This was at the beginning of the concert at 11am – Motley Crüe were the first to go on.
I stood in the very front of the pit what seemed like forever when Ronnie James Dio finally turned around and pointed at me! I almost dropped the camera!
Somehow these pictures from MOR in 1984 in Karlsruhe survived me moving about a dozen times, including moving to the US (I grew up in Germany). I went with a few friends and I remember the concert started at 11 in the morning and lasted till about 10 at night. Bands there were Motley Crüe, Accept, Gary Moore, Ozzy Osbourne, Dio, Van Halen and ACDC. I think it was Motley Crüe’s first concert in Germany; I always loved Gary Moore’s guitar playing; Dio was a blast like all his concerts and so was ACDC – they had to be the best party band around!
Accept and Ozzy also rocked it but everyone complained about Van Halen who totally screwed up that day: Roth was so drunk (or whatever), he left after half a song, the band played for a bit longer and then also left.
We were in the very front pretty much the whole time and the crowd behind us was pushing so hard that sometimes my feet lost touch with the ground and I was ‘carried’ from the front to a few rows back. It was a constant fight to stay in front. It was also very hot that day and we were periodically hosed down by Ozzy haha! After about 11 hours of rock and ACDC’s finale with the canons blasting, my ears were ringing for days … It was so worth it!!
I found a few more pictures of Monsters of Rock here.
If you’ve been to one of the Monsters of Rock back then, tell us about it in the comments! (Deutsch oder Englisch :)) This Monsters of Rock concert took place September 1, 1984.
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A great big “thank you!” to Tad (see comments) for sending the following pics:
Michael Anthony – Van Halen
The headliners: ACDC – Angus Young
Ich war damals 21 Jahre alt und bin mit einem Haufen wilder Freunde am Vorabend im Zug nach Karlsruhe gefahren. Party im Zug, am Bahnhof, auf dem Weg ins und vor dem Wildparkstadion, nachts AUF den Kassenhäuschen weitergefeiert und ein wenig geschlafen. Dann: Der ersehnte Tag mit Gluthitze, ein brechend volles Stadion…Es ging los. Mötley fegte los. Auf allen Seiten viele Amerikaner mit mega großen Kühlboxen auf denen sie standen oder tanzten. 10 Liter Rotwein-Cola drin und ihre Tassen schwammen darin. Konnte man damals noch alles irgendwie mit ins Stadion nehmen. Dann Accept, Dio, Gary Moore, Van Halen, Ozzy – einfach eine unvergessliche Rockshow und -party. Dann ACDC mit einer fulminanten Power-Performance, wie ich sie bis dahin und auch später nie mehr gesehen habe. Und dann trug Brian den Angus auf seinen Schultern doch glatt durchs Publikum im Innenraum umher! Heute völlig undenkbar! Die Kanonen zu FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK klingen mir heute noch in den Ohren. Es war einfach ein grandioser Tag, ein unfassbar schönes Wochenende im Herbst 1984! Das mit Abstand
beste Festival (von sehr vielen), das ich bis heute erleben durfte! Danke für die Bilder hier, für Eure Erinnerungen und Grüße an alle, die damals dabei waren!
Bitteschön! Ich bin so froh dass ein paar Bilder überlebt haben! Good times! 😀
I was stationed in Stuttgart at the time and several of us went. I was 1 day short of being 19, so this was kind of my birthday present to myself. As a teen growing up in Miami before joining the Army, I had been to many great concerts, but nothing compares to this experience! I originally went because I wanted to see AC/DC perform but left having been blown away by Motley Crüe and Ozzy too. That’s not to say that Accept, Gary Moore, Dio and Van Halen (well maybe Van Halen) were disappointing; just that IMHO Motley Crüe, Ozzy and AC/DC owned that venue! I’m fast approaching 60 now and my heavy metal/hard rock concerts days are behind me, but the 1984 Monster of Rock will always be a fond memory… undoubtedly the best concert I ever attended! As a side note, I don’t recall anything after the concert was over and we were heading back to the van, but somehow, I made it back to the barracks in one piece… To whomever was the designated driver for that event, thank you!
