The Puhdys are history. But now an album with live recordings from a special festival is being released. Singer Dieter Birr remembers it well – and that some fans were angry.
Around nine years after the Puhdys disbanded, there is a small comeback: another album by the band is released – with historical recordings. With “Live At Rockpalast 1996” the Puhdys’ concert at the German Rock Festival on May 16, 1996 in the Berlin Waldbühne was released.
It will be released on October 25th on CD, DVD and LP on the MIG (Hannover) label, which has already released a number of other Rockpalast performances. The Puhdys were on stage for 34 minutes – with eight songs.
Singer Dieter “Machine” Birr still remembers it well: “It was a gigantic performance,” he told the German Press Agency. It was great fun to be with so many colleagues. Seven years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, WDR invited people to an open-air event with eight bands from both parts of Germany as part of its Rockpalast concert series. Among others, Karat, Die Zöllner, City, Die Prinzen, Selig and Extrabreit were also on stage. “We were the second to last, everything was very hectic and everyone paid close attention to the minute,” remembers Birr.
Pity for the princes
Because of the tight schedule, the Puhdys were unable to play an encore so that the princes could start their performance on time. The Waldbühne generally had to end at 11 p.m. “The princes had a hard time. When they started, people kept shouting. They wanted to hear the Puhdys. I was sorry for that,” said Birr. The fans were angry. Ultimately, the Puhdys decided to celebrate their 30th band anniversary at the Waldbühne. On June 19, 1999, 22,000 fans came to the sold-out anniversary concert.
The Puhdys were founded 55 years ago: On November 19, 1969, they gave their first concert in Freiberg in Saxony. 50 years ago they released their first album on vinyl with the GDR record company Amiga. It was called “Puhdys 1”. For almost half a century, “Machine” was the voice of the band and composer of the songs. The Puhdys were voted the most popular rock group in the GDR twelve times.
Already in 1981, many years before the fall of the Berlin Wall, they played for the first time in the sold-out Waldbühne in what was then West Berlin. Even after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Puhdys remained successful and easily filled large halls. In a complete surprise to fans, they finally announced in 2015 that the band would soon no longer exist. It ended in January 2016.
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
