Lemmy Kilmister Returns To Wacken Festival, Ashes Scattered Across The Grounds

Not only will Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister be honoured with the titular days-long celebration (“Lemmy Forever”) at this year’s Wacken Open Air Festival, which runs from 2-5 August, but the man himself will return to Wacken, Germany’s hallowed grounds with his ashes scattered throughout the grounds.

Wacken Open Air co-organiser Thomas Jensen said in a statement via NME, “Lemmy coming back to Wacken is an enormous honour for us — words can hardly express how enormous. We will create a place of remembrance for him that does justice to his significance for an entire genre and beyond.”

The statement continued, “There has always been a special connection between Motörhead and Wacken Open Air; hardly any band has played here more often. The fact that his journey also ends here will forever hold a special meaning.”

According to Bass Magazine, Motörhead manager Todd Singerman added, “Wacken was one of Lemmy’s dearest homes, and we’re delighted he has a place here forever.”

Singerman added that Lemmy was “a man of the people”, and his rockstar lifestyle meant that he ‘lived’ all over the world. “It’s our aim to allow him to rest permanently in all his ‘homes’ globally and allow his fans worldwide to have a place close to them where they can both pay respects and celebrate his enormous continuing legacy and influence,” Singerman said.

This year’s Wacken Festival features Aussie melodic death metal outfit Be’lakor alongside headliners Iron Maiden, followed by The Dropkick Murphys, Doro, Megadeth, Wardruna, VV, Knotfest Australia favourites Trivium, Good Things Festival icons Jinjer, Abbath, Ensiferum, and many more.

In December 2015, Lemmy, the English-born heavy metal ico,n passed away at 70. Motörhead subsequently disbanded, with drummer Mikkey Dee saying in a statement, “Motörhead is over, of course.

“Lemmy was Motörhead. We won't be doing any more tours or anything. And there won't be any more records. But the brand survives, and Lemmy lives on in the hearts of everyone.”

In June 2020, Deadline reported that Lemmy would receive the biopic treatment. At the time of writing, the film still hasn’t arrived, Director Greg Olliver, who made the 2010 documentary Lemmy, said: “Behind that steely-eyed façade of rock'n’roll was also a compelling, complicated and lion-hearted man who stayed the course and never gave up playing the music that made him happy.” 

Olliver continued, “We’ve been carefully developing this biopic since 2013, making sure to stay true to Lemmy, Motörhead band members Phil Campbell and Mikkey Dee, and all the other folks that played important roles in Lemmy’s life. This will be a film they’ll be proud of.”