The Wall: Live in Berlin

By the Summer of 1990 the cold war had ended thus saving mankind from the threat of thermo-nuclear conflict , the Berlin wall had been knocked down and the unification of Germany was underway and how did humanity celebrate these Earth shattering historical events ?

With a rock concert !

But it wasn't just any rock concert , it was a rock concert performed by Roger Waters and friends of their own interpretation of Water's masterpiece album THE WALL an album I fell deeply in love with a couple of years previously . Strange as it may seem I never thought about attending the concert in the flesh ( great title for a song BTW ) because the thought of travelling halfway across Europe was somewhat daunting and the thought of watching a concept album about alienation and social isolation being performed alongside 300,000 would have been too ironic even for me so I decided to watch it on television even though the signs weren't good since Phil Collins and a few other big names invited to attend snubbed the event and Waters replaced them with little known acts namely Sinead O' Connor , Bryan Adams and The Scorpions

The concert was opened by Group Captain Leonard Cheshire VC who spent much of the second world war bombing Nazi Germany back to the stone age and who spent the remainder of his life as a selfless charity worker . No doubt this apt introduction revolves around the idea of reconciliation and a new way forward for Europe . Then the concert proper started which was a strange mix of the good , bad and sublime

The Good : A Russian red army band performing a rousing version of Bring The Boys Back Home with the wall in the background illuminated with photographs of war , Waters performing his own penned tracks like Another Brick In The Wall Part Three and as a fascist dictator Waiting For The Worms

The Bad: I know it's a live concert performed to a worldwide audience of tens of millions and accidents do happen but many of the early tracks were ruined by technical difficulties . Some of the guests were inappropriate like Thomas Dolby and Cyndi Lauper

The Sublime : Albert Finney and Tim curry camping it up during the prosecution sequence . The wall being demolished ion stage as Pink breaks out of his barrier of isolation

All in all ( Geddit ? ) one of the most spectacular , memorable and just plain bizarre concerts ever performed

Wow! This is the best concert I've ever seen.Roger Waters vocals are amazing and the other singers like Cyndi Lauper and Brian Adams did a magnificent job.Rogers vocals really shined on this night. If you are a Roger fan or a Floyd fan this is a must have.The projections are great and the creativity of "The Wall" is unbelievable.Must have this great concert!!!!!!!!!! First time i watched this concert I was in shock.Even though Van Morrison was slurring his word Comforably Numb was still great.The Tide IS Turning live after aid was breathtaking.Would make a great gift.The Wall falling in such a place that it did fall was historic. Joni and Sinead did OK and Paul Carrack was great.Scorpians did a fantastic job.This is a must have. My vote is a perfect 10 of 10.

I will agree with the reviewer that this is a poor performance, but anyone who thinks that The Band is a B or C list artist really shows their lack of musical knowledge.

The Band is one of the greatest American bands in history and to be shrugged off so casually is an insult.

Maybe the reviewer should go back and watch The Last Waltz to truly appreciate the greatness of The Band.

But I guess Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Muddy Waters, Neil Young, Ringo Starr, Neil Diamond, Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, Emmy Lou Harris, Ronnie Wood, Martin Scorsese are used to paying tribute to B or C list acts.

absolutely fabulous! Watched the tape till it wore out. now the DVD is absolutely wonderful. the graphics and sound amazing. If you are a true fan, this is a must have. Crystal clear video, Dolby surround fills the room, like being there. The historical info is well done and the bonus material informative.

The Wall is, indeed, one of the most awe-inspiring feats from the 70's rock scene. It may not be Pink Floyd's best work, but on the form of ambition it could rightly rank with (or some would argue above) Dark Side of the Moon. It's engaging (if a little obvious) with its messages on education, sex, the drainage of rock and roll, psychology, and the breakdown of society through fascism. It's more of a sensory experience than something traditional, like with the Who's rock operas. So here, shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Roger Waters brought forth a worldwide broadcast of the wall, complete with a spectacle for millions to experience, and of course not alone. Here he is joined by such musicians as Bryan Adams, The Band (of Last Waltz 'Band' I mean), Cyndi Lauper, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, and the Scorpions among others. On top of this is the complete stage-show of the Wall that made waves when first done in 1980.

It's the kind of live concert one wishes was experiences in person as opposed to on the screen; like with the live show in other venues with the complete Pink Floyd, something is lost when experienced at home (the film is another matter, which is for my money one of the top 5 "expensive student films" ever made). On top of this there is also the factor of the special guests, and even the whole spectacle itself, getting in the way of what Waters does best. In fact, while he is usually singing the songs (there's a great bit when he's in part of the Wall right before, or after, the hotel-room smashing), the other acts sometimes steal the show, for better or worse. Mitchell is good, the Band does a terrific job, and the Scorpions are hit or miss depending on how much of a fan you are.

But that this is such an ambitious show, with such a huge, overpowering audience, is enough to suffice. The Gerald Scarfe production design/animations are a wonder to behold for the fans, and there are a few other surprises as well. There is also an interesting, if not perfect, rendition of 'the Trial sequence' featuring a funny, scathing Tim Curry and judge played by Albert Finney. So, like other Pink Floyd or Waters endeavors, it's stretching the boundaries of what can be done, and more often than not it succeeded, in the wake of a triumphant fall of the real wall in Berlin.