Having seen Roger Waters perform Dark Side of the Moon nearly two years ago, i knew what to expect. I made sure that i was in my seat well before 8pm, because Mr. Waters is a punctual man. Given how seriously he took himself last time, i wasn't surprised that the show began promptly at 8. There was no opener, there was no encore; only 2 hours of Roger Waters, and The Wall.
The History Behind The Wall
Last night marks the 6th time in History that "The Wall" has been performed live. When first conceived in the late 70s by Roger Waters, Pink Floyd's lead singer imagined creating a double album in conjunction with a movie, and a theatrical concert. The album would go on to become one of the band's best sellers, the film would be a cult favorite among Floyd fans for generations, however the performance didn't go as smoothly as Waters had hoped.
The performance - which involved elaborate costumes, pyrotechnics, special effects, lasers, inflatables, as well as the construction and destruction of a wall that runs from one end of the stage to the other - proved to cost more money than it was worth. Coupled with growing tension between the band members, "The Wall" would be performed 4 times between 1980 and 1981, before the band members abolished the project and went their separate ways.
It took nearly 30 years, but Waters eventually decided to resurrect his masterpiece. The Wall's second tour, according to Rolling Stone Magazine, was only made possible because of advances in technology which made the elaborate performance more affordable.
Special Effects
As one would expect, the show kicked off with a bang. The albums first song, In The Flesh, featured fireworks and a display of soldiers carrying flags, reminiscent of a similar scene in the film.
The show also included a couple of giant inflatable characters (including the school teacher and the "dirty woman" from Young Lust), which roamed across the stage. As well, the performance was not without the standard inflatable pig that makes an appearance at every Floyd show.
The concert, like the album, was split into two halves. A gigantic wall spanning the entire length of the stage was slowly constructed throughout the first half. Each brick is laid down individually until the wall's completion, just before the show's intermission (also the break between the first and second album).
While all in attendance were anticipating the erection of a wall, the way in which Waters used the prop was much more unexpected. As each of the individual white brick is laid down, it becomes a canvas for a projector that hangs from the ceiling. In other words, the crew was not only erecting a giant wall, but also a screen for displaying images across the entire length of the Air Canada Center. Waters uses the canvas to project images ranging from those with political significance to the original animation that was used in the original production. That is, of course, until the wall was eventually destroyed following The Trial.
Those nostalgic for Floyd's glory days especially appreciated the video which was projected on screen during Waters' rendition of Mother. As he stood at the foot of the stage with his acoustic guitar and microphone, the wall behind him displayed a video of a younger Roger Waters playing the exact same song at Earl's Court in 1980, the first ever performance of the concert.
Political Messages
Like the original performance the new presentation also includes many powerful political messages embedded within the show. Waters used the giant projector screen to display images from Abu Ghraib, videos disseminated through wikileaks, and images of actual American soldiers in battle. He also included some of the show's original animation, adding new provoking images. For example, during the performance of Goodbye Blue Sky, the screen displayed images of digitally animated airplanes dropping bombs in the shape of crosses, dollar signs, the Shell Gas logos, and more. Later in the show, the wall displayed slogans such as "Big Brother is Watching You," "Mother Knows Best," and "iLearn, iBelieve, iKill."
The Voice of Roger Waters
Much to my surprise, the 67 year-old sounded almost identical to the 37 year-old that originally performed the show. With the ability to hit high notes and sing even the most difficult songs with the same perfection, there is no noticeable difference in Waters' voice now, compared to how he sounded during the original recording of the album.
The 11-Piece Band
Though my ticket only had one name it, Roger Waters would have not been able to perform the show without the backing of a very talented 11-piece band. They were not only the musicians of the show, but in many cases its performers as well. Though David Gilmour was not present at the show (even though rumors persist that he will make an appearance during the tour), his replacement filled the role perfectly. Able to hit all of Gilmour's notes on guitar as well as on vocals, the replacement served as a perfect stand-in for the band's original lead guitarist (not including Syd Barrett, or course).
Jared Lindzon - Jared Lindzon is a MA in Journalism Graduate from the University of Western Ontario. He has been published in The National Post, BlogTO, ...
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