Oh WAO! I was freshly stationed at D 2/62 ADA, Hontheim Kaserned when me and a group of Army buddies went to enjoy one of the best rock concerts of the Monsters of Rock series iat Karlsruhe GE. Awesome times and beautiful memories! Hi to all who had this experience and posted on this site! P.S. i ironically got stationed in Karlsruhe several years later! 😆
Stationed in Giessen Germany 1984. Took the train with some buds and camped outside overnight with our military issued fart sacks, we were the first ones into general admission on the field, right up front, got crushed on the security rails as the crowd went crazy when the bands started playing. Had to navigate back to enjoy the concert. I have the t-shirt with the tour dates, my youngest daughter wore it to shreds over the years. Also saw Springsteen in Frankfurt while we were there Born in the USA Tour, it too was awesome. Great memories all the way around.
I didn’t think Van Halen was all that bad as others stated. Granted it wasn’t a stellar performance, but it left lasting memories good and bad.
I was in the U.S. Army stationed in Mannheim, Germany at Coleman Barracks with the 4/8th Infantry Battalion (MECH) and I was Signal Corp. It was a Hot long day. I remember DLR yelling out after he was hit with a water balloon, “I’ll kick your ass and fu*# your girlfriend!”. Van Halen’s audio went out, Michael Anthony performed a bass solo. He was standing on a speaker cab playing his solo, he threw the bass guitar down on the stage and jumped on it. Crazy! By the time Ozzie came on most everyone was tired or getting their beers and bota bags refilled and we’re just not giving Ozzie any love so he yelled out, “Put your fuc*%ing hands to together” or something like that. He wanted us to make some noise. All the bands were great. I really dug Gary Moore’s performance. Never heard of him until I heard him at this concert. What a guitar player, exceptional! AC/DC tore it up. Everyone talks about the cannons, but the gigantic bell was over the top and their stage runway was like I never seen before. Angus was doing somersaults while still playing his guitar, crazy! You could see AC/DC’s on a huge jumbotron above the stage and I think there were other jumbotrons located elsewhere in the stadium. I still have my concert ticket.
Military brats from Weisbaden, six or seven of us stole a friends dad’s vw camper van and drove to the show. It will always be my favorite concert.
I was stationed in Stuttgart, and many of us boarded the train for an experience of a lifetime. I have some pictures that I will have to dig out but needless to say it remains the best concert I’ve ever been to. And AC/DC brought it home with a hell of a performance. Those cannons were incredible.
I have no idea how many people were there, but it was absolutely packed, and best I can remember it was hot as hell. I also remember seeing more drunk people in one spot than I had experienced at that time –
us included.
Great Memory
I was stationed at Bitburg Air Base at that time. A group of my buddies and myself decided to go to the concert and road the Concert bus there. Great concert, best one I have ever been to except for primadonna Dave and Van Halen. AC/DC kick butt, they put on a rock show.
I was stationed in Hanau, went to this amazing concert with 10 fellow troops, 60 years old now, told this story a thousand times. I remember when Motley Crew started , freaked the crowd out it was so loud! Passed out when Gary Moore came on, awoke and stood straight up when Ozzie took the stage next. AC/DC rocked the house with those cannons. A truly great day.
I’m in the first picture of Motley. Not only that but I may have snapped a photo at the same time it was taken. Unfortunately I can’t show you my photo. I’m at the first beam in front of Mick. My picture is of that and Nikki and Vince next to him raising his arm up. Very cool. Thank you!
That is so cool! What are the chances?! And another crazy person taking photos lol! I’d love to see yours. If you like send your photo to me on IG @maritabraun and I’ll add it here!
Stationed in Muenchweiler, 3 other guys and myself set out in a rented german van and I was blessed to see my first concert. From walking in to the crues shout at the devil, to climbing over about 2 stories of rails, listening to whole lotta rosie, I was hooked on the concert. Also seen the crue later with Iron Maiden.
Diamond Dave was drunk off his ass. I was backstage at that show and I saw Dave kill 6 German beers (Cans) in about 2 minutes. He stopped his interview with Rolling Stone to tell me how much he wanted to Party with me. Unfortunately I didn’t get to meet Eddie or AC/DC, but talked at length with Jake E. Lee, Dio, Michael and Alex. Had brief conversations with Ozzy, Motley, David Lee Roth, Accept. First show ever backstage and what a first.
