For the Rolling Stones, it’s a concert venue with a history: on Wednesday, the British rock band will conclude their European tour to mark the band’s 60th anniversary at Berlin’s Waldbühne.
The Rolling Stones started their concert shortly before eight. The concert is dedicated to Charlie Watts, said Mick Jagger.
That’s why there was a video at the beginning with memories of the drummer who died last summer at the age of eighty.
Mick Jagger speaks almost exclusively German to the audience: “What’s up, Berlin?” He called out to the audience, which had been empty since the first song.
Jagger said he was glad that BER was finally finished, and the airport was a bargain for seven billion euros. What he likes about Berlin: The food! The Stones frontman praised currywurst and Berlin air.
The line in front of the entrance was more than a hundred meters long, people were waiting in the blazing sun. The gates open at around 5 p.m. A few fans have fainted because of the heat.
Stones fans told the Tagesspiegel which songs they absolutely wouldn’t want to do without at the concert in the Waldbühne and what they associate with the band:
The Ghost Hounds, a rock ‘n’ blues group from Pittsburgh, played as the opening act. But they could also come from the GDR, according to a Twitter user: “Ghost Hounds as a support rather solid or, as the old Ossis next to me said, as cool as City, but unfortunately they will stop this year.”
Mick Jagger, frontman of the rock legends, posted a picture of himself in front of the Brandenburg Gate on Instagram. “Enjoyed checking out Berlin last night, see you later at the show!” he wrote.
The Rolling Stones spent the night at the Hotel Adlon. The band connects stories with some hotels in Berlin.
Apparently there were rumors in the ranks while waiting for the Stones that Jagger would comment on retirement from 70. Jagger turned seventy-nine in July.
When the Rolling Stones gave a rather short concert at the Waldbühne in 1965, it ended with fans smashing benches, overturning lanterns and demolishing commuter trains. Dozens of people were injured and arrested, and hundreds of thousands of people were damaged. The forest stage was not usable for years.
57 years later, after two more concerts in 1982 and 2014, they are now returning to the open-air stage. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ron Wood and Steve Jordan had previously given Germany concerts in Munich and Gelsenkirchen. (with dpa)
