08 Sep Superbloom: Lorde Trusts Only Her Songs for 80 Minutes
▶ 3:41 read time
On Monday, Lorde played the first Superbloom Concert Night at Hans-Jochen-Vogel-Platz. 20 songs in 80 minutes, eight of them from her current album Virgin. The Süddeutsche Zeitung called the evening “perfection over spontaneity”.
The Square Instead of the Stadium
Superbloom 2026 ran in two halves: two festival days at the weekend in the Olympiapark, followed by three concert evenings during the week, each ticketed separately, because the Olympic Stadium is a construction site. The stage was therefore set up at Hans-Jochen-Vogel-Platz, the open space between the Olympic Hall and the lake, beneath the park’s famous tent roof. According to the Süddeutsche Zeitung, the square can hold up to 19,000 people; the promoter had planned for around 10,000 per evening. How many showed up on Monday is unknown. According to reports, there were no entry bottlenecks, sound failures or incidents.
What are the Superbloom Concerts? The weekday nights in the Olympiapark featuring the headliner’s full set. Separate from the Experience Days at the weekend, sold individually, with no pass covering all evenings.
20 Songs, One Cover, a Ten-Minute Early Finish
The setlist is a statement: Lorde builds the show around her current album, Virgin, weaving the old hits in between. Anyone who came for Royals only got it in abbreviated form – but did get Ribs as the finale. According to setlist.fm, the show ended at 9:50 pm, ten minutes ahead of the Olympiapark schedule.
Perfection over spontaneity
Munich was one of the final stops on Lorde’s Virgin tour, which has taken her through arenas across North America and Europe for the past year. Jürgen Moises of the Süddeutsche Zeitung was there and describes a singer who becomes “emotional and melancholic” at the end of this tour – and shows it on stage. His verdict is right there in the headline: “Perfection over spontaneity,” with the caption reading: “29 years old and an absolute stage professional.” The Olympiapark summed up the same evening on X as “great songs and goosebumps with a serving of tent-roof vibes,” while Superbloom posted the next morning: “Found our Perfect Place.” Three takes on one night: flawless, grand, and for the fans, a place they want to return to.
Two Opening Acts, One Hit From 2011
Audrey Hobert opened at 5:45 p.m. Lykke Li followed from 6:55 p.m. with I Never Learn and I Follow Rivers, her 2011 hit. Each received 50 minutes, according to the Olympiapark schedule. For the fans who queued at the entrance from 5 p.m., three and a half hours lay between the gates and the headliner.
How the Rest of the Week Went
On Tuesday, Sombr took the same stage, with the SZ finding the evening “surprisingly unspectacular.” On Wednesday, Lewis Capaldi closed the festival with Someone You Loved, finishing slightly earlier than permitted because his voice, according to the SZ, was “audibly flagging.” And with that, Superbloom 2026 was over after five days. Whether the shared format will stay is something festival director Fruzsina Szép wants to decide after reviewing audience feedback: “For me, every year the challenge is to reimagine the festival anew,” she told the SZ.
Q&A after the show
Click on a question to expand the answer.
How much did the ticket cost?
Who were Audrey Hobert and Lykke Li?
Was Munich the end of the tour?
IBS Publishing Editorial Team ››
Gabalier’s craft: Unplugged stays in the studio →
Burmester bass: Porsche makes the subwoofer amp lighter →
Kraftwerk in front of the Bauhaus: two nights in Dessau →
Cornelius’ eighth album: three guests and the reverb show →
deadmau5 sends AUTO/PILOT into public beta →
Cover image source: Pexels / Lisa Fotios (px:13230484)
Translated from the German original with AI support. The German version is authoritative.