Roger Waters

Roger Waters announces 2020 "This is Not a Drill" Tour

Roger Waters has announced the 2020 “This is Not A Drill” tour which runs July 8 in Pittsburgh through October 3 in Dallas, with a NYC stop at Madison Square Garden on August 5. Tickets for MSG, and the whole tour, go on sale Friday, January 31 at 10 AM local time. All dates are listed below.

When Roger Waters released Is This the Life We Really Want back in June of 2017, it was the beginning of one of the most productive phases in an already staggering 50-year career. The record itself was a milestone; a dense, gorgeous, sometimes chaotic, scathingly laser-focused document on the current state of humanity beautifully realized with the help of a fresh, young and prodigious roster of musical talent. To support the album, and survey his career, Roger and co. embarked on an exhaustive 157-date ”US + Them” tour world tour. When I spoke with Waters early last year it was obvious that he was as energized as ever to bring his music back to the masses in a live setting, and I think a lot of that had to do with how happy he was with the musicians he had worked with in the studio and who he brought out on the road with him. I caught the tour four times, and I have to say he and the band were in absolutely top form and that those shows were the best Roger Waters shows I had ever seen.

As for what to expect, Roger is taking the unusual approach of having the shows “in the round” which, even in an arena setting, should provide a greater sense of intimacy as compared to his usual “end stage” extravaganzas. Though, end stage shows allow for a massive, technically dazzling back-drop which Roger Waters and the Pink Floyd are renowned for and what the people expect; it makes me wonder if “This Is Not a Drill” will be more focused on the music itself as opposed to an orgy of audiovisual experiences such as what he delivered during “Us + Them”. As far as what sort of setlists people can expect on the tour, Roger has been a bit withholding on that front, though he told Rolling Stone last year, “[The new tour] will be even more political than ‘Us + Them’ was — political and humane… It’ll be a new show. It will be no-holds-barred. My work is to think, ‘Well, how can I make rock & roll more interesting or theatrical or exciting or visual or musical or whatever?’ That’s what I’ve spent the last 50 years doing, expressing myself.”

On the “more political” front, keep in mind the “This is Not A Drill” tour wraps up in October of 2020, right on the doorstep of one of the most important presidential elections in US history.

Roger Waters – 2020 Tour Dates
July 8, 2020 – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena
July10, 2020 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
July14, 2020 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
July17, 2020 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
July21, 2020 – Quebec City, QC – Videotron Centre
July23, 2020 – *Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
July25, 2020 – Albany, NY – Times Union Center
July28, 2020 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
July30, 2020 – Washington, DC – Capitol One Arena
August1, 2020 – Cincinnati, OH – Heritage Bank Center
August5, 2020 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
August11, 2020 – Raleigh, NC – PNC Arena
August13, 2020 – Orlando, FL – Amway Center
August15, 2020 – Miami, FL – AmericanAirlines Arena
August18, 2020 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
August20, 2020 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena
August22, 2020 – Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum
August25, 2020 – Minneapolis, MN – Target Center
August27, 2020 – Chicago, IL – United Center
August29, 2020 – Kansas City, MO – Sprint Center
September2, 2020 – Denver, CO – Pepsi Center
September4, 2020 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena
September10, 2020 – Los Angeles, CA – STAPLES Center
September14, 2020 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
September16, 2020 – Edmonton, AB – Rogers Place
September19, 2020 – Tacoma, WA – Tacoma Dome
September21, 2020 – Portland, OR – Moda Center
September23, 2020 – Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center
September25, 2020 – San Francisco, CA – Chase Center
September30, 2020 – Salt Lake City, UT – Vivint Smart Home Arena –
October 3, 2020 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center