The concert was one of a series of musical events accompanying soccer's World Cup finals, which take place in Germany between June 9 and July 9. The newspaper speculated that ticket sales suffered because of high prices and because Domingo is also scheduled to appear in Berlin just five days later, in a concert with soprano Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villaz‹n.

A third concert, on June 6 in Munich, will feature Domingo, pianist Lang Lang, soprano Diana Damrau, and the city's three orchestras: the Bavarian State Orchestra, the Munich Philharmonic, and Bavarian Radio Symphony.