Ballermann music and metal go together surprisingly well at Rock am Ring.
On Sunday, Rock am Ring can once again be classic Rock am Ring. After the noughties frenzy on Friday and the contemporary party Saturday, the third and final day of the festival once again belongs more to the big names in rock – even in bright sunshine.
Party in the best festival weather
The British band Bad Nerves ring in Sunday with the kind of impatient, curt rock energy that is needed on the third day of the festival: If you are a little sleepy after two long nights, you can wriggle yourself awake to the fast garage pop punk of the boys from Essex. If you prefer to sleep in or use up the last reserves at the campsite, you can come later to Finch’s unbridled Malle party, where fast, booming techno hits fill the ring, the Chancellor gets rid of his fat and Germany’s heartfelt whale Timmy is remembered.
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Later on the Orbit Stage, President provides one of the more enigmatic images of the weekend. The band relies entirely on anonymity: the singer in a fine dinner suit wears a mask, the other band members play with black overcoats over their heads. The band only had their first appearance in 2025 – they played at the renowned Download Festival without an officially released song. Curiosity about President drove many ring visitors over to see the hype for themselves.
The Offspring
The Offspring, on the other hand, no longer have to prove anything. The band can rely on their tried and tested recipe for a successful live show. They play songs that everyone knows from the skate park or the schoolyard in a routine manner and peppered with a few quick sayings. But a few cover versions of Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid” and Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train” can’t hurt either. And of course they’re pretty sure that this audience is the best and biggest crowd they’ve ever had. Yes, definitely. Now add a few large inflatable balls and you’re ready for carefree pop-punk fun.
Iron Maiden
If there’s a band made for the big Sunday slot, it’s this one: Iron Maiden start the evening with “Murders in the Rue Morgue”, “Wrathchild”, “Killers” and – to the delight of the die-hard fans – stay musically in the past. The majority of the setlist comes from the eighties, the most recent song “Fear of the Dark” was released in 1992. Bruce Dickinson, who enters the stage with a cute ponytail, has brought a few outfits with him for the almost two and a half hour metal spectacle. Mascot Eddie also finds his place in the monumental metal opera, in which the detailed visuals also create a world of their own.
Counter-proposal to the Maiden spectacle
Anyone who is less familiar with Dickinson, Eddie and the traditional heavy metal club will find an atmospheric contrast program with A Perfect Circle on the Mandora Stage. Maynard James Keenan and his band move as shadow figures across the shining stage to their melodically sophisticated songs such as “The Noose” and “The Package”.
But even after Iron Maiden, the day isn’t completely over yet. After a bombastic fireworks display, the audience rushes one last time to the Mandora Stage, where Sabaton bring the festival weekend to a late end. The Swedes deliver their tried-and-tested mix of power metal and war history pathos – some even talk about the best show of the day afterwards.