![]() The second of these two numbers has Waters playing piano and telling the story of the thoughts of a World War II airman gunner as he is falling to his death after having been shot down. The first of these contemplates the end of the world with a sunset in the west while another fire ball is illuminating the sky in the east, as Waters sings, “Two suns in the sunset / Could be the human race is run.” The second and fourth tracks, “Two Suns in the Sunset” and “The Gunner’s Dream” are from the 1983 Pink Floyd album The Final Cut, one of the most powerful antiwar rock music albums ever produced. The EP starts with “Mother” from the 1979 Pink Floyd album The Wall, which has the iconic opening line, “Mother, do you think they’ll drop the bomb?” The song transitions from a light vocal melody with acoustic guitar accompaniment-performed by Waters-into a heavier rock and roll anthem by the band, including a grinding electric guitar solo, and then back again. The collaborating musicians on the record are the members of his touring band: Dave Kilminster and Jonathan Wilson on guitars, Joey Waronker on drums, Lucius-Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig on backing vocals, Gus Seyffert on bass, Jon Carin on piano and keys, Bo Koster on Hammond and Ian Ritchie on sax. Some of the songs are very close recreations of the originals, while others dramatically depart from the sounds, rhythms and keys of the music from three or four decades ago. The US-NATO instigated war against Russia in Ukraine that began in February 2022 certainly also played a role in the decision by Waters to release the EP, investing the themes with an even higher level of urgency. ![]() At that time, there were ongoing illegal imperialist military operations-including drone assassination strikes and other secret killing campaigns by the US government-in the Middle East and Africa, as well as a growing threat of nuclear world war between the US and either Russia or China. There is no doubt that the reinterpretations are recorded with an eye to contemporary events. The tracks selected for the EP bring together some of Waters’ most powerful antiwar creations. He said, “I started thinking, ‘It could make an interesting album, all those encores … The Encores.’ Yeah, has a nice ring to it!” Waters said the pandemic brought everything to an abrupt halt on March 13, 2020, including for the moment the concept that would eventually become The Lockdown Sessions. In a brief statement about the EP, Waters explained that he had considered making a studio record of these encore songs. Since the original 2020 start of his “This is Not a Drill” world tour was postponed by the COVID-19 crisis, Waters decided to record some of the tracks with the band that had previously been performed as encore numbers at the end of previous live shows. The black-and-white music videos shared on YouTube-dated between May 2020 and April 2021-show members of the band performing separately from one another and presumably also in their home studios. This is not a drill.Released through multiple music streaming services on December 9, five of the recordings were made in Waters’ home studio during the first year of the coronavirus pandemic. Looking out over the sea of bones, the last man standing, stands alone. Roger commented, “The champion sits on his golden throne in his echoing, empty, magnificent home. Waters is on lead vocals, guitars, bass and piano and will be joined on stage by, Jonathan Wilson on guitars and vocals Dave Kilminster on guitars and vocals Jon Carin on keyboards, guitar and vocals, Gus Seyffert on bass and vocals Robert Walter on keyboards, Joey Waronker on drums Shanay Johnson on vocals Amanda Belair on vocals and Seamus Blake on saxophone. In addition, Waters previewed a new song, “The Bar”. The show consisted of 20 Pink Floyd and Roger Waters classic songs, including: “Us & Them”, “Comfortably Numb”, “Wish You Were Here”, and “Is This The Life We Really Want?”. This tour marks the first time that Waters has performed “in the round”. After a 4-year hiatus from the road, Roger Waters: This Is Not A Drill 2022 North American tour kicked off last night, July 6, at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA.
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