Customer Reviews

Roger Waters - The Wall (Live in Berlin)

5 star:		(117)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

Saturday, July 21, 1990 is a day I will never forget. Former Pink Floyd member Roger Waters & special guests performed a charity concert of the classic Floyd rock opera, "The Wall," at Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, Germany, to celebrate the tearing down of the Berlin Wall. I just so happened to be in England at the time, and I watched the worldwide broadcast of this staggering rock concert on BBC TV that evening, and it left an impression on me that has never gone away. This phenomenal show was and IS the ultimate in rock theater, and has never been surpassed. Since I never got to see Pink Floyd perform "The Wall" live back in 1980, watching the Berlin concert more than made up for that. 13 years later, this landmark concert has finally been released on DVD at last, and it still holds up magnificently. Granted, Pink Floyd themselves had nothing to do with this concert, as Roger Waters was (and still is) not on good terms with his former bandmates, but Roger, the main composer of "The Wall," is in top form in this show, and he alligned himself that evening with some pretty huge names in music---Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, members of The Band, Bryan Adams, Sinead O'Connor, the Scorpions, Paul Carrack, James Galway, Ute Lemper, as well as 80's staples Cyndi Lauper & Thomas Dolby, and many more. Along with an orchestra & chorus conducted by Michael Kamen---as well as the Marching Band Of The Combined Soviet Forces---Roger & his own Bleeding Heart Band, including guitarists Rick DiFonzo & Snowy White, play this famous rock concept album superbly, and the vocal turns by Roger and all the guest vocalists are marvelous. The production values, including the mammoth Wall itself (reportedly measuring 550 feet wide and 82 feet high), the gargantuan inflatables of the Teacher and Pig characters, the colorful costumes, props, lighting effects, Gerald Scarfe animations and other provocative projections shown on the Wall itself are all absolutely astonishing. And when you see that mighty Wall come crashing down brick by brick at the concert's end, it is one of the most phenomenal sights you will ever see. "The Wall: Live In Berlin" is also outstanding in that it is probably the only concert ever staged that is actually *better* to watch on TV than if you had actually been there live. The camerawork throughout is amazing, and takes you places that the live audience couldn't go: into the specially-built living room in the high corner of the Wall as Roger sings "One Of My Turns" and "Don't Leave Me Now," behind the Wall as Paul Carrack sings "Hey You," and high atop the Wall as Difonzo & White do their awesome guitar solos on "Comfortably Numb."Admittedly, the video version of "The Wall: Live In Berlin" has a little bit of touch-up work done on it, or, what is affectionately known in the business as "cheating." The power went out early in the show during Ute Lemper's "The Thin Ice," Roger's "Another Brick In The Wall Part 1," and again during Sinead O'Connor's "Mother," so the performances you see of "The Thin Ice" & "Another Brick...Part 1" were actually shot several hours *after* the concert had ended, and "Mother" was taken from footage of the final rehearsal that was done the previous night (Roger's lack of sunglasses during these songs is the giveaway). Also, Ute's portrayal of The Wife during "The Trial" sequence was also shot *after* the concert, as the camera malfunctioned during her live performance. But it certainly goes without saying that these touch-up performances were absolutely necessary in order to present the show in it's entirety, and besides, they blend in with the genuine live performances very seamlessly.Following in the footsteps of Pete Townshend, who brought The Who's classic rock opera "Tommy" to the Broadway stage, Roger Waters has been working for many years on a "proper" theatrical staging of Pink Floyd's "The Wall." Whether or not "The Wall" ever makes it to Broadway still remains to be seen, but, at the very least, Roger successfully brought the live rendition of the album to the masses in this landmark concert, blessedly recorded for posterity to be enjoyed again and again. "The Wall: Live In Berlin" is one of the most sensational rock concerts ever staged, and is a must-own DVD for every fan of this legendary concept album. Thank you, Roger!

My expectations were rather muted going into this. Primarily due to the "Celebrity" cast. I also had some real concerns over sound quality since it was recorded almost 15 years ago. The sound however is flat out amazing though. Although my issues with the Celebrity cast did not disappear, the quality of the sound and enormity of the production itself made the cast of characters seem less important. The list of those performers seems really stale today, but at the time of the show, they were all "A" list. I think some complaints I've read hold little merit or were the product of lack of understanding of the original source material. Someone said the scorpions attire was in bad taste for such an event. Well folks, that was on purpose! They were the "Surrogate" band which was supposed to be representative of all of the excess in rock and roll that has at one time or another caused many of us to lose sight of the music.

