Pink Floyd – Maifeld Berlin! 1994 (Cape Music CM828)

 Maifeld Berlin! 1994 (Cape Music CM828)

Maifeld am Olympiastadion, Berlin, Germany – August 21st, 1994

Disc 1 (73:10):  Introduction, Astronomy Domine, Learning to Fly, What Do You Want From Me, On The Turning Away, Take It Back, Great Day For Freedom, Sorrow, Keep Talking, One of These Days, Shine On You Crazy Diamond

Disc 2 (71:52):  Breathe, Time, High Hopes, Great Gig In the Sky, Wish You Were Here, Money, Another Brick in the Wall (pt 2), Comfortably Numb, Hey You, Run Like Hell

Pink Floyd’s last show in Berlin was on the Maifeld by the Olympic Stadium in Berlin in the summer of 1994.  Cape Music have pressed the only title documenting this show and the label utilizes the better of the two tapes.  Of the five Berlin titles by this label, this is easily the best sounding and most enjoyable.

The tape starts off with a two and a half introduction, noises of the audience reacting to the band coming on stage.  A four minute “Astronomy Domine” starts the set.  It is an interesting choice since it is so old and since David Gilmour didn’t sing it in the late sixties and early seventies when it was part of the setlist.  Jamming in the middle is kept to a minimum, and it segues into “Learning To Fly,” their big hit from the eighties.

The “Signs Of Life” introduction is dropped, keeping the song at four and a half minutes.  The ending has a short quote from “Young Lust,” one of Gilmour’s tunes from The Wall.  The rest of the first set is occupied with tunes from Division Bell and A Momentary Lapse Of Reason, the two newest albums. 

Most of the songs work as a contemporary statement of Pink Floyd music.  The songs are long but have recognizable pop structures.  “Take It Back,” for instance, sounds very similar to U2 with Gilmour duplicating The Edge’s guitar style throughout. 

“A Great Day For Freedom” which follows is given a poignant performance.  Dealing with the fall of the Berlin wall five years before, there is an eerie silence as the massive crowd follows the song.  There is almost a religious feeling to the song as Gilmour delivers the best vocal performance of the evening.  Only when the song ends and segues into “Sorrow” do the crowd react, giving it a loud reception.

Floyd’s optimistic “Keep Talking” has a segue into “One Of These Days,” serving as a strange commentary on the preceding, countering the plea for dialogue and discourse with unilateral violence.  

“Shine On You Crazy Diamond Parts 1 to 5” serves as the first song of the second half and segues into the two Dark Side tunes, “Breathe” and “Time.” 

The Division Bell song “High Hopes” has a particular placement in the latter half of the show.  One of their most sublime creations.  It was the final song written for the album and stands as the very last original Pink Floyd song and is a highlight of this concert.  

“Money” is played closer to the original studio recording without the extended jazz interlude as it was played in 1987-1988.  “Another Brick In The Wall” includes both part one and the more familiar part two.  “Comfortably Numb” closes the set, and Pink Floyd continue with two encores, “Hey You” and “Run Like Hell.”   

Maifeld Berlin! 1994is packaged in a glossy digipack with photographs from the massive event.  Division Bell silver titles are now extremely rare and this one is worth having.