Wacken Open Air Festival made history on August 2 when they officially enshrined Motörhead‘s Lemmy Kilmister’s ashes as part of their annual celebration of metal.
Although the festival was riddled with storms all day, they still managed to pay tribute with a parade and ceremony lead by Motörhead’s Phil Campbell and Mikkey Dee. They placed Lemmy’s ashes in a custom urn inside a special display. His shrine includes his hat, boots, bass, amp, and the urn. The fest even re-enacted Lemmy’s dressing room, including whiskey, his favorite books, and Kinder Eggs, his favorite snack.
That night, Doro Pesch took the stage alongside Phil and Mikkey, and the three played “Love Me Forever” and “Ace Of Spades.” Drones flew overhead during Ace of Spades to form Doro’s logo and Lemmy’s face.
“Lemmy loved playing Wacken; there was a long relationship as we played for the first time in 1997 and returned many, many times,” says Dee. “It is quite natural that he is returning now and has another place forever.” “It’s great that Lemmy will be at Wacken forever among such good friends,” says Campbell. “And I’m glad there’s another home where people can raise a toast to him.”
This also wasn’t the first time Lemmy was enshrined. He was also honored at last year’s Hellfest, another festival the band loved to play. The tradition will no doubt be carried forward as his music continues to impact a new generation of metalheads.