Was there as an American high school sophomore (what were my parent’s thinking?). First concert ever. And I was ruined after that. No other concert ever came close to measuring up, and I’ve seen some great concerts and day-long (even multi-day) events since. “Epic” doesn’t begin to capture this experience. It was my One-Day Woodstock. That combo of bands at the height of their powers, general admission, a fired up crowd…forget about it. It was magical mayhem.
I’ll never forget that concert, was stationed in Baumholder at the time. What’s the most memorable was the night before. I met a great German girl and I parked the night before right in front of the stadium like many others did. We ended up making love at least 4 times that night. I remember being so impressed by her that I ended up buying her some flowers and giving her a ride home in my toyota 2 door. She was wonderful to say the least. I ended up parking over a half mile away but it was worth every foot. I don’t know who she was but I will never forget that night we spent together in the front seat of my car.
Thanks for the great memories!!!
You’re welcome! Good times for sure!!!
Oh yeah! It was a blast. My Army buddies and I travelled by train from Mannheim. We were “Grunts” at Coleman barracks (the old Army prison).
My roommate was our “shutterbug” and took upwards of about 200 pics. I have a few but he has albums full.
I remember being down in the mosh pit during all of the pushing when a young girl lost her footing and fell to the ground and was about to be trampled to death. My buddies and I formed a tight ring and I grabbed her from the ground during the pushing. We got her over our heads and fought to get her out of the pit and to an aid station. The last time I saw her she was being assessed for injuries by the first aid personnel.
I didn’t remember how nasty DLR was until someone wrote about the water balloon, what a jerk.
I definetly remember Valerie Bertinelli as well as all of the other beautiful girls I saw (maybe even you!), that was really the highlight of the concert for me.
I’ve always been a huge AC/DC Fan so I was looking forward to them. Ozzie was second on my list and, unfortunately, Van Halen was originally third. They were quickly replaced that day by Motley Crue. I had no idea about the other bands until I heard them play. I’ve always listened to classic rock and blues and not alot of metal or “big hair” bands.
I will find my buddy’s MOR picture album on line and if you let me know how to get it to you, will send them so you can update the photos.
Thanks for all of the memories!!!
I was there! 15 years old, living my best life! Bus trip in from Bitburg! I’ll never forget that day. I’ve been to over 30+ concerts since, but none can hold a candle to MOR ’84.
I was there great wine in stadium great people , need a tee from there.
I was there. Stationed at Fliegerhorst kaserne. 19 years old. Me and jerry skuta went. Awesome show. The cannons were so loud. I got into a fight there….crazy days
I was there too! I was stationed at the Army Depot in Germersheim. I went with a girl that worked in the mess hall. Loved “Happy Trails To You” where the original Van Halen lineup lined up rocking in a line together playing, and the way Ozzy took to steps to the left of the mic stand, then back, then 2 steps to the right of the mic stand, then back, to repeat over and over… lol. I had a DIO shirt for many many years, but wore it out!!!! It was 37 years ago! Great pictures.
I just found my ticket…. 😎
I’d like to post the ticket! If you’d like to send it, please send it through my Instagram Thanks!
I went when I was in the air force station at Ramstein I remember it was so hot for many people not use to it….for the longest time I could not remember name of the concert until I was doing research on what happened to the drummer from Def Leppard
Was about 17. Dad was stationed in Stuttgart. That may be the best concert from 1980 till now Ever.
I was there with a few friend from 1/4 inf warriors in Aschaffenburg . Remember David Lee Roths words to this day, ” I forgot the fuckin words man ” . The rest of the concert was awesome , close enough to the stage to get wet when Ozzy hosed us down and right in the front when AC/DC came on . Effectively ruined me for concerts the rest of my life . Rock Am Ring was good but definitely not MOR.
It was defintiely one of the best rock concerts ever!
I was stationed in Karlsruhe, and went with a bunch of Buddies. I have never been to another Concert that great since. The city was so trashed that the Mayors vowed there would never be another.
I remember we had a Base Muster on the following Monday, over half of my Unit tested positive for Marijuana. How me and my buddies didn’t is a miracle.
BTW, your first pic is the view I had. You must have been near us when you took that.
