I'm probably the last person on earth to have heard about the Stones then-rumored (but never happened) concert in Berlin, but I recently discovered there's actually a book on the subject and just ordered a copy.

While waiting for it's arrival, I was wondering if anyone ever assembled a CD (bootleg or fan file) of 1969 performances sequenced in an imagined set list that could have been played had the band actually performed atop the Axel Spring House back then.

Thank you!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2023-07-18 19:19 by bv.

First time I heard about that. Publicitywise, that would have been the worst rooftop to choose in all of west Berlin. Good thing they didn't

"In September 1969, Kai Blömer, a well-known presenter on the West Berlin radio station RIAS, had allowed himself a joke on the microphone. On 7 October, just in time for the 20th anniversary of the GDR, the Rolling Stones would give a concert on the roof of the Axel Springer publishing house's high-rise building, he told the microphone. The idea alone seemed so absurd to Blömer that it didn't occur to him that anyone could take his idea seriously. But during the same broadcast, at the urgent request of the editor in charge, the presenter had to explain that he had only wanted to make a joke. It was no use: the rumour was out in the world and took on a life of its own, especially in circles of Stones fans in the GDR, who of course did not even notice the denials in West Berlin newspapers."

More (in German) - [www.Welt.de] , [www.DW.com] , [www.MDR.de] .



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2023-07-16 22:45 by Irix.

Translation of the article by [www.MDR.de] :


From a concert that never took place

At the end of September 1969, the "Rundfunk im Amerikanischen Sektor" - or RIAS in short - announced a supposed sensation. In the afternoon programme "Treffpunkt", which was very popular with the young people in East Berlin because of its beat music, the presenter Kai Blömer said that on 7 October - on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the GDR - the Rolling Stones would give a concert in West Berlin. At 8 p.m. on the roof of the "Springer" tower. Especially for the Stones fans in the East. The news sounded quite credible to many Stones fans in the East. Because the "Springer" publishing house really seemed to be made for such a concert. It stood directly at the Wall in Kreuzberg, not far from Checkpoint Charlie. On the other side, in East Berlin, there had been a large wasteland since the Second World War that could have easily accommodated tens of thousands of fans. And many East Germans believed that publisher Axel Springer would use every opportunity to make an impact in the East.

In any case, the sensational news spread like wildfire, first in the eastern part of the city, eventually reaching even the furthest corners of the GDR. Flyers even circulated announcing the concert: "On 7 October in front of the Springer tower. The Rolling Stones are playing." For fans of the British rock band, which was considered the incarnation of evil in the GDR and whose music had not been allowed to be played in public since 1965, there was now only one thing to do: head for the "Springer" tower! But it was all just a joke by RIAS presenter Kai Blömer. Of course, he could not have imagined what he would do with it in the GDR ... It was not only the Stones fans in the GDR who were electrified, the state security also took the announcement of the concert very seriously. The area around the Springer tower was to be cordoned off on 7 October and Stones fans from the districts were to be prevented from travelling to Berlin. Young people with a "decadent" appearance were to be monitored in the weeks leading up to the Republic's birthday.

Even when the state security finally found out that "nothing is known about a Rolling Stones appearance in West Berlin in October" and "observations in the vicinity of the Springer tower showed no signs of preparations for setting up a stage", the security organs remained on the alert. After all, the expected Beat fans already posed a serious threat to the official celebrations of the Republic's birthday. Nevertheless, the state security could not prevent thousands of Stones fans from Berlin and all parts of the republic from streaming into the centre of the capital of the GDR on the afternoon of 7 October 1969 to see their idols live, despite surveillance and a large police contingent at the East Berlin railway stations. They moved in small groups towards the Wall and were easy to spot: they wore jeans and - measured by the standard of the time - long hair.

The security organs had already put up several obstacles on the way to the "Springer" tower - with dog patrols and roadblocks. Around 5 p.m., the first serious scuffles broke out between youths and the security organs in the area of Fischerinsel. The youths kept the upper hand, overcame the barriers and, after overcoming further police chains, slowly advanced towards the Wall. Finally, the Stones fans almost reached the end of Leipziger Straße, on the wasteland in front of the "Springer" tower. In front of the Wall itself, the police had pulled up and formed a dense chain. The Stones fans had initially achieved what they wanted: They had the tower on the West Berlin side in view and, if the Stones started to play, they would be able to hear them well. But nothing happened. And it dawned on the first ones that they had probably been taken in by a rumour. Chants of "We want the Stones!" were heard. But there were also chants of "We want freedom!" and the name of the Czechoslovak reform communist: "Dubcek! Dubcek!" The rest of the afternoon was boredom - waiting for the Rolling Stones, who did not come.

