Germans are agog as a collection of the top names in pop music line up to give concerts around the country this summer.
Michael Jackson, who kicks off his world tour on Sunday in front of 70,000 fans in Munich, is likely to be the high point of a frenetic year for pop fans.Thousands of bleary-eyed teen-agers have been forming early morning lines outside ticket booths for the premiere of Jackson's multimedia stage show "Dangerous 1992." On the first day the box office opened 20,000 tickets were sold.
Promoter Mama Concerts in Munich orignally planned five stage appearances for Jackson in Germany. The number has since been doubled.
Jackson will perform 90 shows throughout Europe in cities as diverse as Oslo and Seville, Dublin and Istanbul.
"We've never had a summer season like it, with all the top names," said Peter Schwenkow, who runs the agency, Concert Concept in Berlin.
Prince, Elton John, Guns 'n Roses, Eric Clapton, Genesis, Emerson Lake and Palmer and Joe Cocker are just a few of the names coming to Germany in 1992.
At the same time, German rock stars virtually unknown beyond the country's borders, such as Marius Mueller-Westernhagen, Peter Maffay and Herbert Groenemeyerm are packing capacity venues as young and older alike jostle for a chance to see their idols.
Most of the concerts are sold out weeks or even months in advance, even though many of the stars play giant venues or even soccer stadiums in a bid to accommodate the fans.
The Maifeld in Berlin, where Michael Jackson will take the stage in September, has a capacity of 100,000.
"There's a good reason why so many stars are coming to Germany in 1992 - the market is becoming money-oriented," said Schwenkow.
Fans in Britain, France and parts of Scandinavia have little cash left over for live music.
"We Germans complain a lot that we haven't got any money, but there's always a lot of cash for music," said Schwenkow.
The recession has driven several concert promoters in the United States to the wall, but the big German companies are earning well. So superstars who performed in front of yawning rows of seats in North America in 1991 are coming here in a bid to earn some money, said one music business analyst.
"Germany and Japan are the only two countries at the moment accepting so many concerts," said Jean Baptiste Doerr of Mama Concert.
According to industry estimates, a German pop music fan spends about $128 a year on concerts. Tickets for most events cost at least $25 apiece, and some promoters charge nearly double that.
But warning voices in the music business say fans aren't prepared to dig much deeper into their pockets in order to finance sophisticated light shows and stage effects. Schwenkow spoke of growing "concert fatigue."