Roger Waters The Wall: The Greatest "Concert" of the Past 5 Years?

Remember Pink Floyd?  Remember that bizarre, yet beautifully profound rock opera: The Wall (Released in 1979)?  Remember the motion picture adaptation of that double album, released three years later?  Well, if not, then you probably wouldn't be reading this blog to begin with.

Roger Waters, the genius behind Pink Floyd, has decided to grace us all with his legendary production of The Wall in arenas worldwide for an Epic 2010-2011 tour.  The show opens with the familiar hammer logo being displayed on a large circular monitor, fireworks exploding, and Roger sporting his famous uniform. All to this is done to the tune of the album's epic opening: "In the Flesh?"  When the show opens, the stage is empty, with bits of the wall displayed on each side.  Once Roger gets to the fifth song, "Another Brick in the Wall Part 2," the road crew proceeds to slowly erect a physical wall on the stage.  Each brick is used as a monitor for the show's elaborate projections, and as the wall gets larger and greater, so does the projection.  All the familiar characters are seen: Mother, Babe, Teacher, etc.  By the end of the first half of the album, as Roger belts out the sad and heartwarming: "Goodbye Cruel World," the last brick is placed in the approximately 150-foot long wall, completely blocking the audiences view of the entire band.  The lights come on to begin a 30-minute intermission, while photos of fallen war heroes are projected onto the now competed wall.

As the second half of the show begins with "Hey You," the audience is left staring at a blank wall, while the band plays behind it.  In the album's original inception, this is meant to symbolize the isolation from the audience and from the outside world that has been cast upon Roger through his life as a rock star and through all his paranoia and fears (or bricks in the wall).  This is the underlying theme of the album and the symbolism of "The Wall."  However, stemming from the actual reason that Roger has decided to perform this piece now, in 2010, he has adapted "The Wall," to mean much more.  In its newest production, the erected wall not only symbolizes his isolation as a rock star and paranoid man, but the barriers and pain that human beings, countries, presidents, and war-mongers create by waging war.  Throughout this show, images of war and religion are projected magnificently onto the wall.  The audience is almost driven to tears as Roger cries for the troops to come back safely in "Bring the Boys Back Home."  As Roger begins to close the show with "The Trial," the audience is amazed watching that old, yet familiar scene from the film, in which Pink (the character in the film, whom many believe is meant to be Roger, himself) is judged by his mother, his peers, girlfriends, and others in his life.  Then the show comes to a close as the audience helps chant over and over "Tear Down The Wall! Tear Down the Wall!"  The wall finally falls down, confetti in the shapes of different religions and corporation falls from the sky, and "Outside The Wall" is played, bringing the album full circle.  The audience is then free to leave the arena.

I have personally seen this show multiple times and can tell you that although the price on the ticket is somewhat insane to say the least (tickets start at $75.00 and run as high as $250.00), it is worth every penny and is an absolute must for any Pink Floyd fan.  I mean, come on...Roger even harmonizes with HIMSELF 30 years ago during "Mother."  I would even recommend seeing this show if you have never heard of Pink Floyd (although I would seek professional help if this is the case).  Audience members usually rush out to their cars to beat the crowds when the lights come on after a concert.  Each time I have seen this show, when it comes to a close and as the lights go on, the audience actually stays in their seats if almost to process what they have just witnessed.  I would go as far as to say that calling this a concert is almost insulting.  It is a show, a production, an absolute must-see and a true delight.

ROGER: WE THANK YOU!

Click and here and here to see what is, in my opinion the two greatest moments in the show, Roger performing "Comfortably Numb" and "Run Like Hell."  Note: The Wall is completely built at this point.

Here is one more video, during the first half.  As you can see, the wall is just starting to be built.  This is "Happiest Days of Our Lives/Another Brick in the Wall Part 2."  Notice the giant marionette of the Teacher.

If interested, here is about halfway through the wall being built during the songs "Goodbye Blue Sky/Empty Spaces/What Shall We Do Now?"

Roger During the "Comfortably Numb" guitar solo:

During "Run Like Hell:"

Singing "Hey! Teacher! Leave us Kids Alone" during "Another Brick in the Wall Part 2:"

The Giant Marionette of the Ex-Wife during the song "Don't Leave Me Now":