REVIEWS
ROGER WATERS
US + THEM
Sony Music Entertainment (2-CD, 3-LP, Blu-ray, DVD) *****
An outstanding chronicle of Roger Waters’ 2017-18 world tour, this collection presents the rock veteran and Pink Floyd legend as an artist whose songs written both several decades ago and more recently have much to say about the world today. The audio releases were recorded in June 2018 in Amsterdam. The film was shot in Amsterdam and on location in the U.K. It was directed by Sean Evans and Waters. The film includes two songs that are not part of the audio recording, “Comfortably Numb” and “Smell the Roses,” as well as the documentary-style short film A Fleeting Glimpse that has behind-the-scenes footage from the tour.
In addition to Waters on bass and lead vocals, his very talented band on the tour included Dave Kilminster (guitars), Bo Koster (keyboards), Jon Carin (keyboards and guitars), Ian Ritchie (saxophone), Guy Seyffert (guitars and bass), Jonathan Wilson (guitars and vocals) and Joey Waronker (drums). Backing vocals were supplied by Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig, the lead singers of the Los Angeles-based band Lucius.
The set is packed with highlights. “One of These Days” includes some stellar guitar work from Kilminster. “Breathe (Reprise)” has a nice vocal by Waters and a terrific performance by the band that perfectly underpins his vocal. The vocals by Wolfe and Laessig in “The Great Gig in the Sky” are absolutely spellbinding. “Welcome to the Machine” is an outstanding effort by the band that shows that there are no passengers in the ensemble. The stark political song “Picture That” is given a stunning performance. The roughness of Waters’ voice makes the version of “Wish You Were Here” in this collection even more poignant than the original studio version. “Another Brick in the Wall Part 2 and Part 3” receive searing performances here.
The long and trippy “Dogs” is a joy to listen to. The searing “Pigs (Three Different Ones)” is the standout track on the album. It features a strong vocal by Waters and very effective backing vocals by Wolfe and Laessig as well as terrific guitar work by Kilminster and great drumming from Waronker. Audio of President Trump speaking is added to the intro of the
