The street becomes a stage – the Berliners are the band on November 9 from 8-9 pm
The evening of November 9 will be a roaring celebration of freedom: Berlin celebrates the unforgettable moments of happiness triggered by the fall of the Wall 35 years ago – loud and powerful like the joy of the people who came together spontaneously and peacefully in 1989 and brought down the Wall. Music connects people across borders. Whether party, protest or revolution – few things release more positive energy than music. It is made together and listened to together. That’s why the two-day celebrations to mark the 35th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall culminate in a rousing concert for freedom.
Eight iconic rock anthems, played by hundreds of musicians, accompanied by tens of thousands of Berliners on the streets. A melodic journey through time and the biggest participatory concert Berlin has ever seen! Together is the sign that emanates from Berlin on this evening: Together we, the Berliners, have made Berlin a city of freedom. Together we celebrate this freedom. And together, this freedom remains inviolable.
The soundtrack of freedom
Almost 700 musicians have been preparing for this concert for weeks. They are Berliners, people from all over Germany and Europe. On November 9, they will come together on the former Wall strip – spread over five locations along the open-air installation – and play the soundtrack of freedom in sync. Eight modern rock classics that stand for freedom and joy of life and celebrate the collective power that can achieve great things.
As in 1989, it is the people on the streets who will make November 9, 2024 a unique day. All Berliners are invited to become part of Berlin’s biggest rock band – the Band for Freedom. Everyone can play, sing and rock along. The concert for freedom will be broadcast live on huge LED screens via video stream, subtitled with the respective song lyrics. Thousands of loudspeakers, video installations and an elaborate lighting design make the concert a unique experience with a goosebump effect.
For just under an hour, the entire four-kilometre stretch along the open-air installation is transformed into one big stage – the Berliners and their guests are the band!
Cinematic prelude, musical finale
DJ sets with soundtracks of freedom from the DJ collective No Shade and the DJ duo Beck to Pony at the Brandenburg Gate will be played at Checkpoint Charlie, Potsdamer Platz, Reichstagsufer and Futurium from 7 pm
The concert will open at 8 pm with a short film retrospective. A video collage with sounds highlights important historical milestones between the construction of the Wall in 1961 and the opening of the Bornholmer Strasse border crossing on the evening of November 9, 1989.
This is followed by a brilliant musical intro during which all visitors are invited to hold up their cell phone flashlights. An image that symbolizes the lights of freedom: At a time when democratic values are under threat worldwide, the city stands together with its diverse society.
The concert then starts with Patti Smith’s “People Have The Power”, perhaps the most positive and encouraging protest song in pop history.
Song list:
- “People Have The Power” by Patti Smith
- “z.B. Susann” by the band City
- “Never Let Me Down Again” by Depeche Mode
- “S.O.S.” by Silly
- “Heroes” by David Bowie
- “Rockin’ In The Free World” by Neil Young
- “Days like these” by the Toten Hosen
- “Freiheit” by Marius Müller-Westernhagen
The last song, the rock ballad “Freiheit” by Marius Müller-Westernhagen, concludes the concert for freedom with a huge firework display. People with the most diverse thoughts, experiences and perspectives appeal together: “Uphold freedom!”.
The stages are located at 5 venues:
- Futurium
- Marie-Elisabeth-Lüders-Haus
- Brandenburg Gate
- Potsdamer Platz
- Checkpoint Charlie
The Band for Freedom is a co-production of Kulturprojekte Berlin and powered by Rockin’1000.