This Red Door
presents:
24 HOURS OF “SISTER RAY” — IN HONOR OF WALTER STEDING
We’re inviting musicians, singers, artists, friends and noise makers to take part in a 24-hour continuous performance of “Sister Ray” by The Velvet Underground, in honor of Walter Steding.
Where: Westwerk (Hamburg, Germany)
When: 5pm, September 12th – 5pm, September 13th
What: The idea is simple: one song, 24 hours, many musicians, just keep the song going.
Different players, different combinations, different approaches — loud, quiet, chaotic, beautiful, repetitive, improvised. The song continues for 24 hours.
Come play for a stretch, join for a few hours, or stay for the whole thing. Bring your instrument, your friends, your ideas and your willingness to get lost in the music.
A 24-hour musical tribute to Walter Steding.
Photo- Andy Warhol, Walter Steding and Lou Reed
Walter George Steding (September 7, 1950 – November 2025) was an American artist and musician. He was a member of the New York City No Wave and punk scenes. He was an assistant to Andy Warhol and a fixture at The Factory.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Steding
This Red Door has done this before - played Sister Ray for many hours on end. However, the first time we did it for 24 hours was when we first came to Westwerk in 2015, and Walter Steding joined us to introduce and begin the song. He was such a joyful spirit and inspiration – he was kind and full of love and courage. We were deeply saddened to hear that he passed away in November of 2025. We would like to take this opportunity to honor him and send him our love and gratitude for all he shared with all of us, and for his free and radical spirit he blessed us all with.
Walter, “This one goes out to you!”
Photo: This Red Door: “Sister Ray” with Walter Steding, 2015
Please join us to honor Walter Steding and send some 24 hours of music into the universe for him.
XO
This Red Door
*If you’d like to participate, please get in touch and let us know what you play/when you’d like to join.
5pm, September 12th – 5pm, September 13th
Link to the song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7d69mDT11yI
History of the recording of the song:
"Having grumbled about excessive volume throughout the recording of White Light/White Heat, engineer Gary Kellgren’s patience snapped as The Velvet Underground prepared to make up for a shortage of material by laying down an open-ended jam with no bass underpinning. “I don’t have to listen to this,” he told Lou Reed as he reached for the tape machine. “I’ll put it in ‘record’, and then I’m leaving. When you’re done, come get me.” Thus, Kellgren opted out of 17 of the most extreme minutes of The Velvet Underground’s recording career."
https://www.mojo4music.com/articles/stories/the-making-of-the-velvet-undergrounds-sister-ray/
