Poster for Roger Waters 'Us + Them' tour. Image: Roger Waters / Facebook
Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters will be a headline artist for the BST Festival in Hyde Park, London next year on July 6, 2018. The gig will be the first time that Waters has brought his ongoing Us + Them tour to the UK. And it will also be his first performance in the UK since the release of his sixth studio album Is This The Life We Really Want?
It’s an album Rolling Stone called “precisely what a Trump-era Roger Waters LP should be” noting that Waters’ “emeritus off-the-leash ranting, [is] a fitting response to the stench and stupidity of our present moment.”
Contact sheet of Roger Waters eating a fairy cake in Abbey Road Studios, 1975, during the making of 'Wish You Were Here'. Photographer © Jill Furmanovsky
The Hyde Park concert will see the Pink Floyd icon play songs from his new album along with tracks from classic Pink Floyd albums like Wish You Were Here, The Wall, Animals, and Dark Side of The Moon. Tickets are on sale now and range from £89.90 to £249.90 for a ‘Diamond View’ ticket.
Much like Pink Floyd’s concerts Waters is known for putting on a spectacular live show. Last year Waters played at the Desert Trip festival in California and his performance utilised the biggest quadraphonic sound system ever created. Along with this Waters' Us + Them tour also features visual nods and homages to Pink Floyd too.
A homage to the Pink Floyd album cover 'Animals' for the BBC series 'Britain In Pictures'. © Jill Furmanovsky
For instance, he recreates the rising towers of Battersea Power station in reference to the classic Animals album cover. In a further nod to this he has inflatable pigs floating over the audience and a spitfire crashes into the stage, which harks back to Pink Floyd’s 1980s The Wall tour.
The Hyde Park tour also mentions special guests who will be joining Waters on stage. An example of the caliber of this was present in the Chicago leg of the tour, where Waters brought out Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder on stage to sing “Comfortably Numb”.
Roger Waters pictured at one of the first Pink Floyd photo shoots. © Andrew Whittuck
The Us + Them tour is named after the Pink Floyd song from Dark Side of the Moon. And, although the show like the latest album is politically charged, it’s also about being hopeful according to Waters.
“There is a huge trolling thing goes on the Facebook page saying, ‘Why can’t you just play the music and leave the politics?’” Waters told the Herald Sun in a recent interview. “Have you not noticed that I have ALWAYS been political in my career? I actually said last night at the end of the show that politics is important. Politics is the way people organise themselves together to try to affect the way governments affect our lives. That’s what politics is and it’s certainly more important than a few old tunes that you think you remember. This is the fundamental stuff of trying to prevent us as a species from hurling ourselves to our deaths.” Continuing, “There is only one of us — we are human beings and we have an absolute responsibility to look after one another. And we don’t. Sadly.”
Along with the Hyde Park date Waters also announced a UK tour in summer 2018, which the BST festival will kick off. You can buy tickets for the BST festival here.
Check out the single “Wait For Her” off Is This The Life We Really Want?, below.
Rockarchive is delighted to be able to offer these iconic images, along with many other photos of Roger Waters and Pink Floyd as limited edition photographic prints which you can buy here.
A unique collection of images of Pink Floyd, one of the worlds most successful and influential rock bands.
The idea of beds for the Momentary Lapse cover came from a line of lyric - ‘Visions of an empty bed’ (Yet Another Movie)
This was taken on the Division Bell Tour. The sound and lighting people in their headsets look like the crew of a space ship.
Roger Waters eating a fairy cake in Abbey Road Studios, 1975, during the making of 'Wish You Were Here'
Inner sleeve artwork for Pink Floyd's album Wish You Were Here by Storm Thorgerson
Version of the Interstellar poster art devised for the 2003 Pink Floyd exhibition in Paris
Roger and Nick on a train to Edinburgh, Dark Side of The Moon tour 1974. The band preferred to travel by train rather than bus or plane.
Cover art for the live single of Wish You Were Here. 'What you see is what you get - two lost souls, swimming in a fish bowl'
This stark image was a poster designed to promote the Pink Floyd exhibition, Interstellar, at the Paris Cité De La Musique in October 2003.
David Gilmour Dark Side Of The Moon tour 1974. Those Guinness t-shirts were popular on that tour. Roger had one too.
This is what The Wall looked like during an interval of the The Wall Tour at the The Coliseum in Uniondale, Nassau County, New York.
The design team Hipgnosis, had two main players - Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell. Po pictured here with David Gilmour and Roger Waters
David Gilmour playing backgammon (with Storm and Rick Wright) in his hotel room during the Dark Side of the Moon tour 1974.
David Gilmour taking a quiet moment backstage, during the Dark Side of the Moon tour 1974.