Although, I've never been a Sinead O'conner fan, I thought she was a perfectly appropriate representation of the child in Pink. Her vocals were also very moving. Again, I'm not a Brian Adams fan, but his gritty voice was an excellent fit for "Young Lust". And, no he wasn't really playing guitar, or at least he wasn't wired for sound. He, like the scorpions were there simply to provide vocals and window dressing. The music was thankfully performed strictly by Roger's amazing band. Joni Mitchell's performance was flat out creepy (in a good way)perfect for "Goodbye Blue Sky". Cindi lauper was nothing but annoying. Van morrison (who I love), seemed painfully out of place in this production. I ached for the return of David Gilmour's silky voice during Van's performance of "Comfortably Numb"

My biggest issue with the DVD was the camera angles and distances used for the bulk of the show. The show was so enormous that I think the best overall perspective would have been maybe a hundred and fifty feet or so from the stage. This view was curiously entirely absent. Everything was shot either up close (Like most concert footage), or so far away that the perfomers were merely a speck in the camera lense. These longs distance shots were used primarily between songs though and really did give the viewer an idea of just how huge the show was. In fact I would say the production was probably 4 to 5 times the size of Pink Floyds original prodution. All of the tight camera shots made me feel too much like I was watching a concert video rather than experiencing the show. Another interesting perspective was the footage shot behind the wall after the band had been completely closed off from the audience. It really made me appreciate how weird that must have been for Both Pink Floyd in the original performance and for Roger's band in this version. I mean here you are playing your heart out and you can't even see your audience, and you know they can't see you either. I would liked to have seen a little more of the audience perspective during this part of the show.

And to those Floyd fans who don't think the wall should be done without the original band, I do sympathize. But the fact is, they were asked to perform, and declined. Understandably, the bad blood between the Waters & Floyd camps was too much to overcome under such short notice, even for such a meaningful event and cause. But, the bottom line is that "The Wall" is Roger's brain child. You can count both the musical & lyrical credits of other band members for the double album on one hand. The wall is the least musical of the Floyd creations due to the lack of input of those other band members. But in pure lyrical and conceptual terms, I still feel it is once of the most brilliant and important works of my generation. I still hold out hope that some day, all of the members including Roger will be able to put their egos and bitterness aside and re-unite to produce new music and tour. Until that day however, I feel very fortunate to re-live the wall experience in this powerful incarnation.

True there are some faults with this show, but come on folks, this was one great concert. Read the reviews and you will see how many people contradict one another. The only problem I had was Sinead was barely audible when singing "Mother". Members of "The Band" singing the mother's part was good. Roger in concert 7-13-00 at the Garden sings his part and has the female vocalists sing the mother's part. I like to hear good artists doing other people's music. The fact that so many major acts of that time showed up, shows the respect that Roger Waters gets in the music industry. I feel that they stayed as true to the music as possible. His band, The Bleeding Heart Band can play this piece as well as Pink Floyd did. Rick Difonzo plays his guitar almost exactly like Mr. Gilmour. Mr. Waters still has some of these great musicians in his band today like Graham Broad, Andy Fairweather Low and Snowy White. Rent the video and if you don't like it then you don't know a classic show even if it bites you on your behind. The Scorpions did an excellent job with "In the Flesh" both parts and I'm not a Scorpions fan. Van Morrison did a very soulful version of "Comfortably Numb". The Orchestra was superb, they probably never preformed in front of such a large audience. Any one who claims to be a Waters fan or a Pink Floyd fan should enjoy this CD and the video. I wish this would be released on DVD, then you have the best of both worlds. Any chance to see Roger Waters in concert no matter what band he has or music he chooses to perform should jump at the chance. This concert was an historical event and is a must for any collector of live shows.

First of all, the sound for the concert is clearly cleaned up, as I heard this show when it hit the radio the first time. There were points in the radio show that were clearly unlistenable.

I know some Floyd purists won't like all of the guest stars, but they are not bad half the time. Bryan Adams works fairly effectivly, and Paul Carrack on Hey You is even better than the original. On the other hand, Cyndi Lauper on Another Brick 2 and Sinead and the Band really take away from some otherwise powerful songs.

The imagery of this show is spectacular, as it must have been for the original tour (do they have an entire concert for that?). It translates to video quite nicely, something which wasn't transmitted for the Momentary Lapse tour.

I'd say this is a nice one to get if you're a Floyd or Waters fan, but keep an open mind.

