EXTRAORDINARY REHEARSAL SESSION FOR ‘THE WALL LIVE IN BERLIN’ EVENT

In November 1989 the Berlin Wall fell, and on 21st July 1990 Roger Waters staged one of the largest and most elaborate rock concerts in history, The Wall – Live in Berlin, on the vacant terrain between Potsdamer Platz and the Brandenburg Gate. The show reported an attendance of 200,000, though some estimates are as much as twice that, with approximately one billion television viewers. Waters’ musicians included Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Cyndi Lauper, Bryan Adams, Scorpions, and Sinéad O'Connor. Designed by Mark Fisher, the wall was 25 metres tall and 170 metres long and was built across the set, and Gerald Scarfe's inflatable puppets were recreated on an enlarged scale.

 

A couple of months prior to the Berlin Show, Roger - alongside his regular touring group, The Bleeding Heart Band (who were the house musicians for the actual concert) - settled in to London’s Townhouse Studios to rehearse for the event. Nothing unusual there, but not only were these rehearsals recorded, they were also broadcast on a couple of small German radio channels, presumably to promote the coming show.

 

Previously, this remained a largely unknown recording outside of the fatherland, but is now released on this new two-instalment set for the first time on vinyl.