Roger Waters - The Wall: Live In Berlin 1990

 

 

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As a die-hard Pink Floyd fan, I wasn't very stunned by this DVD.
It's a big spectacular show and it must have been fabulous to all of the people who were there, but I'm not really fond of all the 'stars' like Brian Adams or Cindy Lauper who just don't fit in.
The Wall is a very good but also a very dark album, and it's not the right album to be played by a bunch of famous rockartists.
Most of the time I skip to the parts that Waters sings, for me, these are the highlights.

I really hope someday the original Wall-show (of '81) will be released on DVD of VHS.

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!

I checked out of the Pink Floyd fan club after they released Wish You Were Here, perhaps their most accomplished work. (YMMV). So I never paid much attention to The Wall when it was released, though it was hard to avoid entirely due to the massive airplay it got. In fact, watching this DVD was the first time I'd heard The Wall in its entirety (minus the Outside The Wall song, which was not performed at the show). As such, it's caused me to dig out the CD and listen to it closely, gaining new appreciation for the work.

But think for a moment what this concert must have represented to the youth of E. Berlin when it was performed in 1990. Soon after the wall came down, some of the biggest names in music came to town and welcomed the former communists to western Europe. The parallels between the psychological prison of the CD and the real prison of the country must have brought much emotion to the surface. Too bad there wasn't much video coverage of the massive crowd of spectators.

Having different artists each sing a song from the album was inspired, and the choices of their songs seemed appropriate to me (when I later heard the CD, I could easily visualise how they came to choose Bryan Adams to sing that one song. And for me the Van Morrison rendition of Comfortably Numb was a great cover. Sure, it wasn't the same as the Floyd would do it, but that's not the point - he was paying homage to the band and participating in their success.

If you get a chance, block out some time and watch this DVD at one sitting on a surround-sound system. It's a great night out!

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5.0 out of 5 stars roger waters - The wall (live in berlin)
I was floored with this concert. I sat in awe as I watched and listened in surround sound. If you haven't seen it, you are missing one of the best concerts ever. Read more

Published on April 23 2004 by Robert J. Brown

4.0 out of 5 stars Roger Waters - The Wall (Live in Berlin)
Very well put together, Roger Water's inner child comes out again! Mind stimulating, With your'e eyes open or closed. Two thumbs-up

Published on Feb 14 2004 by Ronald Newkirk

1.0 out of 5 stars very late
I placed this order 1/24/04 as of 2/08/04 I still have not recived my DVD

Published on Feb 8 2004 by Raymond Lavoie

2.0 out of 5 stars lukewarm with few redeeming qualities
Buy this if you are interested in seeing "The Wall" live but were not alive during the original tour. Read more

Published on Feb 7 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars This Is Bigger Than Any "Rock Band", This Is The Wall.
Ok, first of all you need to go into this realizing that The Wall is a performance piece...it really has very little to do with PINK FLOYD (other than the fact that one of it's... Read more

Published on Jan 13 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars like allis is to wonder land ,,pink floyd is to the wall
catch a buzz, That is with a bud, Budweiser that is !!! (no_)t
Trun up the sterrow about half way or a little more .sit back and be awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwed. Read more

Published on Jan 3 2004 by b ryan morris

2.0 out of 5 stars I CAN'T BELIEVE WHAT I JUST EXPERIENCED
The ONLY reason this DVD got 2 stars is for the monumental effort that went in to producing it. Visually, I really had no complaints - Camera angles were solid and the actual... Read more

Published on Dec 30 2003 by Dave Dissent

5.0 out of 5 stars VERY GOOD
with all the 'Should David G have been here or not' aside, this was a very good presentation. And since I had actually viewed it when it was presented way back when, I was... Read more

Published on Oct 17 2003 by K. L. Woomer

4.0 out of 5 stars This DVD is "almost" perfect
This was a fabulous show if not for THREE points:

1. David Gilmour wasn't there
2. They just "had" to put Sinead onstage, staring at her feet the whole time. Read more

Published on Sep 13 2003 by JMB

5.0 out of 5 stars Pleasantly surprised
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... Read more

Published on Sep 10 2003 by Sparkles

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