Irish rock legends U2 are to play a free show at the Brandenburg Gate to mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, it was announced today.

The band will perform in front of the landmark on November 5 as part of the MTV Europe Music Awards.

U2's performance will be a prelude to the "fall of the wall" celebrations in Berlin and will be beamed in to the awards broadcast.

U2 manager Paul McGuinness said: "It'll be an exciting spot to be in, 20 years almost to the day since the wall came down. Should be fun."

U2 famously relocated to Berlin in 1990 in the months after the wall fell to reinvent their sound on the Achtung Baby album, recording at the Hansa Studios close to where the wall stood.

Tickets to attend "MTV EMAs present U2 at the Brandenburg Gate" will be free and fans can register at www.u2.com or www.mtvema.com from 9am today.

Antonio Campo Dall'Orto, executive producer of the MTV EMAs, said: "The exceptional musical heritage of this year's EMAs spans genres and generations and we are extremely proud to be bringing U2 to Berlin for this extraordinary performance.

"This year's Awards will be remembered as the night when the world's major music players came together against the backdrop of the fall of the Berlin Wall to celebrate music, freedom and the birth of a new age in Europe."

The awards take place at Berlin's 02 World venue.

YouTube: The band's recent LA gig