Shanghai awaits Roger Waters' Pink Floyd classics

By Mu Qian | China Daily | Updated: 2007-02-07 06:51

British rock legend and former Pink Floyd member Roger Waters will hold his concert at the Shanghai Grand Stage on February 12. This is the third concert by a famous Western rock band or musician in Shanghai in one year, after the Rolling Stones' last April and Eric Clapton's on January 20.

"Pink Floyd has many fans in China," said Shanghai-based music critic Sun Mengjin. "Let Chinese rock fans name the 10 most influential rock groups, and Pink Floyd will definitely be one of them."

Shanghai awaits Roger Waters' Pink Floyd classics

Roger Waters will hold his concert at the Shanghai Grand Stage on February 12.
File photo

At his concert in Shanghai, Waters will mainly perform classic Pink Floyd songs that he wrote or co-wrote, many from the albums Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall.

The Shanghai concert is the first one of Waters' Asia tour, to be followed by concerts in Hong Kong on February 15, in Mumbai, India on February 18, and in Dubai of the United Arab Emirates on February 21. The Asia tour is part of Waters' 2007 world tour, which started in Australia on January 25 and will end in Ireland on May 14.

The price of tickets to Waters' Shanghai concert ranges from 280 yuan ($36) to 1,680 yuan ($215), lower than the Rolling Stones' concert at the same venue in Shanghai, which ranged from 300 yuan ($38) to 3,000 yuan ($385).

Since Beijing's major stadiums are all under refurbishment for the 2008 Olympics, it is hard to find venues for large-scale concerts in Beijing now. This is the reason Shanghai has become the only stop in China for the Rolling Stones, Clapton and Waters.

According to the Beijing-based Star Daily, many rock musicians from Beijing, including Cui Jian and Second-hand Roses' lead singer Liang Long, have booked their tickets and will attend Waters' concert in Shanghai.

Waters was a primary creative force in Pink Floyd from 1965 to 1983, playing bass and singing. He wrote all the lyrics and some of the music of The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), a commercial breakthrough that became one of the most successful albums in rock history. He also wrote most songs in The Wall (1979).

Following the release of The Final Cut in 1983, Pink Floyd broke up and its members launched solo careers. In July 2005, Waters reunited with David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Rick Wright for a one-off Pink Floyd performance at the Live 8 benefit concert in London's Hyde Park.

In October 2005, Waters released the CD of Ca Ira, an opera set during the French Revolution, on which he spent more than 10 years.

(China Daily 02/07/2007 page18)