- "Unexpectedly, Adele Bids Farewell to Munich in September"
Hellos, "Someone Like You", and "Rolling in the Deep" - and at around 10:15 PM on Saturday night, it was time to call it a night and say our goodbyes. Adele performed ten shows in Munich during August - in a temporary stadium constructed specifically for her. As she had done before, the singer enchanted the audience on her final night in Munich with an emotional and thrilling performance. The 36-year-old not only showcased her stunning vocals but also her hilarious dry wit and colorful vocabulary. The evening concluded with a spectacular firework display and a sense of joy throughout the crowd.
"Looters looking to make a buck"
The memories and the revenue, such as for the caterers in and around Munich. "It was like a fairytale in the summer," said Angela Inselkammer, president of the Bavarian Hotel and Restaurant Association. She does not yet have the exact figures, but she is certain that "the hotels were full - and at reasonable prices." This wasn't just the case for Munich itself, but also for the surrounding areas.
August was a success this year. "The demand was high, and these were indeed people who were willing to spend money." And this was despite the high ticket prices. Association president Inselkammer would love to see such a superstar concert series in Munich on a regular basis.
Over 70,000 visitors per show
Adele, who isn't fond of touring and hasn't performed in Europe since 2016, had a massive stadium built for over 70,000 visitors in Munich, customized to her specifications in a stylish black-and-white Adele motif. The heart of the stadium was a massive screen - breaking records with over 4,159 square meters, as reported. Around the stadium on the exhibition grounds, the Adele universe was created, with food, drinks, and karaoke.
A total of approximately 730,000 tickets were sold, as the organizers announced. These significant crowds had to find accommodation, food, and transportation. Munich's economic affairs representative Clemens Baumgaertner (CSU) expected the concert series to generate around half a billion euros for the city's economy.
"We estimate an additional local value creation of several hundred million euros," said Manfred Goessl, CEO of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK) for Munich and Upper Bavaria. "Catering and hotels, retail and souvenir shops, as well as transportation services, have all benefited from the concertgoers, who usually stayed in Munich for more than one day."
Returning to normalcy instead of goosebumps concerts
But the extraordinary weeks have come to an end. "Suddenly it's September," Adele said in her farewell show, reflecting on a magical summer filled with goosebumps. "Thank you, Munich!" She will soon begin a series of ten shows in Las Vegas, USA, at the end of October. "After that, I won't be back for a very long time," the singer announced. Then the tears came: "I've spent the past few years building a new life for myself, and I want to live it."
In a few hours, she will depart for home, she revealed to the audience. Her everyday life awaits her there, with her son and her partner Rich Paul. Accordingly, her plans for Monday are ordinary: "I'll take my child to school."
"Environmental catastrophe"
Despite the excitement, environmental and climate activists are critical of the weeks-long Adele event. "At first glance, hosting the concert series in a central location seems more sustainable than a tour in different cities or countries," said the EU Climate Pact. However, upon further examination, the reality appears different.
EU Climate Pact ambassador Julian Vogels surveyed 1407 concert attendees on how they had traveled to Munich. The result: one in four (24.3 percent) had come by plane. The average carbon dioxide emissions per person were reportedly 41.14 kilograms - equal to the amount a tree can absorb in three years.
This is significantly higher than the average travel emissions for the AnnenMayKantereit band's summer tour in 2023 (12.44 kilograms). "Adele's fans are more international, and that's exactly why it's an environmental disaster that Adele chose a concert series in Munich over a tour," Vogels concluded. "If Adele had performed in five major European cities, the average travel distance would have been significantly reduced, and thus significantly fewer people would have opted for the environmentally damaging plane as their mode of transportation."
The success of Adele's concert series attracted crowds not only from Munich but also from surrounding areas. Many visitors enjoyed karaoke sessions and indulged in food and drinks at the Adele-themed exhibition grounds.
Despite the economic benefits, environmental and climate activists criticized Adele's choice to host her concert series in Munich, as one in four attendees traveled by plane, resulting in significant carbon emissions.
