Aretha Franklin - Tribute show RESPECT brings her songs to Coesfeld

Aretha Franklin remains one of the defining voices of soul and pop, and in 2026 her songs are set to return live to Germany through a dedicated tribute production. According to a detailed announcement on German tech and culture site IT Boltwise, the show RESPECT – The Aretha Franklin Story is scheduled for September 12, 2026 at Konzert Theater Coesfeld in North Rhine-Westphalia, with a 7:30 p.m. start time and entry-level tickets around €33 IT Boltwise announcement.

RESPECT brings Franklin’s catalog to a German theater

The Coesfeld date gives German fans a focused evening built entirely around Aretha Franklin’s repertoire, presented as a full-length theater concert rather than a small club gig. IT Boltwise describes RESPECT – The Aretha Franklin Story as a tribute show that runs for roughly two hours and centers on classics such as Respect, Think and (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, performed with a live band that recreates the 1960s soul and R&B sound in a concert-hall setting German liveband report.

The Coesfeld listing positions the event clearly as a tribute production: a cast of vocalists and musicians interpret Franklin’s songs and stage presence, while the original Queen of Soul herself is not present, having died on August 16, 2018. For local audiences in North Rhine-Westphalia, the 7:30 p.m. showtime and starting ticket price of about €33 make it a relatively accessible way to experience her catalog in a formal theater environment rather than only through recordings IT Boltwise announcement.

How tribute shows keep Franklin’s music live in Germany

The Coesfeld performance is part of a broader pattern of German venues programming evenings around Aretha Franklin’s work. The same IT Boltwise coverage notes that RESPECT – The Aretha Franklin Story has already appeared in Germany earlier in the year, including a date on March 30, 2026 at Deutsches Theater in Munich, underscoring that the format is conceived as a touring production rather than a one-off event IT Boltwise announcement.

Beyond Coesfeld and Munich, German listings highlight additional homage evenings. Berlin’s official city portal points to a concert titled Denice Brooks & THEE Aretha Franklin Tribute Band – The Soul Returns at Loci Loft on March 27, 2026, with tickets starting at €22.50, illustrating how clubs in the capital also build full nights around Franklin’s songs Berlin tribute listing summary. Later in the year, the homage event ARETHA – The Queen of Soul at Friedrich-Wolf-Theater in Eisenhüttenstadt on October 9, 2026 adds another theater-based tribute, with tickets reportedly starting around €26 and an 8:00 p.m. curtain German homage listing.

What defines Franklin’s sound and career

Aretha Franklin’s enduring appeal in Germany and worldwide rests on a body of work that shaped modern soul and rock-inflected pop. Recording largely in the 1960s and 1970s for Atlantic Records, she combined gospel-trained vocals with R&B rhythm sections and horn arrangements, creating powerful reinterpretations of material like Otis Redding’s Respect as well as signature originals such as Chain of Fools and Think.

Classic albums like I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You, released in 1967, and Lady Soul, released in 1968, defined her studio peak and yielded multiple tracks that remain staples of tribute-setlists today. Live documents, particularly the 1972 church recordings assembled in Amazing Grace, later restored and released as a concert film in 2018–2019, underline how her performances fused spiritual intensity with crossover appeal, helping shape the template for later generations of soul and rock vocalists.

Where the act stands now

Aretha Franklin herself has no live dates, having died in Detroit on August 16, 2018; for German audiences, the next clearly confirmed live event centered on her songs is the tribute production RESPECT – The Aretha Franklin Story at Konzert Theater Coesfeld on September 12, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.