The Wall: Live in Berlin

What an incredible double feature this concert is! The most incredible Pink Floyd concept album is brought to Berlin Germany and played out with an all star cast live under the supervision of former Floyd frontman Roger Waters. There was also a cause for celebration in the air as the previous year saw the break up of a divided Germany and the Berlin Wall was dismantled for good. This live show is a must see for new Floyd/Waters fans that probably were not even born when the original album came out in 1979. A brilliant show that captures the beauty of Waters lyrics and perceptions! Look out for Jerry Hall as the party girl who wants to take a bath with Old Pink. Also stars Joni Mitchel, Bryan Adams, Van Morrison, Sinead O' Connor, Cindi Lauper, Tim Currey, Albert Finney and Thomas Dolby.

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.

I see only one other report on this and can't disagree more. I was fortunate enough to see Floyd perform The Wall live at the LA Sports Arena in 1979. I'm told that, due to stage size requirements, they only "built" the full wall on stage in LA and NY. The performance in Berlin in 1990 is the closest one can get to what they might have seen in '79. The sound on the DVD is excellent and the cinematography was nothing short of outstanding. Having the variety of musicians and vocalists involved was terrific with the sole exception of Van Morrison, who gave an extremely weak performance for Comfortably Numb, which on the album is one of the highlight songs. This DVD is absolutely worth the price and can be enjoyed many times. For comparison, watch the theatrical version which delves deeply into the trauma of "Pink's" life, played wonderfully by Bob Geldorf of the Boomtown Rats.

I have an old recording of the original Alan Parker film, brilliant but quite dour and depressing and certainly not for all occasions. It was whilst checking online for a DVD replacement that I stumbled across this gem.

With the international line-up (you know who they are, by now!) how could I resist? I think at the time, it was quite expensive to buy on Amazon but I did find a cheaper, brand-new alternative, on a well known auction-style site...

The staging is audacious and spectacular, with loads always going on, a feast for the eyes and a good imagining from the original. The (now) familiar music just spills out from it and into the night air and it must have been a real goose-bumped experience for anyone actually there, especially bearing in mind the significance of a big Wall in Berlin tumbling down, brick by brick (which it does!).

Yes, it's a Korean release, with indecipherable writing on the case and it wants to play with English subtitles by default - but turn them off and it looks good, when considering it's a relative oldie and is in 4:3 ratio. Sound I found better when tweaked a bit, my oldish Panasonic DVD player having 2 'virtual surround sound' settings, engage the second one and it comes alive, adding a spatial bigness about it all, that helps match the total OTT'ness that you expect with any Pink Floyd/Walters live show.

It is odd that I'd never heard of this Live version and I'm so glad I bought it - anyone who even remotely enjoyed the album, or original film will find this immensely enjoyable and more importantly, entertaining. Great Show!

Today I have watched this concert maybe for the twentieth time. It is one of the best concerts ever made. Roger Waters and all the participants are perfect. Mandatory for those who appreciate excellent musicians. My vote is ten.