De Läb, Francis of Delirium, Laura Thorn, Nosi, Raftside and many more: more than two dozen music acts from Luxembourg will welcome Guillaume as the new head of state at a very special concert at the Glacis on Saturday 4 October.
The celebration offers the local music scene the opportunity to present itself on the international stage, with many journalists, photographers and television crews from abroad expected to attend.
In the past, a number of heads of state have marked major events with big names from the world of music.
Probably the most legendary performance at a royal event was put on by a rather well-known band from Sweden: ABBA.
Carl XVI Gustaf, Silvia and a song by ABBA
Carl XVI Gustaf was proclaimed the new monarch of the Scandinavian country in 1973 following the death of his grandfather Gustav VI Adolf.
The big celebration followed three years later, when the Swedish king married Silvia Sommerlath, a German-Brazilian translator whom he had met during the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. The wedding was scheduled for 19 June 1976, with the Belgian royal couple and the Grand Ducal couple among the invited guests.
The most spectacular performance of the festivities was put on by the bride in a wonderful dress from Dior – she became Queen as a result of the wedding, meaning the ceremony was akin to a coronation – and a band that had sung their way into the hearts of music fans two years earlier with Waterloo.
ABBA members Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Anni-Frid performed the song Dancing Queen the evening before the wedding at the Royal Opera House in Stockholm, wearing baroque costumes in keeping with the occasion.
The single, which was released a month later, was a real success. ABBA stormed the charts worldwide, the song sold millions of copies and reached number one in the USA, the UK, Australia, Germany, and, of course, Sweden.
Performing together for the Queen in front of Buckingham Palace in 2022: Queen founder member Brian May and US singer Adam Lambert © Photo credit: Getty Images
Unfortunately, there was no reunion for ABBA at the concert for the 50th anniversary of Carl XVI Gustaf’s accession to the throne two years ago. The music was provided by other exceptional Swedish artists, including, in keeping with tradition, two-time Eurovision Song Contest winner Loreen.
Elizabeth, Charles and countless megastars
The British royals have repeatedly and impressively demonstrated how it is possible to celebrate in style and yet in a modern way. In June 2022, for example, the who’s who of the music world arrived in London to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Queen’s accession to the throne, as part of The Platinum Party at the Palace.
Among those who played, sang and conducted were the band Queen with Adam Lambert, Craig David, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Lin-Manuel Miranda, Rod Stewart, Duran Duran, Hans Zimmer, Elton John and Diana Ross.
Twenty years earlier, the British Queen brought world stars together in one place for the Party at the Palace in front of Buckingham Palace.
Back then, the party included Queen, Ricky Martin, Phil Collins, Atomic Kitten, Blue, Tom Jones, Shirley Bassey, Bryan Adams, Annie Lennox, Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney and many, many more. Ten years later, Robbie Williams, Jessie J, Cliff Richard, Grace Jones, Ed Sheeran and Kylie Minogue, among others, did the same at the Diamond Jubilee Concert.
A few months after the death of his mother in autumn 2022, King Charles was also the subject of a celebration concert. 20,000 spectators had the chance to once again attend an unrivalled 124-minute concert spectacle that was broadcast to more than 100 countries, hosted by Downton Abbey star Hugh Bonneville.
Lang Lang played with singer Nicole Scherzinger, Lionel Richie performed two songs, as did Katy Perry, who performed the bombastic pop numbers Roar and Firework. The crowning finale was provided by probably the most famous boy band in the world still in existence: Take That.
Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen (but without Jason Orange and Robbie Williams) closed the evening with Greatest Day, Shine and the legendary song Never Forget from the album Nobody Else, the band’s last album before they disbanded in 1996.
US singer Michael Jackson, who died in 2009 © Photo credit: Getty Images
Michael Jackson for 17 million dollars
What goes on behind closed doors, when stars give private concerts for large sums of money, unknown to the public, can only be surmised.
Whitney Houston and Lionel Richie, for example, are said to have travelled to North Africa to perform for the Moroccan royal family, while Shakira is also rumoured to have moved her hips at a private concert for the Jordanian royal family.
The family of the Sultan of Brunei seems to have been particularly enthusiastic about Western pop music – although Western values less so – in the past. Back in 1996, Michael Jackson performed at a celebration to mark the 50th birthday of the monarch Hassanal Bolkiah in front of an audience of 60,000 people, which included the current British king.
The celebrations cost $27 million (€23.14 million), according to media reports, with the King of Pop paid a whopping $17 million (€14.57 million). A fortune which was reportedly paid out of the monarch’s own wallet, to treat himself.
(This article was originally published by the Luxemburger Wort. Machine translated, with editing and adaptation by John Monaghan.)