In the early evening, the police finally began to disperse the gathering of Stones fans. Nearly 400 youths were taken to trucks and "brought in" for "endangering public order and safety", as it is called in police jargon. Most of the Stones fans managed to get away. Within an hour, the Spittelmarkt and Leipziger Straße were completely cleared. Most of the disappointed Stones fans made their way to Berlin-Karlshorst, to the "Kulturhaus der Eisenbahner". Here a concert with the "Stones of the East", the "Klaus Renft Combo" from Leipzig, was to take place. "The whole house was full of state security," band leader Klaus Renft remembers of that evening. "And it was decreed that we were not allowed to play a single Stones song. The state security sat backstage the whole evening." The following morning, the vast majority of the detained youths were released from custody. Many had been forced to have their hair cut during the night. However, some Stones fans were given draconian "administrative punishments": six weeks in prison. They had to serve their time in the Berlin-Rummelsburg prison.

Over the years, the Rolling Stones' concert at the "Springer" tower in West Berlin, which did not take place, became a legend in the GDR. In the end, no one could say for sure whether it had not taken place.

It's not like Stones fans to obsess and daydream about a rumour.

Or is that where it all started?

[www.google.com]

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Irix
"In September 1969, Kai Blömer, a well-known presenter on the West Berlin radio station RIAS, had allowed himself a joke on the microphone.

Ah yes, German humor

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Nikkei

Publicitywise, that would have been the worst rooftop to choose in all of west Berlin.

And you wouldn't have seen much of the Stones on the rooftop of the 19-storey and 78-metre-high "Axel-Springer-Hochhaus" - Google StreetView , [de.Wikipedia.org] .

So hang on...they didn't do it?

Are they going to reschedule it?

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treaclefingers

Are they going to reschedule it?

Of course .... for the announcement of their new studio album.

The Beatles did it already. No surprise anymore.

Not unlike the rumoured concert at The Colosseum in Rome in 1969

I had a long planned holiday in Italy at the time, and when the rumours started to flow I called NME to ask them if they knew the facts behind the story they had printed. They, in turn, gave me the office number for The Stones (!) to call and ask. The person I spoke to there was utterly information free.

So, we turn up in Rome 2 days before the rumoured date and go to the Colosseum to see if there were any signs of activity.. clues etc. None. Plus the fact that at the time the place was looking very fragile, so any show with many people would probably have wrecked it.

We spent show day on the beach, which was the right decision.

(Many years later, of course, when the innards of the Colosseum had been reinfoced, McCartney gave two shows there. One inside for selected people, and another to a huge crowd outside.)

--
Captain Corella
60 Years a Fan

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Irix

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treaclefingers

Are they going to reschedule it?

Of course .... for the announcement of their new studio album.

Fantastik! Hopefully the new album will be sung in German as well!

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Irix
... In the end, no one could say for sure whether it had not taken place.

No tapes surfaced, though? Another show that, according to some (many? all?), never took place, Grateful Dead's 05/08/77 Cornell show, at least was good for some great tapes!

maybe this needs a new thread. There was a similar no-go concert July 4 1976 LA Coliseum (was supposed to be bi-centenial related) that didn't happen. I live in SoCal but was in Europe at the time so couldn't follow, so I never knew why it faded away. Does anyone know?

the springer-tower was very near the berlin wall so the east-berlin people could hear the stones.
and the colosseum-concert in rome: mick taylor said in an interview at the hyde parc 1969 that they possibly will play in rome (can't find the youtube-video now)

here is the mick taylor - interview (colosseum...) ... [iorr.org]

I can’t imagine being a fan of a group so pathetic their live performances couldn’t make it beyond the rooftop of a studio.

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lem motlow
I can’t imagine being a fan of a group so pathetic their live performances couldn’t make it beyond the rooftop of a studio.

you're bashing Beatles fans...in 2023?