a long time ago. Because the front rows of fans were thinning out. I saw a picture of two metalheads in leather jackets dragging a third under the arms - but he does not understand anything, his legs even drag along the ground. And then at some point, it’s as if his consciousness turns on, he proclaims: “Metallica !!” And cut off again. And they drag him further to rest on the grass. I don't know if they let them in or not."

Nikolay Kotov:“We were standing near the barrier. And some provocateurs, idiots started throwing bottles. And after some group they even wanted to stop the concert: they announced that if they don’t calm down now, then nothing will happen. And we even had to go further away, to the screen, because bottles were flying from behind. I just managed to beat off one bottle with my hand - it flew right at my cousin. I had to go with them."

Dmitry Shipov:“We have a wild people, how wild they are, could be judged by the sad Tushino event. In general, everything was unsafe there, there were broken bottles, all kinds of punks came in large numbers, you can even call it a village, because there was a freebie, everyone went and was not lazy. When I approached there, I saw how patrols of the military fled, soldiers who simply smashed everything that was glass with clubs. To not be thrown. Boys arrived, who just got drunk on beer - it was terrible. The state was nervous. In front of my eyes, one boy walked with a bloody face.

Nikolay Kotov:“After we left, there was a break between the first and second parts. And in more open places, the people have already gathered a clearing - they laid blankets, they had something to drink and something to eat! Everyone was interested - "Where are you from?" - "We're from there." - "And you?" Everyone was very hospitable - they could drink and feed.

Nikolay Kotov:“When AC/DC came out, it was a wild ecstasy, and on songs that people have known for decades. And even from the last CD they came with – when they started playing the intro solo with “Thunderstruck”, it started! When they sang "Money Talks" money was thrown around. Naturally, everyone was waiting for the old songs. And when they lowered the bell, at first they thought it was a props. But when Brian Johnson came out with a sledgehammer, hit him, and everyone's insides trembled, it became clear that this was not a props. The second branch flew by like 20 minutes. And at the end there were cannon shots. After that, of course, I didn’t want to go anywhere else.”

Without exaggeration, today rock can be safely considered one of the most popular musical directions on the ground. After all, the number of fans this genre exceeds all conceivable and unthinkable limits!

Rock music has almost half a century of history. Despite the fact that she owes her birth to the United States and some European countries, this genre in the shortest possible time has spread throughout the planet. Such a high interest in it is explained not only by the spirit of protest inherent in this style, but also by bright musical forms, innovative ideas and constant search new sound. At the same time, not only new and new rock bands or performers, but also new forms of this direction do not cease to arise all over the world. And the earlier ones often do not become obsolete, but become classic. This genre contemporary music one of the few whose masterpieces have long become classics contemporary art. At the same time, many of the major foreign or Russian musicians past and to this day can boast of incessant creative activity. And sometimes not only adult listeners, but also today's youth try to book tickets for such rock concerts. But also all over the world every year a lot of young interesting representatives of this direction are born. Such music today is often combined with jazz, electronic, hip-hop, folk and even academic art, and therefore can be attractive to adherents of various genres. In our country, such a phenomenon as Russian rock stands apart. It arose in Soviet times and initially copied best images Western music of the time. But today it is a completely independent and recognizable genre. It also never stops evolving and changing. In Russia, as in the rest of the world, rock is now considered one of the most popular genres. That is why a large number of concerts of such performers and thematic festivals are constantly held here. Among their participants, you can meet both eminent musicians and novice artists.

A huge number of events related to rock music are constantly organized in Moscow. But to select the most remarkable of them is not an easy task even for a true connoisseur of the genre. And only our experts know which of these events may be of interest to one or another music lover. They will help you choose the most convenient places, as well as allow you to visit even exclusive events, which are very difficult to get to.

The genre of "rock" began to take shape in the 50s, and rock and roll became its progenitor. These were incendiary Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly and, of course, King Elvis Presley himself. With each new decade, music has been transformed, overgrown with genres and subgenres. It is worth noting the most basic areas of rock music:

• blues-rock - combines the features of blues and rock and roll, but sounds more rhythmic than classic blues;
• heavy metal - heavy and dark music, the highlight of which is often a polished guitar solo;
• progressive rock - recognizable by long and complex compositions (10-20 minutes each);
• hard rock - characterized by a heavy sound;
• Russian rock - formed in the USSR in the 70s, the texts of the groups "Aquarium", "KINO", "Time Machine" and others are still taken to heart;
• black metal - a hard, often depressing and gloomy sound, the emphasis is more on texts than on music;
• punk rock - characterized by dynamic lyrics, harsh melodies and rough vocals;
• folk rock - a clean guitar sound is used, and most importantly, these are vocal parts;
• art rock - the main instrument of the genre is an electric organ or synthesizer.

