The band have announced a free gig in Berlin next month outside the Brandenburg Gate to mark 20 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall.
The gig, on Nov. 5, will be staged as part of the MTV Europe Music Awards which are being held in the city this year. The free show will also kick off a range of events marking the fall of the barrier, widely seen as the end of the Cold War.
U2 have a strong affiliation with the German capital — in 1990 the band moved to the city to record their album ‘Achtung Baby’ at Hansa Studios. Tickets to the show will be made available off the band’s website and MTV’s. U2, incidentally, have been nominated for best rock band at the awards this year.
The band’s performance will be beamed into the MTV Awards, which are taking place at Berlin’s O2 World arena. U2 manager Paul McGuinness said, “It’ll be an exciting spot to be in, 20 years almost to the day since the wall came down. Should be fun.” The news of the free Berlin gig comes days after the band played a show streamed live over video-sharing website YouTube. The Pasadena, Calif, show is thought to have been seen by more than 2.5m people.
The band also recently announced more dates in their 360° tour for next year, with a cluster of shows in the US and Canada as well as more European dates — including German shows in Frankfurt and Hanover.
Antonio Campo Dall’Orto, executive producer of the awards ceremony, said the “world’s major music players” would be coming together “against the backdrop of the fall of the Berlin Wall to celebrate music, freedom and the birth of a new age in Europe”.
The ceremony, which will be hosted by US singer Katy Perry for the second year in succession, will include performances from Robbie Williams and Jay-Z.
Lady Gaga and Green Day lead the field with five nominations each, while U2 are in the running for best rock band.
Pixie Lott has already been announced as the winner of best UK and Ireland act, and will compete for the best European act trophy with 21 artists from across the continent.