Queens of the Stone Age performed 2007 concert 2300 feet underground in German salt mine
A 2007 performance by the American rock band in a decommissioned German salt mine illustrates the complex logistics and growing appeal of repurposing industrial heritage sites for exclusive cultural experiences.
On November 20, 2007, the American rock band Queens of the Stone Age performed an intimate concert 2,300 feet underground at the Erlebnisbergwerk Glückauf salt mine in Sondershausen, Germany. The event was organized to promote their fifth studio album, Era Vulgaris, offering a stark contrast to their previous night’s performance at a standard 1,500-capacity venue in Nuremberg.
Staging a commercial music event in a decommissioned industrial site required significant logistical planning. The band’s label, Interscope Records, distributed 300 tickets through a fan contest. Transporting the musical equipment into the cavernous venue took approximately a day, with additional time needed for the gear to acclimate to the subterranean environment.
Attendees were issued matching yellow hard hats and high-visibility jackets to navigate the facility safely. Former sound engineer Patrick Hutchinson noted that the band’s management actively sought unconventional venues, including a castle, a church, and an old slaughterhouse, to break the monotony of traditional touring.
Frontman Josh Homme emphasized the cultural value of repurposing such spaces, stating that the location existed due to hard work and deserved celebration. He described the opportunity as a chance to do something "off-kilter and bizarre" that would feel uniquely special for both the performers and the audience.
The band delivered a 14-song set that deviated from their standard touring repertoire. It featured tracks from Era Vulgaris, rare deep cuts, and covers of Billy Idol’s White Wedding and Tom Waits’ Goin’ Out West. Homme explained that the unique atmosphere necessitated rewriting arrangements and rehearsing semi-acoustic versions of their songs.
The subterranean setting initially prompted concerns about structural integrity. Hutchinson recalled worrying about causing "seismic destruction" by rocking out a half-mile closer to the centre of the earth. However, the presence of massive excavation machines designed to eat rock quickly reassured the crew that a cave-in was unlikely.
The performance was filmed for a planned commercial release. Although a teaser trailer and a clip of the song Make It Wit Chu surfaced in early 2008, the full footage reportedly remains locked in a vault in Germany. This withheld content continues to hold latent promotional value for the band’s catalog.
The German mine show was part of a broader, niche trend of utilizing extreme subterranean venues for cultural events. Finnish metal band Agonizer performed 4,169 feet underground at the Pyhäsalmi Mine in Finland just months earlier. Queens of the Stone Age later returned to unconventional historical sites, becoming the first band to officially perform deep in the Catacombs of Paris in July 2024.
