Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Bob Dylan: just a small selection of the legendary artists who have performed at De Kuip. The Rotterdam football stadium will stop organizing large concerts from next year due to noise pollution. NU.nl readers share their fondest memories.
Disappointment prevails among concertgoers, but fortunately, there are countless unforgettable moments to look back on. Such as for NU.nl reader Naomi Perez, who saw Michael Jackson perform in 1988 at the age of ten. The coveted tickets came from an unexpected source. “My father was a driving instructor, and one of his students was Martijn Krabbé. He had two tickets left over and asked if we wanted them.”
Together with her mother, Perez went to De Kuip. “And what I experienced then was pure magic! We stood among thousands of people in a stadium that was seething with energy. It was bigger than my childish imagination could handle. I stared at the stage with my mouth open and felt something I will never forget: wonder.”
To this day, Perez is grateful to Krabbé. “He gave me a memory that transcends my childhood.”
Margret Vermeulen also remembers Jackson’s performance well. “In the eighties, I worked for the then Rotterdam Municipal Police. The concerts in De Kuip were the highlight for me, especially when I was allowed to work backstage. After the concert, Michael personally shook hands with all the police colleagues to thank them.”
‘During the Simon & Garfunkel concert, I met my first love’
For NU.nl reader Wim Voermans, the soundcheck of Simon & Garfunkel in 1982 was a highlight. “Actually, it was only Garfunkel who sang the song Bridge over Troubled Water in an empty, somewhat drizzly Kuip. From beginning to end, with full dedication. In the background, a train passed by the stadium. Goosebumps. So beautiful, lonely, and overwhelming.”
Wilbert Vink was also there in 1982. “There was something in the air that evening: anticipation, nostalgia, and especially a feeling of coming home. For me, that was literally the case. I had just returned from Lebanon, where I had worked as a medic with UNIFIL. Six months between sand, shadow, and tension,” says Vink.
“The transition to the Netherlands was strange. During the concert, I started talking to someone. Nothing special really – just a click, a little laugh at how corny the Netherlands suddenly felt again after everything I had seen. She became my first love.”
Rotterdammer Sandra Franken has attended several shows in the stadium over the years. “The last concert was that of Marco Borsato in 2019, with Davina Michelle and Armin van Buuren as special guests.”
For Franken, it was a special moment. “My husband and I had just learned that our long-cherished wish was growing in triplicate in my belly. Every song got a magical extra charge, and no one around us knew this. Two of these miracles were born five months later, at only 29 weeks. Now they are growing up as two cheerful toddlers. Despite all the tension and sadness that the period brought, this evening has always stayed with me.”
Marco Borsato and Marcel Veenendaal sing De Bestemming in De Kuip, 2019.
‘A ticket was 32.50 guilders, then a considerable amount’
NU-reader Folkert Nievelstein visited a Dire Straits concert in 1992 with classmates. He was not initially a fan.
“How different it was after that evening. Breathlessly enjoyed the concert – what amazing musicians! It was like listening to the studio recordings, so pure and perfectly played. The magic of De Kuip, still the very best concert stadium in the Netherlands, the friends from high school, and that beautiful summer evening formed the icing on the cake.”
Paul de Bie often thinks back to his first concert experience, about 43 years ago, with The Rolling Stones. “We could still get tickets for section UU. The price was 32.50 guilders, then a considerable amount. Once in the stadium, it turned out that the section was very far from the stage. And in those days, there were no big screens,” says De Bie.
“When we were totally roasted by the sun, The Rolling Stones started with Under My Thumb. We didn’t see much; Mick Jagger was about 2 millimeters tall. Fortunately, you were still allowed to bring a single-lens reflex camera with a telephoto lens. Unfortunately, there was also little to see in the photos, because the entire grandstand in section UU went up and down with enthusiasm throughout the concert.”
‘I stood crying for five minutes’
For Geertje Algera, De Kuip was also the place of her first concert experience. “For me, a girl from a farm, it was a life-changing experience.”
Algera went to Madonna at the age of fifteen with a friend. “It was just very cool to see such a superstar in the flesh. She was such a power woman, such an example. Madonna’s clothes were from Jean-Paul Gaultier, very striking with the famous pointed breasts.”
For Ramon van Biljouw, Madonna in De Kuip also remains a fond memory. “It was iconic for me because it fell during the time I was planning my coming-out. Especially the opening number Express Yourself is synonymous with the decision that I had to come out of the closet.”
“I remember it like it was yesterday,” NU.nl reader Hans Schepers looks back on his visit to the Lovesexy concert by Prince in 1988. “I was with my friend Paul. I am 2 meters tall myself, and Paul was at most 1.65 meters. I had promised to lift him up when Prince came.”
“Suddenly a hard beat started – it was Erotic City. And there was Prince!” he continues. “And Paul? He didn’t get anything from the beginning, because I was so overwhelmed that I stood crying for five minutes before I looked next to me again. Paul, if you’re reading this: apologies again!”
Fans of Madonna prepare for the concert.
‘I could experience all the concerts from my bedroom window’
Pink Floyd also left a lasting impression. “Just before the concert in 1988, the audience was ‘warmed up’ by two fighter jets doing tricks just above De Kuip,” says Michel Weemaes. “The concert itself was a feast for the ears and eyes, with a spectacular light show, flying beds and pigs, and a huge glitter ball.”
In 1994, the British band returned to Rotterdam. “Because of the laser show, air traffic to Schiphol had to be temporarily diverted,” knows Mark Houterman.
Amsterdammer Hijme Stoffels traveled to Rotterdam especially for Pink Floyd. “Of course, I had never been to De Kuip before. What an experience, I went completely crazy. No football match can match that!”
NU.nl reader Daan Blom grew up next to De Kuip. “I saw The Rolling Stones twice and Genesis once. But if the wind was right, I could simply experience other concerts from my bedroom window. That’s how I got to hear the greats of the earth: U2, Prince, Pink Floyd, Michael Jackson, and Madonna. But also lesser gods like René Froger and Marco Borsato. Fortunately, the window could also be closed.”
“I find it difficult to accept that local residents are now complaining about noise pollution,” says Blom. “I look back with great pleasure on the time when I was allowed to enjoy those concerts.”
DI-RECT is playing in De Kuip on July 12, 13, and 14 in honor of the band’s 25th anniversary. These are the last major concerts in the stadium. NU-reader Nievelstein will be there. “I am very happy that I can experience this. There will undoubtedly be quite a few memories passing in review that evening.”
Why no more concerts in De Kuip?
New houses are being built around the Feyenoord stadium. The costs to insulate them against noise pollution are too high. The insulation would also ensure that it is “not nice” indoors on a warm summer day.
“Of course, not being able to facilitate pop concerts anymore is a shame,” says stadium director Lilian de Leeuw. “But De Kuip is taking its social responsibility in this, also from the idea of being a good neighbor.”