The fabulous opus of Roger Waters From Pink Floyd was already a top rock project, especially for concept themed albums. But the best just got better, although the other members were not there, it was by their own choice. Waters was quoted as saying that He and Pink Floyd would never do "The Wall" live again as long as the wall in Berlin was standing. This was a benefit concert for the Memorial Fund for Disaster Relief. The $20 per ticket concert soon became free, as hundreds of thousands of people flooded the historical site in Germany. You can watch an endless 'sea' of people having the time of their lives, as we all did watching them 're-live' tearing down the wall, accompanied by Pink Floyd music. Lead guitars blew away all expectations ("Comfortably Numb" was never better) as this unbelievable concert of incredible talent touchingly put on the best live performance in rock history. The original band members are not fueding as so many rumours indicate. This was a project of great excitement, joy, and kick-butt rock 'n' roll. Roger as an ego-maniac couldn't be farther from the truth, the fraility of his words and music indicate many insecurities, heart-breaks, and fears: much like the human experience warrants. "The Tide is Turning" is a bonus at the end (from Radio KAOS, Waters' solo project written 3 years before the event). It's a song of hope for a safer, brighter future...and the come-togetherness the song brings, speaks of world peace and Waters' wish to bury the hatchet, both privately and politically. This deserves a 10 star rating. Gilmour, Mason, and Wright fans will not be disappointed unless they are bitter (against the wishes of ALL the band members). All of the other original session members who toured and recorded with The Floyd were there. Not to disappoint!

I'd have to say the concert comes out better on video and CD than it did in real life. I was lucky enough to have a great seat one of few in a crowd of 300,000 and also be lucky enough to go back stage. Maybe it was the excitement and emotion of being there in the middle of Potzdamer Platz where only 8 months before was the desolate no mans area of the old center of Berlin. Hitler's old bunker lay beneath a small mound just to the left of us, (where he decided to take his life) sitting on top was a video screen. "MMMMM" strange to sit there and see such a great concert but at the same time be overwhelmed by the history surrounding us". I took some photos of the border guards just before the concert started, they seemed as excited as we were, they all got up in a big group and waved as I took their picture, all smiles, just a little different from only a few months ago. There was another picture I managed to get backstage, it was the Mayors from east and West Berlin having dinner together for the first time, well so said the media people. So much was happening around us it was just so great to be there and to some degree the concert almost became secondary to what was there at the time. However, as Roger Waters said he would never do the "Wall" concert again until the wall came down, well he got his wish and it was just "icing on the cake". Musically it wasn't brilliant there were a number of sound problems but it didn't matter for most of us there, it was a small price to pay for the experience. The finale when those words rang out " tear down the wall" 300,000 Berliners and foreigners sang out in unison as the massive stage collapsed. It was an emotional time, especially for those of us unable to share in the joy those brave Berliners must have felt on the night of 9 November 1989. I guess this doesn't say much about the concert and Roger Waters at all but I can assure you it was absolutely fantastic, and seeing it on video was great. If u can think of all this and what it was all about at the time i.e. "The memorial fund for disaster Relief" you will appreciate it even more. NOT JUST A MUSICAL VIDEO/CD/DVD BUT A POIGNANT MOMENT IN TIME"!!!!

While nothing will ever come close to the experience of being there, the DVD did a pretty good job of capturing the moment. As snap shot in history, the summer of 1990. The Belin wall had just come down the previous November. On July 1st, for the first time since the wall went up, East and West Belin could freely cross the "Wall", Check Point Charlie was out of a job. This concert took place in Potsdam Platz, only months earlier, this was no man's land. You could be shot for being there. On this night in July, the world was finally at peace (Iraq would invade Kuwait two weeks later), I was standing in a crowd with Germans, English, French and countless other nationalities. We were all there taking in one of he greatest stages ever contructed for a concert. Roger Waters did it proud, to compare it to Pink Floyd's the Wall conerts (which I saw in Nassua Colisium in 1979) would be unfair. This concert was more than just the music and show, it was about a time in history. "Tear Down The Wall!!" it was already coming down. To watch the DVD, brings these memories streaming back and in these troubled times, is comforting to know that at one time peace was achieved.

This concert video is one of the best I've seen. I'm writing this because some guy in an earlier review said that the only thing he would change about it is he'd have Waters sing the chorus of Comfortably Numb because he thought "that guy kinda screwed it up." Well, pal, "That guy" happens to be Van Morrison, a very highly respected singer/songwriter, and probably the most creative vocalist in that show. I didn't say best. That title might well go to Carrack of Squeeze, but Morrison is arguably the most creative. Please give him and the others a listen. You are in for a treat.

This incredible concert, to celebrate the demise of the Berlin Wall, brought "The Wall" to life in a way that added depth and complexity far beyond the lyrics and story line.

The filming and recording of the music is superb. As good as seeing it live.

Eleven years after the original release of Pink Floyd's "The Wall", Roger Waters, former bassist and vocalist of Pink Floyd, performs a one-off show of The Wall with an all star cast, featuring Sinead O'Connor, The Band, Marianne Faithful, Bryan Adams, The Scorpions, The Band, Van Morrison, and more. Filmed and recorded live in Berlin, this video documents the show as close to the original show as it can. Songs include In The Flesh?, Another Brick In The Wall Part 2, Mother, Young Lust, Hey You, Comfortably Numb, Run Like Hell, and The Tide Is Turning, a song from Roger's solo album Radio KAOS. This is a must for anyone who never got to see The Wall live in 1980 and '81.