Pankow says Goodbye: Emotional farewell concert in Dresden!

Pankow says Goodbye: Emotional farewell concert in Dresden!

After 44 years on stage, the legendary rock band Pankow gave its last concert on July 14, 2025 in Dresden. In the open air in front of the Dresden Club Aunt Ju gathered about 2,000 fans to celebrate the best of their greatest hits. The concert, which lasted more than two hours, was opened and completed with the song "Until last". A highlight of the event was the spectacular fireworks that crowned the final, while 100 balloons were released into the sky at the beginning of the evening. This emotional atmosphere made the last concert an unforgettable experience for those present. Deutschlandfunk reports of the great appreciation that the band has experienced over the years.

The story of Pankow begins in Berlin in 1981. In the 1980s, the band became a voice of the GDR culture operation and, with their texts and melodies, brought many topics of everyday life to language in society at that time. Figures such as "Paule Panke" and "Inge Pawelczik" stood for reality in the workers' and peasant state. Her song "Boredom", published in 1989, is considered a song on the GDR and reflects the dissatisfaction that many music lovers and young people felt at the time. MDR emphasizes how much the band shaped the music scene in the GDR.

The influence of music on society

Rock music in the GDR was always a game ball of politics. The state authorities were used with reprisals against unadjusted musicians, which often led to censorship and forced resolutions of bands. At the same time, however, some groups such as Pankow also experienced public recognition by state institutions, partly due to popularity that gained rock and beat music in youth culture. Where this urge to music came from, explains music analysis by describing the changes in dealing with beat and rock music in the GDR.

From the Rock’n Roll-wave of the 1950s, which came to Germany via the radio stations of the occupying powers, until the development of its own bands in the following decades, the music was always an expression of youth culture. Pankow also did not escape the influence of these political tensions, which shaped the music scene. The rise of the band and their influence on generations of young people would not have been conceivable without the resistance and cultural developments in the GDR.

Although Pankow announced her first farewell in 1998, they returned to the stage in 2004 and delighted their fans with further appearances. But now, almost two years after her last concert, it is finally over. The band leaves a rich inheritance that the music scene has not only shaped the GDR, but also beyond and will live on in the memories of many.