Unfortunately, we have to report bad news for Rolling Stones fans from Switzerland today: Contrary to what was initially announced, the canceled concert in Bern’s Wankdorf Stadium will not be made up for after all. The band around Mick Jagger was unable to attend the actual date on June 17 because of his corona disease. The band wrote on their channels:
“Unfortunately we have to announce that the Rolling Stones concert in Bern cannot be postponed despite all efforts and has now unfortunately been cancelled. The Stones concert organizers have been working hard all week trying everything possible to find an alternative date or venue for the concert in Switzerland, but unfortunately this was not possible. The band would like to apologize to all fans in Switzerland who bought tickets and are very sad that they cannot perform in Bern on this tour.”
Eight figure damage
Organizer André Béchir backed his disappointment with specific figures: “I think it’s a shame for all fans, but also for the hotel and catering industry in the Bern region. Your damage is estimated to be between 10 and 15 million francs.” Over 38,000 tickets were sold – 90% of the quota was already exhausted.
Busy schedules on both sides
The reason for the cancellation: Although there were efforts on the part of the band as well as on the part of the organizers and the football club Young Boys Bern to make the concert a reality – only no alternative date could be found. The CEO of the 15-time Swiss soccer champion Wanja Greuel announced: “We offered several dates at the end of June and in the autumn, but the Rolling Stones could not take them. Unfortunately, other dates are not possible for us due to the national and international game calendar.”
One problem is that setting up the stage takes a lot of time: “The stadium would have been blocked for games and training for three weeks. Because setting up and dismantling the infrastructure with lawn protection, stage, technology, etc. requires an immense amount of work and time,” says the football official. An exception was made for the Rolling Stones and the concert time window was extended in the summer – but those additional dates were rejected by the band’s management.
Once again the route leads to Germany
To celebrate their 60th anniversary, the Rolling Stones are currently performing throughout Europe as part of the “Sixty” tour. It started on June 1st in Madrid, followed four days later by a stop in Munich – including a tourist stroll. The concerts in the Netherlands and Switzerland had to be postponed (Amsterdam) or canceled (Bern) due to Mick Jagger’s corona infection. Last week, the singer then announced: “I feel much better and can’t wait to be back on stage next week.” The show scheduled for tomorrow at Milan’s San Siro Stadium can therefore be expected after take place. On Wednesday, July 27th, they will return to Germany for a performance at Schalke.
All concerts of the “Sixty” tour
June 1, 2022 Madrid
June 5, 2022 Munich
9 June 2022 Liverpool
June 13, 2022 Amsterdam -> postponed to July 7th
June 17, 2022 Berne -> cancelled
June 21, 2022 Milan
25 June & 3 July 2022 London
July 11, 2022 Brussels
July 15, 2022 Vienna
July 19, 2022 Lyons
July 23, 2022 Paris
July 27, 2022 Gelsenkirchen
July 31, 2022 Stockholm