All genres of rock music are united by one thing - soulful and vital texts. This is especially evident in the texts of Russian rock stars, where the musicians are lyrical and talk about their experiences, love and life in Russia. But some metal bands perform very aggressively, destroy instruments, create a special, violent atmosphere.

Some musicians perform with symphony orchestra. But do not think that at such concerts it is calm and you can relax, on the contrary, the orchestra emphasizes the power of the classics hard rock, so the sound is even more majestic.

Where are rock concerts held?

In the capital and the Moscow region, rock musicians perform at large concert venues. For example, in Crocus city ​​hall, at the Otkritie Arena stadium, the Megasport sports palace, the Grand Kremlin Palace, the IZI club, the capital's Adrenaline Stadium club and other venues and art spaces.

The choice of venue for the performance depends mainly on the time of year and the scale of the event. In summer, concerts are held in stadiums - open, large and capable of accommodating thousands of fans at the same time. Winter concerts are held in clubs, palaces of culture, hotel stages and other indoor concert venues.

What you need to know before attending a rock concert?

A rock concert is all about riot, energy and no rules. Almost none, since there are still a few rules:

• do not post a photo of the ticket on social networks - if the barcode is visible, someone else can use the ticket;
• buy tickets to the fan zone - there is the most best sound, but at the same time you have to stand (or rather dance or slam);
• do not talk during quiet lyrical songs;
• study the artist's set list - so you will almost know exactly what repertoire he performs with, especially if it is a tour;
• take part in flash mobs - fans often arrange interesting flash mobs, thanks to which the concert is remembered more strongly;
• ask for an encore - if the audience doesn't ask the musicians for an encore, then they are not thrilled with the performance.

How to buy tickets for a rock concert?

Our website contains an up-to-date poster of all upcoming events, for which you can buy tickets a few months before the event. For example, for New Year's concerts, you can find tickets for another 5-6 months. The larger and more famous the performer, the faster good places are bought up.

To buy a ticket, add it to the basket on the website, pay in a convenient way for you and pick it up at the box office of our network. If the ticket is electronic, then it is enough to print it or show it on a smartphone. By eat full list addresses where you can redeem a booked or pick up a purchased ticket. You can also order delivery of the order in Moscow or within the Moscow Ring Road.

If you did not have time to take a cheap ticket, you can buy an expensive one, but in installments. At the same time, you do not need to fill out paper documentation or go to the bank, as registration takes place online in a few minutes. Purchased tickets can be returned 3 days before the concert. To do this, you need to download the application template, fill it out and follow the instructions on.

Going to a rock concert is a pleasure that everyone can afford at any age. It can be either a student who has a lot of free time or a serious professor. Follow the schedule on our website, and you will definitely find the concert that you have been waiting for so long.

Rock music has become popular since its inception and does not give up its positions, no matter what. Every year the number of rock bands increases, the competition and the quality of each of them increases. Of course, such an evolution cannot but please fans of the progressive genre.

New and old bands continue to regularly perform on stages all over the world, invariably attracting thousands and tens of thousands of their fans. Moscow is the leader among all Russian cities - every year it hosts up to several thousand concerts of all levels. And in order to always be aware of upcoming events, you should find out rock concert schedule online.

Our website constantly publishes news related to the planning and organization of events in the capital, as well as online ticket booking. With us, you don't need to follow several news sites - we will provide a complete overview of upcoming events ourselves!

Usefulness of rock concert posters

Popular bands and rock bands play more than a thousand concerts across the country, and many other agencies often do not have time to follow the new schedule. Our company "VipTicket" is distinguished by high professionalism and extensive experience in this field. Thanks to our wide staff, we cover all the rock bands that are planning to hold a concert in Moscow, allowing all fans to learn about their favorite bands in one place.

Our poster of the nearest rock concerts in Moscow he also keeps an eye on local clubs - often even general-profile institutions invite celebrities to perform, not to mention specialized institutions. Thanks to us, you can easily track even local events and order tickets for them. You no longer need to call or browse dozens of various websites concert venues- all data can be found in our poster. Timely information will help you save not only finances, but also nerves.

A convenient and quick form of ordering tickets will help you avoid tedious standing in lines and a trip to the ticket office.

