November 8, 2018
Metal in Soviet Russia: Monsters of Rock 1991
What if I told you that one of the largest crowds to ever attend a concert—1.5 million people—happened in Russia?1 What if I told you that it was just before the fall of the Soviet Union? What if I told you that it was a heavy metal festival? Yes, this all happened in the fall of 1991, the very same year that the Iron Curtain fell. This is the story of the Monsters of Rock Moscow show.
The whole Monsters of Rock idea started in Castle Donington, England in 1980, gaining a monumental following in the following years, adding more popular bands in the rock and metal scene to the lineup. Although it was originally going to be a one-time event, over the next decade, the show was held again, and it only increased in popularity. It put on shows across Europe, cementing its place in music history.2
At the same time that Monsters of Rock was happening in Europe, the Soviet Union was in turmoil. During the 1980’s, Soviet Premier Lenoid Brezhnev died and by 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev had come to power. The Berlin Wall came down in 1989. Throughout the decade of the 1980s, western music was making its way into the USSR.
September 1991 was a big month in Russia. There was an August Coup, which was a failed military takeover of the Soviet Union.3 So, tensions were still high when the Russian government contacted the organizers of the show to see if they would be interested in having a show in Russia. Word of the show spread to many outlets, who wanted to see if they could televise the event, with Time Warner ending up getting the rights to record the show.
When it came to selecting the bands to perform, it was difficult to choose which bands would go. Because of Soviet isolation, the festival organizers did not know which bands would be popular in Russia. So, some of the most popular metal bands were chosen, bands such as AC/DC, Metallica, and Pantera, which became the main headliners for the show.4 The date for the event was set for September 28, in Tushino Airfield, a former site of Soviet military exercises.
On the day of the event, a flood of people came into the airfield early in the day, with events starting off at 2 p.m. with Pantera preforming first. The recordings of Pantera’s set can be seen online, capturing the loud and energetic atmosphere that the band was able to generate on their audience. The set that is remembered the most out of this event is Metallica’s. It was here that the estimated 1.5 million people showed up, causing chaos for the Soviet guards who were at the event.5 Video footage shows helicopters flying close to the crowd, trying to settle down the rowdy fans. In a video of the set, one can see the ocean of people moving around and singing along, even though the majority of the crowd only knew English through the music. You can feel the raw emotions of the crowd and see how one simple music event was able to draw in over 1.5 million, all through the power of music.
In December of 1991, a few months after the show had happened, the official dissolution of the Soviet Union took place.6 Many of the many restrictions on western media and music were gone and more events like the Monsters of Rock show were able to take place in the country. The legacy of the show is still known today. What was once thought of as a risk turned out to be one of the largest attended shows in history. It is truly beautiful how music was able to do this in a country where many restrictions on media did not allow this.
- Nathan Smith, “No Fences: Garth Brooks & the Fuzzy Math of 10 Mega-Concerts,” Houston Press, May 23, 2016, https://www.houstonpress.com/music/no-fences-garth-brooks-and-the-fuzzy-math-of-10-mega-concerts-6776412 . ↵
- Matt Wilkinson, “Plaque in Honour of Monsters Of Rock Co-founder Presented at Download.” NME, June 14, 2010, https://www.nme.com/news/music/download-festival-9-1291987 . ↵
- Jamie Glazov, “The Collapse of the Soviet Union: 25 Years Later,” Frontpage Magazine, December 26, 2016, https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/265260/collapse-soviet-union-25-years-later-jamie-glazov . ↵
- Nathan Smith, “No Fences: Garth Brooks & the Fuzzy Math of 10 Mega-Concerts.” Houston Press, May 23, 2016, https://www.houstonpress.com/music/no-fences-garth-brooks-and-the-fuzzy-math-of-10-mega-concerts-6776412 . ↵
- Brian Bumbery, “Metallica’s “Black Album” Sets New Sales Record,” Globe Newswire News Room, May 29, 2014, https://globenewswire.com/news-release/2014/05/29/1002715/0/en/Metallica-s-Black-Album-Sets-New-Sales-Record.html/ . ↵
- Jamie Glazov, “The Collapse of the Soviet Union: 25 Years Later,” Frontpage Magazine, December 26, 2016, https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/265260/collapse-soviet-union-25-years-later-jamie-glazov . ↵
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Recent Comments
Engelbert Madrid
I enjoyed reading this article. I’m a huge fan of Metallica and Pantera; they’re my two favorite bands in the heavy metal scene. It’s crazy how this event was shocking for the Soviet military, because they never experienced an ocean of people getting this insane in a event. Furthermore, this event is not only historically important for the heavy metal scene, but it also opened doors for new bands that were inspired by Metallica, Pantera, and AC/DC. I wished I was in this music event.
