This Is Not a Drill

In 2017, Waters released his fourth solo album Is This the Life We Really Want?, conceived as a radio play about a man and his granddaughter investigating why children are being killed in other parts of the world.[1] Waters described the play as "part magic carpet ride, part political rant, part anguish".[2]

To promote the album, Waters embarked on the Us + Them Tour, visiting the Americas, Europe, Oceania, and Latin America between May 2017 and December 2018. A portion of the show featured extensive anti-Donald Trump imagery during the performance of Pink Floyd songs,[3] which led some attendees to boo or even walk out of the show.[4] Waters responded to the pro-Trump critics by saying, "I find it slightly surprising that anybody could have been listening to my songs for 50 years without understanding", and said to those critics if they didn't like politics in music to "go see Katy Perry or watch the Kardashians. I don't care."[5]

After finishing the tour, a film about it, called Roger Waters: Us + Them, was released. In September 2019, in an interview promoting the film, Waters talked to Rolling Stone about his plans for the future, where he first mentioned the main concept for a following tour:

It will be even more political than Us + Them was — political and humane. We were listening to songs and looking at set lists today. We were talking about, what should we call it? I shouldn't be giving this away, but I don't give a shit because it will probably all change, but imagine the iconic helicopter that normally comes before “Happiest Days” and “Brick 2” — that noise that we all know and love — and imagine a megaphone, somebody abused this device before, I know — but, “This is not a drill.” I thought that could be a good title for the show: This Is Not a Drill. The ruling class is killing us.[6]

In the same interview, Waters stated the tour would only visit arenas, with no concerts held in outdoor venues, and it would visit cities in United States, Canada, "and maybe three gigs in Mexico City. And that’s all. I can’t go off around the world, and I don’t really want to either".

During concerts, Waters makes use of the Pink Floyd pigs from the cover of Animals, which he has used on most of his tours. Pictured, a pig during The Dark Side of the Moon Live.

In January 2020, Waters officially announced the tour, named This Is Not a Drill. "This tour will be part of a global movement by people who are concerned by others to affect the change that is necessary", said Waters in a video announcing the tour. "That’s why we’re going on the road. That’s why speak to each other in pubs. That’s why this conversation should be on everybody’s lips, constantly, the whole time, because it’s super important. So I hope you’ll all come to the shows."[3] The show sees him performing in a 360° stage for the first time. Originally, the final show in the United States was due to take place on October 3, 2020, exactly one month before the 2020 presidential election.[3]

On March 27, 2020, Waters posted a statement on his website and social media, announcing the postponement of the tour to the following year due to the coronavirus pandemic outbreak, declaring that the situation was a "Bummer, but if it saves one life, it’s worth it".[7][8][9][10] In April 2021, tour dates in Canada and United States were announced to take place in 2022,[11] while the concerts in Mexico were announced later in June.[12] In a statement, it was specified that the show "includes a dozen great songs from Pink Floyd’s Golden Era alongside several new ones — words and music, same writer, same heart, same soul, same man". Waters has called This Is Not a Drill his "first farewell tour".[11] In November 2021, a new show in Monterrey, Mexico, was announced, followed by three new shows in the United States announced later in March 2022. Concerts in North America took place between July and October 2022.

Rehearsals for the tour began around June 13, 2022 in Southampton, with the first full rehearsal taking place on June 16.[13] Sean Evans, Waters' tour creative director, reprises his role for this tour, creating all visuals and stage design. To promote the tour, Waters and his band made an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on June 21, and performed a medley of songs from The Wall.[14]

At the beginning of every concert, a voiceover described by journalist James Ball as "a plummy British announcer" requests audience members to turn off their cell phones, and to "fuck off to the bar" if they like Pink Floyd but "can’t stand Roger’s politics".[15] Waters debuted a new song at the show, titled "The Bar", which was written during lockdown. [16]

In September 2022, contrary to what Waters expressed previously, the first concerts in Europe were officially announced on his website and social media, with more expected to follow. Concerts will take place between March and June 2023.[17]

The following set list was obtained from the concert held on July 6, 2022 at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.[35]

• During some concerts, part VIII of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" has been replaced with part V.

The tour debuted a new stripped down "haunting organ and vocals version" [36] of "Comfortably Numb" as the show's opener every night.

On November 17, 2022, Waters released an official recording of "Comfortably Numb 2022" with an accompanying video that was produced and directed by Sean Evans. The new version was recorded at various studios during the tour's North American leg, including Bias Studios outside of Washington DC, Electric Lady Studios in New York City, Armoury Studios in Vancouver, and Tree Sound Studios in Atlanta.[37] It was produced by Waters and Gus Seyffert.

Appearing on the track are Roger Waters (vocals), Gus Seyffert (bass, synth, percussion, vocals), Joey Waronker (drums), Dave Kilminster (vocals), Jonathan Wilson (harmonium, synth, guitar and vocals), Jon Carin (synth, vocals), Shanay Johnson (vocals), Amanda Belair (vocals), Robert Walter (organ and piano), and Nigel Godrich (strings, amp and backing vocals from Roger Waters' "The Wall Sessions").[38]

Waters explains, "Before lockdown I had been working on a demo of a new version of ‘Comfortably Numb’ as an opener to our new show 'This Is Not A Drill'. I pitched it a whole step down, in A Minor, to make it darker and arranged it with no solos, except over the outro, where there is a heartrendingly beautiful vocal solo from one of our new sisters Shanay Johnson. It’s intended as a wakeup call, and a bridge towards a kinder future with more talking to strangers, either in 'The Bar' or just 'Passing in the Street' and less slaughter 'In Some Foreign Field.'[39]

The concerts in the United States and Canada ranked #31 on Billboards Boxscore Charts, grossing $66,330,771. Those shows sold 519,362 tickets.[40]

Tour band

• Roger Waters – vocals, bass guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano
• Jon Carin – keyboards, guitar, pedal steel guitar, vocals, Marxophone
• Dave Kilminster – guitar, vocals
• Jonathan Wilson – guitar, vocals
• Gus Seyffert – bass guitar, guitar, vocals, accordion
• Joey Waronker – drums, percussion
• Amanda Belair – background vocals, percussion
• Shanay Johnson – background vocals, percussion
• Robert Walter – Hammond B3 organ, keyboards, piano, melodica
• Seamus Blake - saxophone, clarinet

Notes

• The touring band was confirmed on their appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in June.[14]
• Producer and saxophonist Ian Ritchie confirmed that while he was intended to be part of the tour, he had to step down during rehearsals due to health issues.[13]