Die Toten Hosen launch their farewell tour "Trink Aus! Wir Müssen Gehen" in Stuttgart

After more than four decades of band history, Die Toten Hosen have launched their farewell tour under the motto "Trink Aus! Wir Müssen Gehen". The band had kicked off the tour on Sunday in Luxembourg's Esch an der Alzette. As the promoter announced, 23 concerts in Germany, Austria, and Luxembourg are on the schedule over the coming weeks. What is expected to be the band's final stadium concert is planned for July 2027 in Düsseldorf – Campino will be 65 years old at that point.

Concert start and setlist

In Stuttgart, the concert evening began at 5:00 pm with the support acts Leftovers, Bar Stool Preachers, and Feine Sahne Fischfilet, who warmed up the audience. Die Toten Hosen then rocked the stage until approximately 10:30 pm. The audience sang along loudly to many songs, including well-known classics like "Tage wie diese", "Bonnie & Clyde", and "Hier kommt Alex". Newer tracks were also part of the program, including pieces from the band's current 16th studio album.

On their latest album, which the "Hosen" also wanted to present in Stuttgart, there are singalong and fun songs like "Lass mal nicht machen", pogo-punk songs like "Wir waren nie weg", and songs with a clear stance like "Was ist mit uns los". The song "Düsseldorf" is a homage to the band's hometown, and with "Glück" frontman Campino offers personal insights into his fatherhood. When their debut album "Opel Gang" was released in 1983, Campino and the other founding members were still almost all school students.

Tickets, travel, and public transport

The concert at the Cannstatter Wasen was already sold out in advance. No, the concert on 13 June is sold out, was the statement on this. The Cannstatter Wasen is known not only for the folk festival but also for major open-air concerts. Internationally known bands such as "Die Fantastischen Vier", "Iron Maiden", and "AC/DC" have already performed on this stage. Around 65,000 visitors were expected for Die Toten Hosen's appearance.

Anyone still looking for a ticket could occasionally find one via the online platform TicketSwap.de. There, fans who are unable to attend the concert can officially resell their tickets. However, sales were only possible up to 48 hours before the concert began. The band generally made fans aware not to buy tickets on platforms such as Viagogo, Ticketbande, Ticketrocket, eBay Kleinanzeigen, or Tix & Travel. These providers had not been authorised by "Die Toten Hosen" to sell tickets.

The admission tickets were also VVS combined tickets and entitled holders to travel on VVS trains to the Cannstatter Wasen from 12 noon on the day of the event and for the return journey until 5 am the following day. Visitors could reach the concert via Bad Cannstatt station on the S-Bahn lines S1, S2, and S3. For travel to the event, the S-Bahn trains ran at 15-minute intervals on all lines during the day. An additional travel option was offered by the U11, which ran from the main station to NeckarPark (Stadion) every five to ten minutes.

Accessibility and safety

Since, according to the promoter, hardly any parking spaces were available, travelling by public transport was recommended. If travelling by car could not be avoided, carpooling was advisable. Park & Ride spaces were signposted. After the concert ended, the S-Bahn deployed special trains, with all S-Bahn lines running at 30-minute intervals after the end of the concert. There were, however, restrictions on the S6 route: between Renningen and Weil der Stadt, construction work was still ongoing until Sunday, 14 June, 4:30 am. S6 line trains therefore only ran between Stuttgart-Schwabstraße and Renningen, with replacement buses on the S6E line running between Renningen and Weil der Stadt.

For people with disabilities, car park P10 was provided. Access was via the "Campingplatz Stuttgart" entrance, and early arrival was recommended because parking spaces were limited. From there, visitors could reach the event grounds at ground level; the Cannstatter Wasen is accessible by wheelchair at ground level. A "Rollipodest" was also available at Die Toten Hosen's concert.

Several rules applied on the Wasen grounds: Tetra-Paks up to 0.5 litres with non-alcoholic beverages, which could be brought onto the grounds in their original sealed state, were permitted. Large bags and rucksacks, bottles, cans, and thermos flasks, on the other hand, were prohibited. Naturally, animals, weapons, and pyrotechnics are also not allowed. Professional cameras, audio recording devices, and drones were likewise not permitted at the concert. Doors opened at 3 pm.

Weather and refreshments

According to the promoter, a trained "Awareness Team" was on site. It was available for questions or critical incidents such as harassment. The team was on the move throughout the entire event grounds and could be recognised by their lilac-coloured vests, the promoter said. It also had a fixed point of contact in the Fruchtsäule and could be reached by phone, WhatsApp, and SMS on 0152 03660908.

The weather cooperated: early summer returned on Saturday, with temperatures expected to reach 28 degrees. At a total of seven points on the Wasen, free water was therefore available. This ensured that refreshments in the form of drinks were secured even in summery temperatures. With the note "Early summer is returning on Saturday, temperatures are expected to reach 28 degrees. Free water will therefore also be available at a total of seven points on the Wasen", fans were well prepared.

Local ties and farewell

Die Toten Hosen are not only closely connected to their hometown musically, but also as fans of football club Fortuna Düsseldorf. The band, whose founding members include Campino, regularly watches the Rosenmontagszug carnival parade from the balcony of an Altbier brewery whose landlord is a close friend of the band. This connection to Düsseldorf is also reflected in the new album, which includes the song "Düsseldorf". Under the motto "Trink Aus! Wir Müssen Gehen", the punk band bid farewell to their fans on this Saturday (13 June) in Stuttgart – after a band history that had already been declared finished 40 years ago on a tour titled "Das Ende setzen wir uns selbst". Back then, the end was announced; now, the Düsseldorfers are following through.