Roger Waters includes Khaled Said's picture in The Wall
Wael Eskandar from London, Tuesday 24 May 2011
Roger Waters revives Pink Floyd's album The Wall and pays tribute to victims of war and brutality in a concert held at the O2 arena in London on 18 May


The underground line leading to the O2 Arena in London was full to the brim and the energy was high as thousands flocked to attend Roger Waters - The Wall concert. On the crowded train, one can tell which of the passengers was going to attend the concert as their t-shirts were covered with Pink Floyd imagery.

Few shows have been as timeless as Pink Floyd’s The Wall, even fewer as spectacular. Roger Waters’ latest tour with ‘The Wall’ is a message that even though technology and circumstances may change, the theme of a wall that separates us from one another has not yet become too old. That same wall is erected between us because of fear or pride.

This time, the concert pays tribute to those who died in war andas victims ofbrutality. Khaled Said’s image reminds us of how much injustice inflicts the world. The image was among the thousands of pictures of the fallen, collected from around the world and used in the show.

The Wall is one of Pink Floyd’s most successful concept albums. The most notable performance was The Wall - Live in Berlin, performed in 1990 after the fall of the Berlin wall, in collaboration with numerous artists such as the Scorpions, Bryan Adams and Van Morrison.

Musically, the show has little new to offer. The music, written 30 years ago, remains relatively unchanged. However the visuals that accompanied the music once again took imagery and projections to new heights. The new images are vibrant and fascinating, even the old familiar representations of the marching hammers and the schoolmaster come to life, when projected on the giant screen.

Irrespective of the music or visuals as individual elements, it is their synchronicity that is the true achievement. The signature projections have always been a landmark in Pink Floyd's shows. Roger Waters has taken the engineering a step further, integrating the laborious task of building an entire wall throughout the show.

The spectacular images will no doubt be imprinted in the memory of those who attended, even if they are not hardcore fans of the Pink Floyd album. The show is a reminder of the rare perfection with which Pink Floyd has combined music and visuals in a live show.

Projections are not the only visuals associated with the show. A large plane crashing into the wall and a giant pig hovering over the crowd are among the attractions. Waters performed with great energy, encouraging the crowd to participate.

He performed ‘Mother’, with just an acoustic guitar dubbed over a version he performed thirty years ago as a young man, with the video projected on the wall and in the giant signature circular screen above the stage.

At the end of the concert, he thanked the audience and admitted that he had not been able to deal well with rock audiences, but now things have changed.

Pink Floyd has long been popular in Egypt with many local bands covering their songs. A facebook group has been created to approach the band to perform near the Giza pyramids.

Roger Waters will continue to tour Europe throughout the summer, ending his tour in Paris on 1 July 2011.



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