Ticket scan here...

Capacity: 17,000

Concert starts: 8pm

Address of venue: Mercedes-Platz 1, 10243 Berlin, Germany. MAP

Website: www.mercedes-benz-arena-berlin.de

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Roger's Us + Them tour heads into Europe following the successful 2017 shows in the US and Canada. At the original announcement, the following was revealed:

"We are going to take a new show on the road, the content is very secret," said Roger Waters. "It'll be a mixture of stuff from my long career, stuff from my years with Pink Floyd, some new things. Probably 75% of it will be old material and 25% will be new, but it will be all connected by a general theme. It will be a cool show, I promise you. It'll be spectacular like all my shows have been.”

The announcement notes that "Roger Waters' legendary live performances are renowned as immersive sensory experiences featuring high class, state-of-the-art audio visual production and breathtaking quad sound. This new tour promises to be no exception; following months of meticulous planning and visionary craft, US + Them will inspire crowds with its powerful delivery and take the audience on an unforgettable musical journey."

Those who have attended - or have seen pictures/video of - the US and Canadian shows, will know just how spectacular and moving this new production is, and how it is a show you really shouldn't miss! 

For the regular sale of tickets, which started on FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20th at 10am CET (local time), visit Ticketmaster.de. Using our links also helps toward the ongoing running costs of this site, and is appreciated! Our thanks to Martin Geyer for the ticket scan shown to the right - click thumbnail to see in greater detail.

WARNING - SPOILERS AHEAD!

Do not read on if you don't want surprises to be spoilt, regarding what the band played!

The tour arrives in Berlin for a pair of shows at the Mercedes-Benz Arena. A little bit different this evening, as where for most venues/shows it isn't definite which selection will make the penultimate spot in the show, just before Comfortably Numb, this evening Roger did an extended speech and (presumably partly due to curfew) neither Mother, nor Wait For Her/Oceans Apart/Part Of Me Died, were performed.

First, here's a video from the show from Roger's official Facebook page…

The heat of the day, the very start of June, started to turn the German capital hot and sticky. The humidity built to the stage where there was a certain unease in the air; this gave way to torrential rain, thunder and lightning for all those making the journey to this impressive modern arena, situated just by the River Spree and the East Side Gallery - a long stretch of surviving Berlin Wall that various artists have used as a canvas.

The venue used to be called O2 World but the naming rights moved to the car manufacturer back in 2015, around the 7th anniversary of its opening. Certain fixtures spotted here or there do still bear the original name! Surprisingly, it was near impossible for anyone but those "in the know" to be aware of who was playing in this 17,000 seater arena these two days, as posters for the event could not be seen anywhere around the city, and the sole mention at the venue was a framed concert poster tucked away inside, by one of the ladies' toilets.

Despite some decidedly soggy audience members, the weather didn't seem to have affected anything concert-wise - although one of the Battersea projectors was down for the entirety of the time they are in use. It basically removed a section of the power station (and subsequently, other projections) leaving a dark gap. Roger spotted it fairly quickly and looked a little disgruntled; later, when over at the side of the stage where our chunk of the audience were, he mouthed a few times that it was broken. Let's hope that whatever affected this particular projector, is fixed for the second show.

From the outset, it seemed clear the band were playing with fire, with passion, and with a determination to make it a memorable night for the audience. The familiarity with the material - due to being around a year into the tour - has also seemed to make a difference. The musicians are working extremely well together, and that shows in the music itself.

With the text onscreen all being in English (with the exception of "TRUMP IST EIN SCHWEIN") reaction from the audience was a little quieter at times, but maybe they were translating what they were seeing or hearing into German? They certainly seemed to be getting quite a buzz from the frequent lampooning of Trump, along with the other politicians appearing on screen, and the general reaction at the end of the concert was incredibly strong, even if slightly muted earlier.

This strong response from the audience later in the show was a slight puzzle, when compared with their general demeanour earlier. Maybe they were being very attentive but not overly demonstrative, in the initial stages of the show? In any case, it became more and more clear that the chiefly German audience were really enjoying it.

From a personal perspective, it was a joy to see the show again some eight and a half months since I last saw it. The show has improved in a number of subtle ways over time, with the contrast being marked but at the same time, hard to put a finger on exactly how things have changed. It was a shame not to hear either Mother, or Wait For Her/Oceans Apart/Part Of Me Died (the concluding section of Roger's recent solo album) being performed as the penultimate selection, but Roger's impassioned speech quite rightly took precedence. One also presumes the band were under a curfew of 11pm, as the show finished pretty much on the stroke of that hour on both evenings.

The Us + Them tour brings such a great experience, night after night, that as time goes on there is some sense of sadness at the possibility that this might be his final tour - as Roger himself pondered on during his address of the audience toward the end. If it is coming to a venue within reach of you, and you are yet to get tickets, we really do recommend you give it some serious consideration. The band are on the top of their game, and visually you will be hard pressed to see a more impactful presentation.

We'd love to know from those attending how they felt the concert went. How was the show for you, if you were one of the fortunate ones to attend? Let us know what YOU thought!

YOUR HELP NEEDED! We want to cover Roger's concerts the best we can, to share the experience with everyone, especially those who won't be able to attend the shows. We'd love to see ANY pictures, tickets scans, reviews, newspaper reports, and anything else you come across for this show - we look forward to hearing from you!