Online ticket booking

Many years of experience ensures our reputation as a reliable and prompt supplier of tickets for any rock concerts in Moscow 2018-2019 of the year. Thanks to our wide popularity, we provide our customers with tickets at the most affordable prices, pleasantly pleasing with the possibility of choosing a location.

Our services have already been used by thousands of customers who have attended concerts of their favorite bands:

• Resurrection;
• Accident;
• Vyacheslav Butusov;
• Time Machine;

You can easily become part of a progressive society! Ordering tickets is absolutely safe, fast and affordable. Watch the best concerts of rock-n-roll bands in Moscow from the best positions, secured by timely ticket bookings.

Of course, it should be remembered that each group has millions of followers, and there may simply not be enough places. That is why you should be guided by our rock concert poster, which will notify you in advance of a new concert or performance. Together with us you will always be among the first!

The first record for the number of spectators at the concert was set by The The Beatles - Their half-hour show, held on August 15, 1965 at New York's Shea Stadium, was attended by 55,600 people.

And what performances of musicians have received the status of the largest concerts of our time?

10th place - Tokio Hotel

City: Paris
date: 14.04.2010
Spectators: 500 thousand

The final concert of the world tour in support of the new album of the young alternative band Tokio Hotel took place in Paris, at the very foot of the Eiffel Tower, and gathered 500,000 spectators, which allowed the show to get to the last line of our rating. “Welcome to Humanoid City,” the posters said, the same inscription adorned the tickets.

9th place - festival "Isle of White"

City Story by: Afton Down
date: 26.08 – 30.08.1970
Spectators: 600 thousand

The third show on the Isle of Wight was remembered by 600 thousand people with the performance of the legendary The Who, The Doors, Redbone and Jimi Hendrix, for whom this concert was the last in the UK. And exactly one year ago, he performed at the Woodstock festival, playing a snow-white "stratocaster", which was later recognized as almost the most expensive guitar in history.

Jimi Hendrix, Isle of White, 1970

8th place - Summer Jam at Watkins Glen festival

City: NY
date: 28.07.1973
Spectators: 620 thousand

At one time, this festival even got into the Guinness Book of Records as "a pop concert with the largest number of spectators." The concert took place at New York's Watkins Glen International Speedway and was headlined by the Grateful Dead and The Allman Brothers Band.

7th place - Garth Brooks

City: NY
date: 07.08.1997
Spectators: 980 thousand

Nearly a million New Yorkers came to central park to watch a free performance by country music legend Garth Brooks in August 1997. The show was organized in support of the musician's new studio album ("Sevens"), which, thanks to such successful advertising, debuted at the first line of the national Billboards hit parade and soon received the status of a "diamond" record.

6th place - The Rolling Stones

City: Rio de Janeiro
date: 18.02.2006
Spectators: 1.3 million

At the beginning of 2006, the unforgettable Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and colleagues gave a grand concert on the Copacabana beach. The figures are impressive: the dimensions of the stage were 60x22x20 meters, and sound equipment and special effects equipment weighing 70 tons were delivered by a separate aircraft. And - most importantly - admission to the show was free!

Concert preparation Rolling Stones in Copacabana

5th place - Peace without Border Festival

City: Havana
date: 20.09.2009
Spectators: 1.5 million

Hundreds of thousands of Cubans and guests of the island filled the capital's Revolution Square in support of peace in the countries of Central America. It's good that this place is one of the largest squares in the world, otherwise all the spectators simply would not fit.

4th place - the festival "Monsters of Rock"

City: Moscow
date: 28.09.1991
Spectators: 1.6 million

The rock festival, which took place just a month after the August coup, was attended by such stars of heavy music as Metallica, AC / DC, Pantera, The Black Crowes. It is not surprising that the spectators, not spoiled by events of this kind, broke all previous records of the stadium in Tushino - according to estimates, the peak number of visitors exceeded one and a half million. By the way, the Russian rock scene was represented by the Electro Convulsive Therapy group - E.S.T.

"Monsters of Rock" in Tushino

3rd place - Queen

City: Sydney
date: 26.04.1985
Spectators: 2 million

In 1985, as part of The Worls Tour, Freddie Mercury and the band gave 4 concerts in Sydney. Of these, the record was broken by the second show in a row, which brought together about two million fans of Queen's creativity. Recording a concert in Sydney has become one of the band's most spectacular live videos.

2nd place - Jean Michel Jarre

City: Moscow
date: 06.09.1997
Spectators: 3.4 million