Stars love Hamburg's green stage in the Stadtpark

One of the most beautiful open-air stages has been in Hamburg's city park since 1924. In 2016, NDR.de spoke to concert promoter Jahnke about legendary performances and how it all began.

by Heiko Block, NDR.de

Even though he has been organizing concerts in Hamburg's "green living room" for many decades, Karsten Jahnke still gets enthusiastic when he speaks of the stage:surrounded by a large beech hedge and tall trees. "The Stadtpark stage is the most pleasant venue in Hamburg. It has charm and is also special for me for nostalgic reasons - because this is where everything started," says the concert organizer.

Unique atmosphere in Hamburg's "green living room"

"The atmosphere is unique. You can see well from everywhere. And even if 4,000 people fit in - the concerts are always very intimate. It's best when the concerts start in the sunshine and end in the dark."

The stage is created after the paddling pool is built

The open-air stage in the Hamburg city park already has a history of more than 90 years. It was created by quarrying clay for the paddling pool in a depression in the north-eastern forest area and was inaugurated in 1924. At that time, theater performances and dance performances took place there in addition to concerts. After the Second World War there were initially no events - it was not until 1952 that music, singing, acting and dancing resumed on the open-air stage.

Career start with "Jazz im Stadtpark"

The starting signal for Jahnke's successful career was the "Jazz im Stadtpark" series from 1959 to 1963, where Hamburg amateur bands played and Jahnke did the programming. There was no stage with a roof, the musicians stood on a pedestal under a large elm tree. In 1963, however, the series of events came to an end because rocker groups kept showing up and beating up jazz fans. "At the time, we couldn't afford a steward for an entrance fee of 50 pfennigs. That's why we unfortunately had to stop it," Jahnke recalls. Then, in the mid-1970s, he created the Stadtpark Open Air, which is still successful today. The concert series attracts around 100,000 visitors every year.

First concert moved to music hall

The first concert should take place in June 1975 with the bands Ougenweide, Planxty and Steeleye Span in the city park. But it rained - and at the request of the Irish band Planxty, the event was moved to the music hall. Although it was almost sold out, hundreds of people still came to the city park. Jahnke:"I swore to myself never to move an open-air concert again. Moving back then was a mistake."

Afternoon open airs for young parents

Things really got going in the Stadtpark in 1976. "In the beginning there was the idea that young parents could go there without having to worry about babysitters. Because the concerts started at 3 p.m. and were at the weekend." In the early years there were eight to ten events per season, since the 1990s the number has risen to around 30 on average and the concerts are almost always held in the evenings.

Open-air stage in the city park of Hamburg

The Stadtpark open-air stage is considered one of the most beautiful open-air stages. The arena seats 4,000 and is surrounded by trees and hedges. Around 100,000 visitors come every year. National and international stars have been performing at the Stadtpark Open Air since 1976. Record holder with more than 50 appearances is local hero Lotto King Karl. This is followed by Dieter Thomas Kuhn with almost 30 appearances (as of 2021). In 2016, the Stadtpark stage received the Live Entertainment Award (LEA) in the Arena of the Year 2015 category.

"In the beginning we had some noise complaints, but now the system is set up and the boxes are aligned in such a way that you can't really hear anything outside of the city park and nobody complains anymore," says Jahnke. There are still noise regulations, so a measuring device is always in use. "But the sound is actually always excellent."

Music fans have a picnic on the meadow next door

If the wind is favourable, you can still hear the music well on the meadow next to the concert arena. You can't see the artists from there, but when the weather is good, there are always numerous people without a concert ticket to at least enjoy the music. Many have blankets, folding chairs, picnic baskets and drinks with them.

Gabriel a highlight for Jahnke

There have been many memorable concerts. It's difficult to pick something out, says Jahnke. "I'm a fan of Peter Gabriel - his concert was therefore a highlight for me. A jazz concert with a sensational line-up was also great:Pat Metheny, Herbie Hancock, Dave Holland and Jack deJohnette shared the stage."

