Moscow’s Central Lenin Stadium, currently called Luzhniki Stadium, hosted the world’s first-ever Moscow Music Peace Festival on August 12 and 13, 1989. This rock extravaganza, one of the first international exhibitions of hard rock and heavy metal in the heart of the Soviet Union, was a momentous occasion in the midst of the glasnost period.
This historic occasion was more than just a concert. It represented renewed openness and cross-cultural interchange. The first of 10 shows by the British band Uriah Heep at the Olympic Stadium took place from December 7 to December 16, 1987, setting the stage for what would become a revolutionary event. The Moscow Music Peace Festival drew worldwide attention with over 100,000 participants and live streaming to 59 countries, including broadcast on MTV in the US.
The festival, which included six foreign performances and three Russian bands, demonstrated the wide range of talent from both East and West. The jam session that ensued after the performances was evidence of the ability of music to promote unity and cooperation among people from different ethnic backgrounds. Documentary and record companies immortalised the event, guaranteeing that its influence would extend well beyond the stadium. Among the headliners were iconic bands such as Bon Jovi, Scorpions, Mötley Crüe, Ozzy Osbourne, and Skid Row, alongside Russian rock legends like Gorky Park.
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Some of the bands who performed included the legendary Scorpions, who used their time in Moscow as inspiration for their 1990 hit song “Wind of Change” The song’s message of change and optimism would go on to become one of the all-time best-selling singles, fitting the festival’s overall theme.
The Moscow Music Peace Festival, also known as a “Russian Woodstock,” was the idea of American music manager Doc McGhee and Russian singer Stas Namin. Their cooperation demonstrated how music has the power to bridge political divides and bring people together in a common celebration of harmony and peace.
It serves as a reminder of the transforming potential of music to inspire change and bridge barriers when we consider the legacy of the Moscow Music Peace Festival. In a world where politics and ideology frequently separate people. These kinds of incidents serve as a reminder of our shared humanity and the global language—music—that unites us.
Setlist
Skid Row
“Holidays in the Sun” (Sex Pistols cover)
“Makin’ a Mess”
“Piece of Me”
“Big Guns”
“18 and Life”
“Youth Gone Wild”
Gorky Park
“Action”
“Hit Me with the News”
“Within Your Eyes”
“Danger”
“Try to Find Me”
“Bang”
“Child of the Wind”
“My Generation” (The Who cover)
Cinderella
“Bad Seamstress Blues”
“Somebody Save Me”
“If You Don’t Like It”
“Push Push”
“The Last Mile”
“Coming Home”
“Gypsy Road”
“Nobody’s Fool”
“Shake Me”
Mötley Crüe
“All in the Name of…”
“Live Wire”
“Shout at the Devil”
“Looks That Kill”
“Wild Side”
“Smokin’ in the Boys Room” (Brownsville Station cover)
“Girls, Girls, Girls”
“Jailhouse Rock” (Elvis Presley cover)
Ozzy Osbourne
“I Don’t Know”
“Flying High Again”
“Shot in the Dark”
“Miracle Man”
“Sweet Leaf”
“War Pigs”
“Tattooed Dancer”
“Suicide Solution”
“Crazy Train”
“Paranoid”
Scorpions
“Blackout”
“Big City Nights”
“Bad Boys Running Wild”
“Rhythm of Love”
“The Zoo”
“No One Like You”
“The Song of the Volga Boatmen” (Russian folk song)
“Holiday”
“Still Loving You”
“Dynamite”
“Rock You Like a Hurricane”
Bon Jovi
“Lay Your Hands on Me”
“I’d Die for You”
“Wild in the Streets”
“You Give Love a Bad Name”
“Let It Rock”
“Living in Sin”
“Blood on Blood”
“Runaway”
“Wanted Dead or Alive”
“Livin’ on a Prayer”
“Bad Medicine”
Jam session
“Hound Dog” (Elvis Presley cover) – Bon Jovi, Cinderella, Scorpions
“Long Tall Sally”/”Blue Suede Shoes” – Scorpions, Gorky Park, David Bryan
“Rock and Roll” (Led Zeppelin cover) – Skid Row, Mötley Crüe, Zakk Wylde, Jason Bonham
“Give Peace a Chance” (Plastic Ono Band cover)
