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There was still a certain excitement in visiting East Europe then. The iron curtain, although decidedly rusty was still in place and for boys brought up on Harry Palmer and John Le Carre there was still a bit of a thrill to be had in crossing to the "other side".
The gig itself was like any other large open air event in Europe that summer, but the crowd were different in subtle ways. The clothes wer thinner and less fashionable, and the mullet was still the haircut of the day. A sea of enthusiastic denim greeted the bands. Fans took it all a bit more seriously in East Germany, treating rock and roll as a privilege and at the same time a subversive form of communication, whilst in the West it had already become another piece of pre packaged consumer entertainment.
And talking about taking things for granted, Big Country turned in another seemingly effortless yet rousing live performance. Classics like In A Big Country and The Storm provided a platform for some of the more eclectic music featured on their forthcoming album Peace In Our Time. The audience hadn't of course been exposed to the same songs, so response was uniformly good but not always predictable. Also on the bill was the worthy and earnest man of the blue collar people Bryan Adams. He took the stage in blue jeans and jacket and was immediately at home with the rock starved fans.
Backstage a lot of the talk was of the forthcoming visit to Moscow, this was in many ways just a taster of what was to come. Complicated bureaucracy, chill winds and dreadful catering. Another great Big Country day out, probably most memorable for the slightly mysterious setting!
Alan Edwards - June 2001
Alan was one half of Grant Edwards Management in the 80s.
To play behind what used to be the Iron Curtain, in a place where people were shot if they tried to cross a dividing line was to say the least, as buzz, in the changing political climate of the late Eighties, to be invited to play in front of a festival crowd who were enjoying a newly acquired freedom that we take so much for granted was always going to be special. I also seem to remember that Michael Jackson was playing in the West of Berlin at the same time but felt our gig was the bigger occasion. This recording by a German TV company illustrates the sense of the occasion.
German live music television has always had a good reputation for it's sound quality, and this recording is no different. As usual with BC live recordings, there are no over dubs or any post production, it is what it was on the day, from start to finish. Enjoy.
Tony Butler - June 2001
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