That’s great! That picture was probably taken around 10 or 11 in the morning. We didn’t descend into the pit until a while later. I never knew the city got trashed. That’s awful. Sadly there are always some who can’t handle the excitement and have to act out.
Was there with my wife and a group of guys from 3/71st ada! Was a very hot day for Germany! The crowd was insane, wall to wall heavy metal rads and GI’s! Great concert, except for Van Halen, David lee Roth was obviously wasted! On the way back to Ludwigsburg on the autobahn, our windshield disintegrated at about 80mph! Drove the rest of the way back with towels wrapped around our heads and sunglasses on! Still laugh about it to this day! Have a ton of pictures, wil try to post them!
No windshield on the Autobahn – wow!! Would love to see your pictures! Please comment with the link of where you post them!
io c’ero siamo venuti in 10 dall’Italia. Grande concerto, grande caldo grande Gary Moore. Now i’m 64 years old!
i was there , what a great concert, travelled down from NIenburg , i was in 21 Engr Regt. greatest concert ive every been too.. great memories
War für mich das Grösste. Anreise mit dem Fanbus aus der Schweiz…, geballter Rock’n’ Roll vom Feinsten, super Fotos von Ozzy geschossen und mit einem roten Stirnband-Bandana von Motley Crue zurück nach hause 😉 Geil wars!! Mike
Ein Fanbus?! Das war ja eine super Idee und purer Luxus! Wir würden gerne die Ozzy Fotos sehen! Hast du sie irgenwo online, dann bitte hier linken. Falls nicht, ich würde sie gerne hier posten!
I was there coming from Stuttgart Air Field, I remember that the crowd was anxious for the opening bands to get done, I believe Van Halen was 2nd up in early afternoon and during Roth’s performance of Jump somebody threw a water balloon and landed by his feet. Roth halted the music and screamed out to the crowd “ who’s the fag***t mother f**ker who threw this water balloon up here”. ?
I was there too! I was in the Army stationed in Baumholder at the time. It was one of the best concerts I’ve been to. My favorite band was Accept…they really rocked it ..
especially Princess of the Dawn. I remember DLR finishing a quart of Jack Daneils during Van Halen’s set. Also, I remember they had to pause the concert a few times due to fans climbing up onto the stadium lights. A great warm day of awesome music and a goatskin of wine! I still have a tshirt and souvinger scarf rom that day Finding this site was very timely. I was just telling my wife about this concert on the day that Eddie Van Halen died last week. Too sad.
Danke für die tollen Bilder, ich war auf insgesamt 3 Monster of Rock Konzerten, und ich denke heute noch gerne daran zurück , sowas gibts heute nicht mehr….
Gern geschehen! So was gibts heute nicht mehr. Schön wars!!
Until Bruce Springsteen in Frankfurt 1985 Born in the USA tour this was the best concert I saw in Europe. It was a long day and yes it was hot dudes walking around selling hash like peanut vendor’s at a baseball game lol went down from Wiesbaden
Yes indeed the Bruce Springsteen concert was also a great one.
A car load of us friends from 82nd Engineers out of Bamberg Germany went to the Monster of Rock that year. We went the night before at the stadium and party like another one mentioned. The next day after the concert we had to fix the car to get back to Bamberg. Got a few awesome pictures. I got a picture of AC/DC when they went into the crowd. Was looking up at the big screen and seen me in it. Brought camera up to get picture as security hit me in chest knocking me over backwards. A perfect picture of their backs in crowd as I was going over backwards. They thought I had a gun. Remember that is when all of the suicide bombers was attacking us over there.
Great fun had by all. We ended up at a tiny hotel called The Hotel Grief there in Karlsruhe after the concert. My Army friends and I traveled down from Darmstadt.
I was there and it was the beginning of a love for metal!! Ozzy has carried me thru the good and bad.
Hello Marita, I just found your site about MOR 1984 Karlsruhe Wildpark Stadion. Very interesting memories. I was soldat, pionere, auf Pirmasens, U.S.kaserne. I have fotos of Dio, Motley Crue, Ozzy with bucket & water hose, plus of Eddie Van Halen with David Lee Roth. I have unfortunately no flash for night fotos of AC-DC. I have a ticket stub, and ‘somewhere’ a concert sweater. Cheers, Mark.
P.S. my ears were ‘ringing’ on next day.