The Cure are waiting for storms

The Cure also played a legendary concert. "Singer Robert Smith sat in his caravan for a long time and waited for almost two hours. Pitch-black clouds came up," says Jahnke. "As it began to rain heavily, the band took to the stage. The doomsday mood was to Smith's liking." One remembers such concerts in particular, usually the mood is even better when it rains. "I also remember a Mark Knopfler concert. It hadn't rained for three weeks - but then it rained all the more heavily."

Hurricane at Wir sind Helden

Only two concerts have had to be canceled due to bad weather. In 2011, Wir sind Helden swept through the city park with gusts of wind of more than nine forces, and the performance had to be canceled for safety reasons. A concert by Helge Schneider was also canceled - during a storm, water ran through a leak into the mixing desk.

Bootsy Collins causes displeasure

Among the unpleasant moments in the long Stadtpark concert history, Jahnke counts the performance of Bootsy Collins in 1998. "He came almost two hours later and said he hadn't found the Stadtpark. When he finally went on stage, a There was a hum on the sound. The technician said he needed five minutes to fix the problem. That's when Collins got off the stage and fled. That's when people got their ticket money back."

Concert organizer Karsten Jahnke

Karsten Jahnke was born on November 22, 1937 in Hamburg. He organized his first official concert in 1961 - an evening with Franz Josef Degenhardt in the Small Music Hall. Until 1969, Jahnke planned concert events as an after-work activity in addition to his job as a businessman. In 1972 he founded his Konzertdirektion. He now organizes hundreds of concerts a year. Jahnke is also co-organizer of the Reeperbahn Festival and the Elbjazz Festival. He received numerous awards - for example the Senator Biermann Rathjen Medal for his services to Hamburg's musical life.

The appearance of the American Dance Theater in 1985 was also strange. The 2,000 spectators initially had to wait a long time because the dancers were far too late. "Then they only danced for 15 minutes and ran off. To this day I don't know why," says Jahnke.

Jackson Browne:"The most glorious place on earth"

Not only Jahnke and the Hamburg music fans are impressed by the stage - almost all the artists are enthusiastic too. For example, Jackson Browne wrote:"It's the most wonderful place on earth. It's always fantastic. There's no other atmosphere like it."

Information on the open-air stage in the Stadtpark Hamburg

Saarlandstraße 71 (corner of Jahnring)
22303 Hamburg

Public transport:
S-Bahn:Lines S 1/S 11, stop Alte Wöhr
U-Bahn:U 3, stops Saarlandstraße or Borgweg
Bus:Lines E17, 108, 113, 118, 179 and 217
The ticket for the HVV is already included in the admission ticket.

Arrival by Car :
Car parks:Saarlandstrasse, Südring, Jahnring, Ohlsdorfer Strasse/Linnering and Hindenburgstrasse, Alte Wöhr and in the city north

Season: from May to September Organizer :Karsten Jahnke Konzertdirektion GmbH

The list of world stars who have performed in the city park is long. Whether James Brown, Dave Gahan, Santana, Lady Gaga, Sting, Neil Young, Nick Cave, Patti Smith, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash or The Who - almost everyone was there. That's why Jahnke doesn't really have many wishes left unfulfilled for the Stadtpark stage:"Adele wouldn't be bad. I'd also like to see Stevie Wonder or Tom Petty here."

Swan Lake in the city park as a vision

A vision by Jahnke is also a performance of Swan Lake. "But that has always been too uncertain for me - the risk is too great." Jahnke could also imagine a block of several seated concerts. However, this is at the expense of capacity and is quite expensive. Not much needs to change:"The stage is just as attractive as it is."

"That's why I became a concert promoter"

Jahnke is still almost always there at all concerts:"I'm always there - unless I'm on vacation or ill. Even if I don't like the music that much:It's great to see when people are enthusiastic - that's why I became a concert promoter."