The Daily Swarm

MTV UPDATE:

Statement on Behalf of MTV Networks International in Response to Erroneous Reports Circulating in the Media About ‘MTV EMAs Present U2 at the Brandenburg Gate’

“The safety and well-being of all attendees at any MTV produced event is of the highest priority. MTV worked closely with our local promoter DEAG, the Borough of Berlin and the Berlin Police Department to create a comprehensive security plan for the event. To that end, MTV placed a temporary security fence around
the site perimeter.”

ABC News:

Fans hoping to catch a glimpse Thursday of U2’s free concert celebrating 20 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall will have to “scale these city walls” after organizers threw up a barrier to block the view for those without tickets.

The move has triggered outrage from Berliners and tourists alike, all of whom see the irony in building wall around a concert dedicated to the wall that has come down.

“It’s completely ridiculous that they are blocking the view,” said Louis-Pierre Boily, 23, who said he came to Berlin even though he failed to get tickets.

“I thought it’s a free show, but MTV probably wants people to watch it on TV to get their ratings up,” said Boily, a native of Quebec City who was among several hundred people who gathered Thursday against the roughly 12-foot (2-meter) metal fence, draped with a white tarp that blocked off the view of the stage from the street.

Music network MTV, which organized Thursday’s concert in front of the Brandenburg Gate, did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

U2’s publicist RMP also refused comment.