Roger Waters completed his first of two shows in Edmonton Tuesday, on his Us + Them tour. Based on the first night, fans are in for a treat on Wednesday evening.
The show was crowd-pleasing from start to finish. Waters used the first half of the show to highlight many tracks from The Wall, along with a few newer numbers. With a focus on the music, this half was a little less flashy, and certainly more mellow than the second.
As in other shows on the tour, the audience was treated to a brief performance by some local students during Happiest Days, Brick, Pt 2.
READ MORE: Music icon Roger Waters to be joined on stage by kids from Edmonton’s Boys & Girls Club
For both shows in Edmonton, kids from Boys & Girls Clubs Big Brothers Big Sisters joined the star on stage to perform Another Brick In The Wall (Part II).
To start the performance, the kids came on stage in orange jumpsuits with black covers on their heads. They eventually tore away the covers and jumpsuits, ending up in black pants and T-shirts with the word “RESIST” on the front.
Watch below: Kids from Boys & Girls Clubs Big Brothers Big Sisters perform Another Brick In The Wall (Part II)
After a 20-minute intermission, the band returned for a far more raucous set with a great deal more spectacle. A large wall was hung from the ceiling for a large portion of the second half. I can only imagine it caused some viewing issues for those seated in the back.
Among other things, the words, “Please help we are trapped in a dystopian nightmare” were shown along the wall. It would seem Waters will never outgrow the plight of the working class.
Donald Trump was the primary political focus of the second set. While Rogers never said the words, some very strong images of Trump (including as a baby and a puppet for Vladimir Putin) were displayed across the many screen in the arena.
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Not to mention the phrase, “Trump is a pig” at the end of his dedicated section. I find it hard to imagine this has not already caused some havoc on Trump’s Twitter account.
If you’re anything like me, you’ve gotten this far and you’re thinking to yourself “this needs more lasers.” Fret not, there are lasers. He is a member of Pink Floyd, after all. There are a few other surprises as well, flying pigs and orbs, to name a few.
READ MORE: Roger Waters shares details of first album in 25 years
The 20-song set was capped off with a classic, Comfortably Numb, leaving the audience thrilled. Having never seen Roger Waters before, I was unsure what to expect.
But like the rumors I had heard, it did not disappoint.
Jennifer Rush is a member of the Corus Edmonton group of radio stations promotions and public relations team.
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