Twelve kids are going to help a legendary musician bring one of his most famous songs to life in Edmonton this week.
The kids, members at Edmonton’s Boys & Girls Clubs Big Brothers Big Sisters (BGCBigs), will join Roger Waters onstage at Rogers Place when he performs on Oct. 24 and Oct. 25.
Ten-year-old Marwah Ghulam is one of the talented kids being given the opportunity. On Monday, she explained they’ve been working hard to learn one of Pink Floyd’s most iconic songs.
“We’re practicing the dance, and practicing the song,” said Marwah. “We’re going to be performing with Roger Waters.”
“The song is called Another Brick in the Wall.”
Waters co-founded Pink Floyd in the 1960s.
The original recording of “Another Brick in the Wall” featured a children’s chorus. The kids participating range in age from 10 to 15 and are members of the BGCBigs music and dance programs.
Daniel Edwards , the club co-ordinator for the Rundle Boys and Girls Club, is not worried about stage fright, as the kids take every chance to perform. The kids practise music and dancing every day.
“This is a perfect opportunity for them to showcase their talents,” Edwards said. “They didn’t have to try very hard – not that they didn’t put a lot of effort in!”
“But they got the dance moves and lyrics pretty easily – they’re incredibly hard workers.”
Before the performance, the kids will get a chance to spend time backstage and meet the legendary rockstar. Edwards, a long-time fan of classic rock, hopes they will get the most out of the experience.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of opportunity,” he said. “I’m really excited to see the kids interact with Mr. Waters and ask him questions.”
“I’m sure they’ll look back at this down the road and say, ‘What a great experience this was.’”
And Marwah knows exactly what excited her the most about the opportunity.
“Meeting Roger Waters,” she said. “Asking him lots of questions, like how long he’s being doing this and what his favourite song is.”
According to Edwards, the kids will get to enjoy the first half of the show before their performance. They’ll have to leave afterwards, as the rockstar lifestyle goes past their bedtime on a school night.