Roger Watersco-founder of Pink Floyd, is the subject of an unusual investigation by the German police for hate speech, after showing up at a show in Berlin on May 17 wearing the famous Neo-Nazi-style military suit immortalized in live concerts of the legendary 1979 rock opera “The wall” and in its 1982 film version.
The musician who will perform at the River Plate on November 21 and 22 and will set the historic record of 11 shows at the Monumental has completed his farewell tour in Germany entitled This is not a drillwhich began on July 6 of last year and which will take her to Buenos Aires by the end of the year.
“Clothes worn on stage risk exalting or justifying the National Socialist regime and disturbing public order. The clothing resembles that of an SS officer“, Martin Halweg, spokesman for the Berlin security forces, explained to the news agency AFP extensionin reference to the black coat with red bracelet worn by the artist and the paramilitary organization that operated during the Nazism.
This is part of the iconography created by Waters and illustrator Gerald Scarfe for the release of “The Wall”, one of the most recognized concept albums in history which follows the story of Pink, a fictional rock star who locks himself away every time more between imaginary “walls” due to his traumas and the lack of humanity of the system and society, a character based on the personal experiences of the musician and Syd Barrett, the deceased first leader of the group.
THE Nazi-inspired aestheticsfrom military insignia to animated hordes of marching red and black hammers, are born when the protagonist, on the verge of self-destruction and drugged to get on stage, is the victim of a hallucination in which he transforms himself into a fascist dictator who attacks against ethnic minorities as a symbol of the step towards madness.
The album and its images alluding to various forms of oppression were brought to the big screen three years later by Alan Parker and with Irishman Bob Geldof – later known for organizing charity concerts such as Live Aid – in role of Pink, and have since defined Waters’ live performances of the album, perhaps the most important of which was also held in Berlin in 1990on the occasion of the fall of the wall that divided it in the framework of the Cold War.
Now, the musician is under the eyes of the police after the show he performed at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in that capital, where, according to German and Israeli media, based on the contents of social networks, he would have projected writings in red letters on a screen with the names of Anne Frank and Shireen Abu Akleh, the Palestinian-American journalist of the Al Jazeera channel killed during an operation by the forces of the State of Israel in May last year.
“We are investigating and, once the procedure is concluded, we will send it to the Public Prosecutor for a final legal evaluation”, said Halweg, who specified that the prosecutor will decide whether to open a judicial proceeding against the composer and bassist.
Waters, who openly supports Palestine in the conflict with Israel and who has more recently criticized NATO’s alleged influence in the war between Ukraine and Russia, has been severely targeted by the Israeli Foreign Ministry, which has reproached him “for having soiled the memory of Anne Frank and the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust”.
For his part, that country’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, spoke on his Twitter account and wrote that “Waters wants to compare Israel to the Nazis”, and that he is “one of the greatest detractors of the Jews of our time “.
Following what happened, the Frankfurt city authorities canceled a concert that the artist had planned for this May 28, although the presentation will finally take place because the decision was overturned by an administrative court which interpreted that the ban violates freedom of expression.
How is the show “This is not a drill”?
The shows on the This Is Not a Drill tour have been called “some of the most gripping, imaginative, well-executed examples of stadium rock you’ll ever see”, according to The Times.
It is conceived as a highly conceptual show from start to finish, where songs from Pink Floyd’s emblematic albums (The Wall, Dark Side of the Moon, Animals and Wish You Were Here) are combined with more recent songs from his solo career , including their most recent single, The Bar, released last year.
The set list includes 20 Pink Floyd songs such as Another Brick In The Wall part 2, Wish You Were Here, Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Us & Them and Comfortably Numb.
The live performance is simply impressive. It includes gigantic projections accompanying various themes raised by the music, resulting in a show true to the spirit behind the entire career of this musician, composer and lyricist who has always been involved in the circumstances of his time.
Waters sings, plays guitar, bass and piano. He will be joined by Jonathan Wilson on guitar and vocals, Dave Kilminster on guitar and vocals, Jon Carin on keyboards, guitar and vocals, Gus Seyffert on bass and vocals, Robert Walter on keyboards, Joey Waronker on drums, Amanda Belair on vocals , and Seamus Blake on sax.
The concerts on November 21 and 22 at the River will be the last chance to see him live in Argentina.
Source: Clarin
