U2 celebrates fall of Berlin Wall with free MTV Europe Music Awards performance at Brandenburg Gate

October 28, 4:55 PMMusic ExaminerPaul Gargano

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U2 will be performing at the former site of the Berlin Wall for this year's MTV Europe Music Awards

U2 will perform in front of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate next Thursday, November 5, as part of the 16th MTV Europe Music Awards.

The performance is also intended to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the collapse of the Berlin Wall, which fell in 1989. U2 were based in Berlin for the recording of Achung Baby in 1990.

"It'll be an exciting spot to be in, 20 years almost to the day since the wall came down," said U2's manager, Paul McGuinness in statement. "Should be fun."

The neoclassical Brandenburg Gate was just west of the former Berlin Wall, and marked the dividing line between East and West Berlin. Before 1961 when the Wall was built, and since 1989 when it fell, the Gate has been a thoroughfare.

The actual anniversary of the fall of the Wall is November 9, a date will be marked by celebrations in Germany.

"The exceptional musical heritage of this year's EMAs spans genres and generations and we are extremely proud to be bringing U2 to Berlin for this extraordinary performance," said Antonio Campo Dall'Orto, EVP, Music Brands, MTV Networks International and Executive Producer for the 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards. "This year's Awards will be remembered as the night when the world's major music players came 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 MTV Europe Music Awards will be held at the 02 World in Berlin, and will be broadcast live on MTV in the following countries: Armenia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.

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