Was there with a moving van full of GIs from Geissen Germany, Rivers barracks. (The zoo) Had a freaking blast..still have the tatered poster from the show that’s now 35 yrs old along with ticket.. got a lot of good pics along with Ozzy with the fire hose.. will never forget that day.. rock on!!!
🤘🤘
Russell, I’d love to see your pic with Ozzy and the fire hose! If you’d like to send one, I’ll add it here. Just leave another comment and I’ll send you the email/user to send it to.
This is awesome…I was there and went with a few buds stationed with me at Münchweiler…non stop party from the day before to the day after. Was down on the field about 10 rows back when Motley Crue kicked it all off and nearly lost my life when the crowd surge kicked in…I mean it was like moving 50 yards at a time…forward, back, sideways, forward and on and on…insanity but oh so much fun. Lost my shoes and had to go barefoot the rest of the weekend as I was broke and God only knows how I made it back to the train station to return to my barracks. I had a bunch of cool pics from the day as well but are now long lost. Can’t believe I found this page with the awesome pics for show my kids what a crazy fun time it was!
You lost your shoes?! 😃What a story lol!
I was there. I was in the Army stationed at Neureit Kaserne in Karlsruhe.
I’ll never forget what an asshat DLR was. But AC/DC kicked ass!
I was there as well, on of the best Concerts I saw in my 6 years in Germany with the US Army, I was station in Stuttgart Patch Barracks at the time.
I was living in Karlsruhe when I went to the concert I was 15 at the time. It was an awesome time I was right up front center stage when Motley Crue came on stage what a awesome show they put on. After they left the stage I got out from in front of the stage .
I had a blast the rest of the day Ozzy was great as was AC/DC. All the pictures that I have looked at online have brought back a flood of memories.I used to have a T Shirt and my ticket that I got into the stadium with but over the years they have been lost.
I was also at the concert in Karlsruhe, with a bunch of my friends and we had traveled from Heidelberg (Patton Kaserene). I too was an Engr.(500th Engr.Det.utilities) & I am searching for any photos… but it was Hot as hell and I can’t believe how awesome it was.
I was there 1st 36 inf from Freidberg. It was awesome I was in the stands to the right of the stage. went to the 83 concert too. We got into a big fight with the rads the night before out side the gate because we had a fire going to stay warm. v h sucked that night. I saw them in jax at the 1980 invasion tour. they rocked then
I was stationed in Manheim 5/77 Armor. Someone threw a water balloon at David Lee Roth and he said he would stop playing if it happened again. Motley Crew and AC/DC were spectacular. Ozzie was great. We got into a fight. The acid had a big part in my day.
OMG I can’t believe I found this. I was at that concert I was in the army. I was at Wharton barracks 2/37 engineer Battalion. What an amazing concert! I paid 55 marks to see that concert. What a trip – something I’ll never forget. thank you so much for posting this!
You’re so welcome! Yes, what a trip this was!!
I was there too 38th eng co.
I was there from Pendleton Kaserne Giessen, west Germany 95th Chemical Company. It was outf#$%intravenous! Packed like sardines. What a memory, what a concert!
I was there! Probably one if the best times of my life! Completely forgot to bring my camera. Would love to see more pictures?
These are the only pictures I had. If anybody else has more I’ll be happy to post them!
I was at that concert had a great time I was stationed at we K-town .I also have tons of pictures I believe there was about 60,000 people there
1984 Monsters of Rock Karlsruhe Germany! Biggest and Best Concert I’ve seen EVER!! People were crashed out and passed out everywhere in Karlsruhe after the show! Tore up the town! Crazy time! Will remember it ALWAYS!!
It was EPIC!!
I was at that concert too! It was EPIC!!! Good times good times
I still can’t believe I left after Van Halen. It was my first real concert and we got to wasted. I really wished I had stayed for A/C D/C. I heard he kicked ass. I was stationed at Sembach AFB.
David Lee Roths exact words were ” I forgot the fucking words man ” Still remember after all this time {Aschaffenburg 83-85 } 1/4 inf.
Yes, their performance was a disaster 🙁
oh yes, DR was wasted and was not on his game! Remember seeing Valerie Bertinelli sitting back stage on an amp crate! Was a great show non the less!!