09/11/2018
12:24 pm
Christopher Vasquez
This was a cool article. I didn’t know that AC/DC and Metallica performed for the Soviet Union. I also would never have guessed how many people would have attended the event. It seemed like it would have been scary if the helicopters were flying near the crowd. I also am not sure how the logistics would have been in getting the bands there. Also, I wonder how Time Warner was able to be the one to secure the rights to broadcast the event. In any case, this was a great article!
09/11/2018
12:24 pm
Annissa Noblejas
Short but informative article, coving an event I had no idea ever occurred. The power of music is undeniable, even when heard in a foreign language. The logistics for the crowd control must have been a massive effort, and I’m honestly surprised if there were no violent clashes between police and concert attendees. For Western rock bands to even be allowed into Russia is a feat of it’s own, but the invitation coming from the Russian government is amazing to learn.
09/11/2018
12:24 pm
Daniela Duran
This was a very fascinating article! I am impressed by the amounts of people that attended the concert, and I can’t imagine how much rave and chaos must have been present in that moment! It must have been insane. I am amused by the power of music, and the effect it can create in people. I don’t think it is a coincidence that the dissolution of the Soviet Union happened right after this…perhaps the people were already so united by this, that it gave rise to further social changes…who knows? Congratulations, great article!
09/11/2018
12:24 pm
Lyzette Flores
I believe music is such a big impact on our lives. It can bring people who have all kinds of different backgrounds together. It is shocking to read that bands such as Metallica, Pantera, and ACDC performed for the Soviet Union because I would have thought they would have prefered something calmer. I am glad to hear that a lot of people attended the concert and from the looks of it, they enjoyed it. Great article!
10/11/2018
12:24 pm
Alexander Manibusan
Congrats on getting published, Didier! Very interesting article. Though I remember you mentioning about the metal concert taking place in the Soviet Union, I had no idea ACDC and Metallica were some of the bands that went there. It’s so impressive to see how music was one of the factors that might have led to the Soviet’s decline. In a way, the fact that these metal bands performed in the USSR displays courage because I can only imagine how risky it was for western groups to perform in a communist country.
10/11/2018
12:24 pm
Robert Rees
Never in my life did I think I would utter the words, “I wish I was at a metal concert in Russia.” I am also equally shocked to have read that over one million people attended this concert, especially since it took place during the Cold War when tensions were always incredibly high. While this article is rather brief it is undeniably an interesting and informative read.
11/11/2018
12:24 pm
Andrea Cabrera
The video was very good choice for this article! A really enjoyed reading it. I can see how one of the largest crowds to ever attend a concert happened in Russia and that it was a heavy metal festival. Especially since the main headliners of the show were bands like AC/DC, Metallica, and Pantera. This was the first time I read about the Monsters of Rock Moscow show. It is very interesting to read that it was originally going to be a one-time event and how it had grown to be held again due to the increased in popularity.
11/11/2018
12:24 pm
Michael Hinojosa
While this was a short and brief article everything in it was so interesting and entertaining! I had no idea one of the biggest metal concerts ever was held in Russia and that there were more than one thousand military guards in the concert as well! It was also a bit funny to read that police officers had to chase intoxicated youth and any other form of troublemaker throughout the concert.
11/11/2018
12:24 pm
Christopher Hohman
Nice article. The fall of the Soviet Union was one of the most important events to take place in the already historic 20th century. It is really cool how music played a role in that collapse. The importance of this event should not be understated. The invasion of Western culture was something the Soviets never wanted because in the West our ideology was so different from theirs. However, it was inevitable that the pull of Western culture was too much. It is so awesome that music played such an important role
09/11/2018
12:24 pm