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Roger Waters and other legends tease classic rock Coachella

Posted by madhack on May 2, 2016

Roger Waters (via his Twitter account) and a number of his contemporaries, including Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, and The Who (also via various social media accounts) have all posted teases for an event in October




According to Rolling Stone, the tease is for a classic rock "mega-festival" in Indio, Calif. (presumably at the Empire Polo Club), home of the Coachella festival. Neil Young is also rumored to be performing, although he has apparently opted out of the social media promotion route. More details are certain to come soon.

UPDATE: All six acts (including Young) are now confirmed for the event, called Desert Trip, running October 7-9; tickets go on sale Monday at 10am PDT.

SECOND UPDATE: A second weekend, from October 14-16, has been added as well.

The Wall opera coming to Montreal

Posted by madhack on Mar 3, 2016

2017 marks the 40th anniversary of the Montreal stadium concert that led Roger Waters to write what's arguably the band's most significant album, The Wall. He returned to the Olympic Stadium there to officially announce the rumored Another Brick in the Wall—The Opera, to be performed by Opéra de Montréal in March 2017. In an interview and video with the Montreal Gazette, Waters explains the album's background in the alienation from the audience that he felt at that show and talks more about the process of adapting the music to opera with the help of symphonic composer Julien Bilodeau. Some pre-sale tickets are on sale as of today; they can be purchased at Opéra de Montréal's site.

Syd Barrett play coming in Scotland

Posted by madhack on Feb 3, 2016

Scotland's The Herald reports on a play about Syd Barrett premiering in October in Glasgow. One Thinks of It All As a Dream, commissioned by the Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival and written by Alan Bissett, will focus on "the influences and pressures on his mind and music" and not explicitly on his drug use, although it seems that would have to be a component of it. Still, it seems that Bissett hopes to examine Syd the person in more complexity and look beyond the famous (or infamous) "madcap" narrative, which should be interesting to any fan of early Floyd works.

The Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival opens on October 10, World Mental Health Day, and runs through October 31.

"Amused to Death" 2015 edition out today

Posted by madhack on Jul 24, 2015

The updated 2015 edition of the excellent Roger Waters solo album from 1992, Amused to Death, has been released today. Aside from updated artwork, the CD/Blu-ray release also includes an updated 5.1 surround mix by longtime producer/engineer James Guthrie. As part of the release, an interesting series of videos of Roger discussing the album and each track have also been released.

New album, North America tour for David Gilmour

Posted by madhack on Jul 16, 2015

David Gilmour has announced a new album, Rattle That Lock, out September 18, a new single by the same name out July 17, and a small North American tour in the spring. Tickets for the concerts in Los Angeles, Toronto, Chicago, and New York City go on sale tomorrow at noon local on Ticketmaster's site; meanwhile, his official site has more information on the new material.

Tickets available for screenings of The Wall concert film

Posted by madhack on Jun 22, 2015

Tickets have gone on sale for US screenings of Roger Waters's The Wall concert film on September 29, including a post-film Q&A with Roger Waters and Nick Mason. This The Simple Facts session will feature questions submitted by fans, although it's currently unclear how the questions will be collected. The tickets are available at the Fathom Events site.

Ça Ira and the Nashville Symphony

Posted by madhack on Dec 15, 2014

On his official Facebook page, Roger Waters announced a concert performance of his opera, Ça Ira, premiering January 30. Waters himself will take part in the performance, making it an an exciting chance to see him for fans of his work with Pink Floyd or as a solo artist.

David Gilmour at Earls Court's final show

Posted by madhack on Dec 15, 2014

Bombay Bicycle Club's show this weekend—Earls Court's final concert before its scheduled demolition—featured a prestigious guest appearance in the form of David Gilmour. He joined them on lap steel for their own "Rinse Me Down" before taking lead on "Wish You Were Here".

Pink Floyd, of course, has a long history with the venue, performing Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall there, and recording the live album and video Pulse there. That would all seem to make Gilmour a great person to close out Earls Court.

Dark Side reappears on the Billboard Top 200

Posted by madhack on Dec 15, 2014

The Dark Side of the Moon, easily one of the best rock albums of all time, has returned to the Billboard Top 200 charts at #13, marking its 889th week on that chart. It joins the band's curtain call, The Endless River, which released at #3 on the same chart and now sits at #33. Dark Side also holds the record for most consecutive weeks on that chart, an indicator of the band's lasting impact and popularity.

Autographed Nick Mason drumhead for charity

Posted by madhack on Dec 9, 2014

WhyHunger, a 501(c)(3) charity organization, is auctioning off a drumhead signed by none other than Nick Mason as part of their annual Hungerthon drive. The auction ends tomorrow and, as of this writing, sits at US$1000.

In their own words, WhyHunger is a leader in the fight to end hunger and poverty, by connecting people to nutritious, affordable food and by investing in grassroots solutions that inspire self-reliance and community empowerment. On an important note this time of year when there are so many deserving charity options, they're also highly rated for managing their finances and for accountability and transparency, so even if you can't bid, please spread the word on this worthy cause and help a fellow Floyd fan get a great Christmas present in the process!

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