An Expat’s guide to concerts in Munich

In Munich, as Germany’s third largest city, there are almost always plenty of concerts no matter what your taste in music. As a guy who goes to several shows a month, year round, I am often asked where I even hear of these shows. The answer, unfortunately, is complicated.

If you only like massive concerts with only the top acts, then the answer is simple: you should just look at München Ticket from time to time and you will be up to date on anything you want.

However, if you enjoy multiple genres and sometimes smaller shows with only a few hundred of your closest friends, then it is much more difficult to keep track of what is going on and where. Many up and coming or past their prime musicians play the same venues as top punk or metal bands.   These bands don’t make the big advertising campaigns and therefore take more effort on your part to even locate the concert. For Munich I recommend figuring out which venues usually have the shows that interest you and every month going to their websites and taking notes. Unfortunately, that’s the best way to do it in Munich as the website aggregators are either extremely genre specific or neglect major venues.

Here are some of the venues that get major international acts from multiple genres:

Feierwerk – This is actually several venues with a common website and management.

Backstage – Like the Feierwerk, this has multiple venues at one location. In the summer it is known for its “Free and Easy” festival which means all concerts are free during this time.

Tonhalle – Located within the Kult Fabrik, this is typically only for bands that are played on heavy rotation on one of the local radio stations.

59:1 – A small club that gets a lot of up and coming bands, the 59:1 club is located between Karlsplatz and Sendlinger Tor, making it one of the easiest to find locations in town. A lot of shows that are booked there sell out and get bumped to the Backstage, so make sure to check the website of the venue before heading out to a show.

Zenith – This is for MAJOR acts as it is the largest venue without going to a stadium. It is an old factory building with possibly the worst sound of any venue on the continent.

If you have a wide taste in music, but you’re not that concerned with missing the odd band, one popular app on facebook might be just your thing: have a look at bandsintown.