The dispute over the canceled performance of Alphaville at the Glücksgefühle Festival at Hockenheimring is now gaining significant attention. After Marian Gold made several political statements at an 80s festival in Hamburg, organizer Markus Krampe reminded him to refrain from such comments at his events. They wanted to create a space where visitors could forget their everyday lives "beyond any possible conflicts" – politics should be left out of it. Since Alphaville did not want to accept this and even referred to a "gag order," the band was disinvited. Krampe cites his house rights as the organizer and has additionally commissioned a Cologne law firm to review Gold's social media statements.
The reaction from the music scene was swift. At their concert on Wednesday evening in Münster – the very founding city of Alphaville – Campino used the stage in front of 25,000 fans to express clear words: It is absurd to disinvite someone who positions themselves against the AfD and Trump and stands for democracy. A new line has been crossed. Then the surprise: Marian Gold himself came on stage to great cheers. His comment on the Glücksgefühle Festival left nothing to be desired in terms of clarity – he then sang "Forever Young" together with Campino.
The Glücksgefühle Festival has, due to the disinvitation, become exactly what the organizers wanted to avoid: politically charged. Peter Brings from Brings also took a clear stance: If the Kölsch rockers had been booked this year, they would not perform anymore. Any artist who does not clearly state that they are antifascist now is only in it for the money, Brings said. He also hopes for a reaction from co-organizer Lukas Podolski, who himself was welcomed with open arms in Germany as a child of Polish immigrants – a fact he should reflect on given the current events at his own festival.
