U2 FANS yesterday snapped up tickets for a free concert in front of the Brandenburg Gate next Thursday in just three hours.
Almost 20 years to the day after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Irish rock band will return to the city where they recorded their Achtung Babyalbum for a one-off special appearance.
“It’ll be an exciting spot to be in, 20 years almost to the day since the wall came down,” said band manager Paul McGuinness on the band’s website.
After putting the tickets online at 9am, concert promoter Eventim’s servers collapsed. After a system restart, the last of the 10,000 e-tickets were gone at noon.
The band’s four-song appearance is part of the MTV European Music Awards, taking place at the same time in a nearby arena. The show, presented for the second year running by singer Katy Perry, will go over live to the U2 concert during the evening.
Antonio Campo Dall’Orto, executive producer of the awards ceremony, said this year’s event in Berlin would be a celebration of “music, freedom and the birth of a new age in Europe”. Confirmed performers at the event include Robbie Williams and Jay-Z.
Four days after the U2 gig, the Brandenburg Gate will be the focus of events to mark the 20th anniversary of the opening of the East German border on November 9th, 1989.