Concert Updates

Tooth & Nail recording artist Icon For Hire has extended their current tour dates to include another appearance at Station 4 in St. Paul on Wednesday, November 16. Support comes from For Those Who Bleed and Rob Mahlum. This show is all ages and will cost $10 in advance or at the door.

Born Of Osiris has announced an extension of their mid-November to mid-December tour that now brings them to Station 4 in St. Paul on Saturday, December 17. Support will come from Structures, Betraying The Martyrs, Reflections, and a to-be-named local band. This is an all ages show, and tickets are on sale now. The band’s Facebook page has the full list of dates.

The Born Of Osiris show has forced the SwordLord’s Christmas Bash Show at Station 4 to be moved from Saturday, December 17 to Sunday, December 18. This is a great local bill featuring Dawn Of Valor, Echoterra, Minos, Alation, and Purified, so go out and support these bands. It’s a 16+ show, and it’s only $3 if you bring a new toy for donation to Toys For Tots ($8 without a toy donation).

Staind frontman Aaron Lewis is embarking on a solo tour that arrives in St. Paul at the Fitzgerald Theater on Thursday, January 5. Reserved seat tickets are on sale now for $32.50–55, and the show is all ages.

In Flames and Trivium are teaming for a co-headlining tour of North America that rolls into First Avenue in Minneapolis on Tuesday, January 24. Support bands are Veil Of Maya and Kyng. This show is all ages, and tickets go on sale this Friday, November 11 at noon, and I would expect this to sell out in advance. A complete list of tour dates can be found on the In Flames Facebook page. 

Anonymous Swedish outfit Ghost has lined up a short North American headlining tour that hits Station 4 in St. Paul on Wednesday, January 25 with support from Blood Ceremony and Ancient Wisdom. Tickets go on sale this Friday, November 11 at 11:00 am. Ghost was supposed to play as support to Enslaved back on October 3 at Station 4, but had to cancel the tour due to work visa issues. The full list of upcoming North American tour dates, which runs from January 18 to February 2, can be viewed at the band’s website.

Megadeth is bringing back Gigantour in 2012 with Motorhead, Volbeat, and Lacuna Coil along for the trek. The tour returns to the recently reopened Myth in St. Paul on Valentine’s Day, Tuesday, February 14. This show is all ages and tickets are on sale now (they’ll set you back $43). The full tour itinerary and accompanying press release can be viewed at the Gigantour website.

Lastly Pink Floyd bassist and vocalist Roger Waters announced another mammoth, two and a half month North American tour (May 1 to July 14) where he will perform The Wall in its entirely with one of the most massive stage productions you’ll ever see. The production returns to the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Sunday, June 3. General ticket sales begin Monday, November 14 at 10:00 am; Live Nation, Xcel Energy Center, and radio presales start Friday, November 11 at 10:00 am, and an American Express presale is currently underway. Head over to the Roger Waters website for the full list of dates.

ROGER WATERS The Wall Live Concert Review

Roger Waters

The Wall Live

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN

Roger Waters came through the Twin Cities midway through his mammoth tour to play Pink Floyd’s The Wall in its entirely. Expectations were high for the sold-out crowd, and significant buzz was built up a couple days prior when Roger Waters was spotted having dinner with his entourage at Bar La Grassa in Minneapolis. Rumors flew throughout the local media that Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour had accompanied Waters to Bar La Grassa, raising hopes that St. Paul would be the city where Gilmour joined Waters on stage as he promised to do on one show of the tour. The dinner rumor proved to be unfounded, unfortunately, and Gilmour did not appear at this show. Nevertheless, this was a show of epic proportions that left no one disappointed.

Click to hear Roger Waters perform “Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)”.

The Wall was performed in the album’s running order, and Waters was greeted with thunderous applause as he strolled the front of the stage while the band launched into “In The Flesh?” A partial wall was already constructed several feet back from the front of the stage, and the band was set up towards the back. While the band seamlessly worked their way through the early part of the album, including “Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)”, “Mother”, and “Goodbye Blue Sky”, the crew was kept busy as they gradually added bricks to the wall. The ever-enlarging wall was used as a video projection surface, and a circular screen was suspended behind the band. The circular screen was used to great effect during “Mother”, showing vintage live footage of Waters performing in sync. Speakers suspended throughout the arena were used to achieve a surround sound effect for many of the recorded sound effects during the show. Giant props were also brought out at times, such a giant marionette, an inflatable pig, and a suspended airplane that crashed into the wall at the end of the “In The Flesh?” By the time the first half of The Wall ended with “Goodbye Cruel World”, the wall was completed and was a sight to behold as it stretched from one side of the arena to the other at a massive height, probably about 15–20 feet high.

Click to hear Roger Waters perform “Goodbye Blue Sky”.

Click to hear Roger Waters perform “Young Lust”.

Following a 20 minute intermission, “Hey You” kicked off the second half of The Wall, and it initially seemed strange to have the band performing out of sight behind the wall. The band wasn’t entirely invisible, as clever tricks were used to showcase Waters and the band during this part of the set. A section of the wall was knocked out to show Waters lounging in a room setting while he sang “Nobody Home”. One of the more dramatic parts of the show was when one of the guitarists was perched on a scaffold atop the wall for the solos in “Comfortably Numb”. Towards the end of the show, the band rose up through risers in the floor so they could play in front of the wall. The show reached a climax with “Waiting For The Worms” as Waters yelled into a megaphone as the cacophony was built up into “The Trial”. At this point the crowd was in a frenzy, shaking their fists while chanting “tear down the wall!” The entire wall structure collapsed, and the band returned amidst the rubble to play the closer, “Outside The Wall”. Band members left the stage one by one as the dying notes faded until Waters was left standing to thank the audience.

Click to hear Roger Waters perform “Comfortably Numb”.

Click to hear Roger Waters perform “Run Like Hell”.

Roger Waters defied all expectations this night, and this show will go down as one of the most memorable for all who attended. The band executed The Wall to perfection, and the lavish production was on the level of what you’d expect from a Broadway or Vegas show. Some critics have complained about the guitarists aping David Gilmour’s work, but what do you expect? More people would feel let down if the music was altered simply for the sake of making it different. In fact, the was allowing to stretch the songs at times, notably during extended guitar and keyboard solos during songs such as “Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)”, “Comfortably Numb”, and “Run Like Hell”. No other band can put on an arena-sized production at this level, so this was a concert for the ages.

Check back soon for a posting of the audio from the entire show!!

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Roger Waters Tickets On Sale

Numerous presale tickets to see legendary Pink Floyd guitarist Roger Waters perform The Wall in its entirety on Wednesday, October 27 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul go on sale today and tomorrow through the LiveNation website. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Monday, May 10 at 10 am.

Below is the ticket stub from the only time I saw Pink Floyd on their tour for A Momentary Lapse Of Reason on May 18, 1988 at the UNI-Dome on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Not a major tour stop for bands, but the UNI-Dome did host The Who, The Police, Motley Crüe, Styx, and many other bands during the 1980s. Amazingly, this show wasn't even sold out. The spectacle of a Pink Floyd show is everything you've heard it to be, so expect no less from Roger Waters.

Roger Waters Concert Announcement

Roger Waters certainly isn't metal, but who doesn't love Pink Floyd? Today it was announced that the Pink Floyd guitarist will embark on an extensive North American tour to celebrate the 30th anniversary of The Wall. The legendary album will be played in its entirely, and a spectacle-type show as only Pink Floyd can do is promised. The Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul will host Roger Waters on Wednesday, October 27. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Monday, May 10.