Capacity: 17,000

Concert starts: 8pm

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

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

COMMENTS

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, SEPTEMBER 22nd 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 second of a pair of shows at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin, and as with the first night, Roger did an extended speech as part of his band introductions, and again (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…

So to night two of the pair of shows being held at this modern arena, situated between the River Spree and the East Side Gallery - a long stretch of surviving Berlin Wall that various artists have used as a canvas. One of the murals shows The Wall album artwork, which is of course entirely suitable. Tear down the wall, indeed!

As we mentioned for the first of the two shows held at this venue, the band are in excellent form at the moment. Night two saw some further improvement - not least, Ian Ritchie's sax work seemed stronger and clearer; maybe he'd been struggling with a cold or something the previous night? All members of the band performed with a tightness, and as ever, the girls from Lucius garnered a huge ovation for their vocals in The Great Gig In The Sky. The song is one that has been tackled at various times by various singers, with varying degrees of success, but many fans who have experienced these different performances are finding that Hollie and Jesse's vocals lend a new side to the song. They aren't trying to copy Clare Torry's original performance, but are giving it a subtle twist, without moving too far away from how it should sound.

The first night in Berlin also included an issue with one of the projectors, on the right hand side of the auditorium, leaving a key panel of the drop down screens blank throughout. Thankfully, work had clearly been undertaken to remedy this, and it was all fine for the second night.

It is such a joy to see Roger in action during these shows. While the other musicians are buckling down to the job in hand, Roger prowls the stage, interacting with areas of the audience including, in Berlin, what seemed to be a fair contingent of pro-BDS activists (who were trying to spread their message outside the venue before and after the show).

Roger's stage craft is an interesting diversion. Pink Floyd was famed (rightly or wrongly) as being very static and anonymous on stage, and if that was the case, Roger has turned 180 degrees from that stage persona, to someone who has clearly enjoyed the wandering around done by him during The Wall tour, and if anything, has increased this, along with the miming of certain actions. He seems to thrive on engaging those in the audience close to the stage at various points, not least when he steps down and greets those in the very front, at the end.

With the exception of the singers, there's little movement or interaction from the rest of the band, and even Dave Kilminster seemed subdued or more controlled in his guitar playing. The sounds from his guitar seemed undiminished, but his almost trademark hair swishing seemed to be missing from the two Berlin shows. He did recently suffer some health issues, due to dehydration we believe, so maybe he was having to make his physical representation of his playing much less mobile.

As for the audience, curiously quiet until Happiest Days which seemed to shock them into life. By the end, they seemed ever louder than the previous evening, getting a huge buzz from the show, and Roger's interactions. Even the post-band intro speech, which was greeted by a few moans on the first night from a few of the audience (as did the opening middle eastern music before the band came on), went down extremely well. Despite a promise from Roger that he wouldn't go on as long as the previous night, it was still lengthy enough to curtail the show's set list for the second night running. However, his comments were key in plainly displaying how the music and general themes of the show, tied in with his world view.

Roger and his band are at the top of their form at the moment, and if you get the opportunity to see this absorbing, thought-provoking and musically thrilling show, grab it with both hands. As Roger himself seems to be suggesting, this could be his final tour. Performers such as him, with his social conscience allied with a visually and sonically compelling stage production, are few and far between; it will be a very sad day when he finally stops appearing live...

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!