David Gilmour in Studio 3, at Abbey Road Studios. The band were recording Have a Cigar that day for their new album Wish You Were Here .
Nick Mason, David Gilmour & Roger Waters during a sound-check for the Dark Side of the Moon UK tour.
Dick Parry has played some of the most unforgettable and sublime saxophone solos in the history of rock music - mostly with Pink Floyd.
Two consecutive frames joined together from a shoot of The Wall tour in New York in 1980
David Gilmour’s superb guitar solo during ’Comfortably Numb’ on PinK Floyd's The Wall Tour
This was the first time Tony Collins ever saw Pink Floyd live. They played numbers from their new album 'Atom Heart Mother'.
Alternative version of the image designed to advertise the Pink Floyd back catalogue in 1997 designed by Storm Thorgerson
Pink Floyd onstage at the Roundhouse, London in July 1967 less than a year after they performed at its opening party.
Jill Furmanovsky was the official photographer on the Dark Side of the Moon/Wish You Were Here UK tour, taking pictures over c.5 weeks
Roger Waters, Roy Harper and Roy's son listen to a playback at Abbey Road Studios. Roy was guest vocalist on Have a Cigar.
Storm Thorgerson with Dave Gilmour whilst rehearsing during the Dark Side of the Moon UK Tour.
A rare band shot from this period taken by a young Jill Furmanovksy at the start of her photography career
Photographed as a homage to the Pink Floyd album sleeve 'Animals' for the BBC series 'Britain In Pictures'.
Alternative version of Interstellar poster artwork created for the 2003 Pink Floyd exhibition in Paris
Pink Floyd onstage during their UK Dark Side of the Moon Tour in 1974
Nick Mason shot on one of the earliest Pink Floyd photo shoots in June 1967
Pink Floyd's 'Chip Off The Old Block' artwork designed by Storm Thorgerson: the block represents vinyl singles
Artwork for Pink Floyd's Pulse DVD released in 2006 and designed by Storm Thorgerson
Artwork designed by Storm Thorgerson for the Pink Floyd 30th Anniversary campaign
For their first photo shoot, Colin Prime took the band down to Ruskin park. All the guys were in high spirits at the time
Pink Floyd in Abbey Road making a new album that became 'Wish You Were Here'. Jill Furmanovsky was asked to drop in and shoot some stills
Syd Barrett captured on one of Pink Floyd's earliest photoshoots in June 1967
One of Pink Floyd's earliest photo shoots taken in June 1967 using the lighting they used in their gigs
Pink Floyd at the mixing desk whilst recording their debut album 'The Piper at the Gates of Dawn' in Abbey Road Studios
Rick Wright captured under the band's psychedelic lights early in their career
Relaxing backstage at Abbey Road Studios during the recording of debut album 'The Piper at the Gates of Dawn'
One of earliest Pink Floyd photo shoots. Rick Wright is enhanced by special psychedelic lighting effects.
Syd Barrett captured in a candid moment at Abbey Road Studios whilst rehearsing for the recording of 'The Piper at the Gates of Dawn'
Syd Barrett on an early photo shoot in London, not long before recording Pink Floyd's debut album
1967 Syd Barrett performs during an early photo session prior to the release of Pink Floyd's debut album
Roger Water pictured at one of the first Pink Floyd photo shoots
Candid image of Roger Waters at Abbey Road Studios whilst Pink Floyd finished off recording their debut album
The original Pink Floyd line-up on their first ever photo shoot in Kennington Park, London
Syd Barrett, Nick Mason, Roger Waters & Richard Wright on their first ever photo shoot in Ruskin Park, London
Taken on the band's first photo shoot in Ruskin Park, London in April 1967
This was Pink Floyd’s first official photo shoot. Although a photographer by trade, Colin Prime’s other love was music
Alternative version of the cover artwork for Pink Floyd's 1994 album 'Division Bell' designed by Storm Thorgerson
Variant of the album cover for Division Bell using alternative Stone Heads
Rockarchive founder, Jill Furmanovsky is a British photographer who has documented iconic rock musicians and bands from Pink Floyd to Oasis.
Andrew Whittuck began his photography career in the mid-sixties where he soon took some of the earliest shots of Pink Floyd.
Pink Floyd's widely acclaimed concept album 'Animals' has just turned 40. We wanted to share Jill Furmanovsky's homage to the album cover.
It's less than two months to go now until the first ever major international retrospective of Pink Floyd opens at the V&A.
50 years ago in London's Ruskin Park photographer Colin Prime took Pink Floyd for their first official photoshoot.
In 1975 Pink Floyd walked into Abbey Road & began work on their 9th album, It was a difficult time, but it got made & the rest is history.
Opening at London’s V&A Museum this weekend is 'Their Mortal Remains', a celebration of the music, visuals, and influence of Pink Floyd.
