The ancient theater of the Acropolis, the Herodeon, has been the setting for some of the most memorable musical performances by the most notable Greek and international musicians.
Sitting at the foot of the Acropolis rock, or “sacred rock” as many refer to it, the ancient theater was built in 161 AD by orator Herodes Atticus in memory of his wife, Appia Annia Regilla. It had a roof of Lebanon cedar and was used for music concerts with a 5,000 capacity.
A century after it was built, the theater was destroyed by a German tribe, the Heruli, in 267 AD. The theater remained in ruins until the 1950s, when the stage and stands were restored using Pentelic marble.
Since 1955, the Acropolis ancient theater became the stage for the annual Athens Festival, hosting renowned Greek and international performers in music, dance, and theater.
In 1957, Maria Callas was the first great name that graced the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. In 1984, it was singer Nana Mouskouri, and Luciano Pavarotti performed twice in 1991 and 2004. Vangelis’ Mythodea premiered at the Herodeon in 1993, while Tenor Mario Frangoulis performed the ‘Axion Esti’ poem by Odysseus Elytis with music by Mikis Theodorakis conducted by the composer himself in May 1998. In 2017, the multiple Grammy Award-Winning rock band the Foo Fighters played there, as well.
However, below are the most memorable performances of all time at the theater.
Frank Sinatra (May 1962)
In May 1962, Frank Sinatra arrived in Athens in his private airplane for two concerts at the Acropolis ancient theater under the auspices of Queen Frederica of Greece.
Frank Sinatra appeared in a packed Herodeon with ticket prices at 50, 100, 200, and 300 drachmas, which was a substantial amount at the time. The Greek ballets of Dora Stratou opened for Sinatra, who sang his greatest hits before an enthralled Athenian audience that erupted into a warm applause.
The song list included his classics such as “Night and Day,” “My Funny Valentine, “The Lady Is a Tramp,” “All the Way,” “I Get a Kick Out of You,” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “My Blue Heaven,” and more.
The proceeds of the two concerts went to two Athenian institutions for charitable purposes. Mayor of Athens Angelos Tsoukalas awarded him the gold medal of the city of Athens after the two performances.
Yanni (September 1993)
Yanni had left Greece in 1972 and moved to the United States to pursue a career in music. One of his goals was to return to Greece one day and play at the Herodeon. Twenty years later, after he had become a star in the New Age genre, he began organizing the concert at the Acropolis ancient theater.
His dream became reality in September 1993. After he spent $2 million, taking over a year to organize his remarkable concert and overcoming Greek red tape (the archeological committee, the ministry of culture, the mayor), he managed to secure the ancient venue for three nights.
It was a magical event with Yanni on the keyboards, a six-piece band, and Britain’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Shahrdad Rohani. The third night, on September 25th, had Yanni pouring his heart into it. The show ended to thunderous applause, warming the hearts of more than two thousand Greeks.
The show was recorded, and it catapulted his career. Live at the Acropolis was released on March 1, 1994. The album peaked at number one on the Billboard Top New Age Albums chart and number 5 on the Billboard 200 chart. In September 1994, it was certified triple platinum for three million copies sold in the United States. In April 1998, it was certified quadruple platinum, signifying four million copies sold. In the same month, the video release had reached quadruple platinum for sales in excess of 600,000 copies.
Elton John (November 2000)
In a solo performance on the piano, Sir Elton John mesmerized the Greek audience at the Acropolis ancient theater. He played for three hours without a break with countless lighters lighting up the place until the moment of the apotheosis, when the last notes of “Crocodile Rock” echoed on the ancient walls.
Despite the lack of a band, the great musician turned the evening’s atmosphere into a festive event. Critics wrote than his voice was unchanged after so many years of touring around the world and recording unforgettable songs. Living up to his reputation, he played for three hours, as the audience did not let him leave the stage.
Instead, he continued on with a triple encore, in which he included his most beloved songs. Among these were the famous “Candle in the Wind,” a song he originally wrote for Marilyn Monroe and arranged later in memory of Princess Diana.
Sting (September 2021)
At the very end of September in 2021, Sting graced the stage of the Herodeon for the second time to celebrate his 70th birthday under the Attica sky.
It was the second time that Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, as is his real name, played at the Acropolis ancient theater, after his two shows in June 2018. This time, the concert had a more festive atmosphere, like a birthday party that a musician enjoys with his audience as guests.
Sting stopped in Greece as part of his “My Songs” tour, playing the most popular songs of the Police era and his solo career. He was accompanied by his son, Joe Sumner, as the opening act. Athenians flocked to take a trip back in time. Sting’s first concert in Athens had been quite a while ago in March 1980, when he arrived as The Police frontman.
The ancient venue served as a party place echoing the sounds of “Roxanne,” “Every Breath You Take,” “Message in a Bottle,” “If You Love Somebody,” “Englishman in New York,” and many others.
Vicky Leandros (September 2024)
Vicky Leandros, the great Greek artist whose career took off at 16 in the 1960s, made a stop at the Acropolis ancient theater as part of her farewell tour entitled “Life is Beautiful,” which bega in 2023.
The phrase “Vicky, you are our youth” was heard several times from the stands between songs. Indeed, it was a night of pure nostalgia for a bygone era, the late 1960s and the 1970s—an era when a young Vicky Leandros was referred to as “Plain Vicky,” the sweet girl with the even sweeter voice who sang in several languages with equal warmth. For Greeks, she had remained the beloved Greek girl even after having relocated to Germany in the 1970s.
The Vicky Leandros farewell concert was a recapitulation of almost 60 years of songs that spoke to all ages. When she finished her set performing her song “Mono Esy” (“Only You”), the Greek version of “Apres Toi,” with which she won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1972, she left the loving audience teary-eyed with nostalgia. She received a standing ovation with the applause lasting several minutes.
