Olympic Stadium Moscow — Monsters of Rock 1991 / AC/DC 'Thunderstruck'

The Monsters of Rock festival at Tushino Airfield in Moscow on September 28, 1991 was one of the largest rock concerts ever held, with an estimated 1.6 million people attending. Held just weeks after the failed August coup that hastened the end of the Soviet Union, the free concert featured AC/DC, Metallica, The Black Crowes, and Pantera playing to a sea of humanity that stretched to the horizon. The event symbolised the arrival of Western rock culture in a country that had suppressed it for decades.

The concert took place during one of the most turbulent periods in Russian history. The Soviet Union was in its final months, and the massive crowd represented a generation of young Russians hungry for the freedoms that rock music symbolised. Metallica's James Hetfield later described looking out at the crowd and being unable to see where it ended. The event was reportedly organised in part by the Russian military, who provided security — soldiers who had been trained to suppress dissent were now managing a rock festival.

Tushino Airfield is located in the Tushino district of northwestern Moscow. The site has been partially redeveloped, with the Otkritie Arena (Spartak Moscow's football stadium) now occupying part of the area. The airfield's remaining open spaces are used for various events. The 1991 concert is commemorated primarily through photographs, film footage, and the memories of the estimated 1.6 million attendees — there is no permanent memorial on site.