Yep, right after he stopped the band in the middle of a song smacked his forehead.
It was a great show – will see if I can get my pictures scanned from it. I was also close enough to get sprayed with the hose by Ozzy, and have some photos of Van Halen very similar to the ones you posted so we may have been standing close to each other.
Here is one of the crowd (actually several put together) from the upper deck while Accept was playing. [link expired]
And Tad Winning – there was MOR in ’83 too with a pretty awesome lineup of Whitesnake, Blue Oyster Cult, Thin Lizzy, Saxon, Meatloaf, Twisted Sister and Motörhead. I saw that show in Kaiserslautern.
Great shot(s), Jeff, thanks for sharing! Yes, good chance we may have been standing close to each other if you had a similar angle. We were packed in like sardines! But it was a great spot for taking pictures, don’t you think? Feel free to share pics of MOR ’83 as well if you like. Another fantastic line-up!
I was there and I was 14
Hi Luigi! Glad you survived 🙂 Do you have any specific memories about that day?
It only took me 45 minutes to get to within the first 5 rows. If you want to call them that, as I too spent a lot of time off of my feet getting squeezed harder than I thought I could bear. It took another hour just to get to the 2nd row, and another 2 hours to worm my way to the fence 1 finger at a time. It was brutal but made it to the fence in time to get sprayed by Ozzy with the hose. I got some great shots of VH and AC/DC albeit was only the Disk Camera, if you remember those. I don’t however see any upload boxes though. How can I share these Pics with you guys? This was the FIRST MOR tour as far as I know, and I think Ours was better than any that followed it.
Hi Tad, I like your dramatic description of getting to the fence; it was truly like that! Not everyone who tried succeeded! I agree, I think this was the best MOR! And yes, I do remember the Disk 🙂 I’ll send you an email so you can send your pics and I’ll add them to this post.
You’re so welcome Kim! And yes it was hot!! It’s fun to share them with fellow concert goers like you 🙂 It was a fantastic concert, wasn’t it?
Thank you so much for posting these! I was there also that day….my first concert ever! It was SOOOO hot …..and my memories have faded over time….but THANK you for keeping these safe and then sharing them with people like me!
Thanks for the photos! There are not many around. Yes, it was Mötley Crües first concert in Germany and I am still a fan. I believe the whole day was in a way setting the direction for my life and I am proud that I never changed my musical taste and attitude. I was second row and the pushing was really, really tough. I remember that I had trouble breathing for one week afterwards. 😉
Hey Mousele, you’re welcome! I’m so happy I could share these pictures with you all, my fellow MOR’s! This event was huge for many of us. I think we all had some physical consequences 🙂
Marita – Loved the pictures from Monsters of Rock 1984. What a show. I still have my ticket and poster too! Lots of Beer and Apflekorn that day!
Thanks Doug! Yes, what a great show! They don’t do them like that anymore!
If you like, I’ll post your pics of the poster and ticket.
The good old time 🙂
Yes Sabine, great memories 🙂
Super! Von dem Konzert gibt’s so wenig Bilder – Dio’s Schnappschuss ist genial!! Wir waren auch den ganzen Tag dort 🙂
Loved every minute of it 83- 85. 93engr. Karlsuhe concert was fucking awesome what a blast
Hell yeah! I too was at this epic concert Monsters Of Rock Germany 1984! Was in the Air Force stationed at Bitburg Air Base.
A buddy and I decided to go and damn glad we did! What a badass concert! Also the best concert I’ve ever been to as well!
I remember walking in first thing in the morning, layer of plastic all over the ground, general admission so no seats, at first
could walk right to stage then the crowd started arriving, moving in all around us heading towards the front.
MOTLEY CRUE was the first ones to hit the stage and damn! They blew it away! I was like 20’ from stage and I gotta say they
put on the best show of the day! One unbelievable thing happen about halfway through the concert, I was standing in a line
to get a beer when I ran straight into my best friend from high school! Whaaaaaat? In 100,000 people crowd in the middle of Germany?! Didn’t even know he was going into the Army! What are the odds? Of course finished out the night with AC/DC
rocking our faces off! Sounded great! Exactly like their album! Will never ever forget it!
Thank all of you all for your stories! It felt like I was right there with you! …………CAUSE I WAS!!!
Steve