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December 1989 went down in history for fans of Marius Müller-Westernhagen: his show in the Hamburg sports hall was one of the most influential of his career. The accompanying album “Live”, which brings together recordings from Westernhagen’s “Hallelujah Tour” on one record, subsequently became one of the most successful German recordings of all time. On December 3, 2025, the associated concert film will be shown once in the cinema in restored image quality and Dolby format.
Hope and optimism after the fall of the Berlin Wall
Selected German cinemas are now presenting the concert film on screen for the first time, 35 years after the concert. The film, directed by Rudi Dolezal and Hannes Rossacher, documents a rock’n’roll moment that reflects the euphoria and hope for the future of German cities just a few weeks after the fall of the Wall. With songs like “Sexy”, “Done”, “Because I love you” or “Mit Pfefferminz bin ich dein Prinz” as well as the generational anthem “Freiheit”, fans can experience a journey back in time to German rock of the 80s and 90s in the run-up to Christmas.
Remastered recordings with Dolby sound
The concert film will also be released on Blu-ray on December 6, 2025. This release contains the full, remastered concert – like in the cinema with Dolby Atmos sound – as well as bonus material, including a 1990 interview with Westernhagen and a making-of with the directors.
Westernhagen: one of the most successful German musicians
The 76-year-old rock artist last released his latest album “Das einer Leben” in May 2022, which entered the German album charts at number four and stayed in the top 100 for a total of 35 weeks. Since his debut album “Das Erste Mal”, Westernhagen has released a total of 20 studio albums.
“Westernhagen Live – The Concert 1989” is not the only concert film that shows the musician on stage: “When the light falls on you” was released in 2006, a recording of his live comeback in 2005. Eleven years later, a DVD followed Westernhagen’s performance at the Berlin Volksbühne, where he presented 24 songs “unplugged” for MTV. The accompanying film was produced by Fatih Akin at the time.