The Bell Center lights went out around 8:30pm on Friday night as a warning to the public was read: “If you’re here because you love Pink Floyd but can’t stand Roger Waters politics, so damn go the bar again”.
A clear message that set the tone for this evening spent in the company of the former leader of the British formation (legendary) that reached its peak in the 1970s.
Roger Waters, 78, put on a concert full of old hits popularized by his group, particularly from the albums The Dark Side of the Moon (1973) and The Wall (1979), on which he also recorded his tracks played. like “The Bar”, “Déjà vu”, “The Powers That Be” and “Is This the Life We Really Want?”
From Pink Floyd, the musician performed ‘The Happiest Days of Our Lives’, ‘In the Flesh’, ‘Run Like Hell’ and the well-developed ‘Another Brick in the Wall’, undeniably among the favorites of audiences who have left their place to sing it loud and clear.
The This Is Not a Drill show has been postponed for two years due to the pandemic and has repeatedly reiterated some shocking events that have transpired over the past few years. On the huge screens that hovered over the Canadian ice, protest animations – very well illustrated – and politically and socially committed messages, which in particular denounced American politics, inaction against poverty, elitism, abortion, ultranationalism, police brutality, war and the migrant crisis , were broadcast throughout the concert.
An unconventional scene
The show started a little late — as each 10-minute, then five-minute slot was reminded of its impending launch — on “Comfortably Numb.” Clear, dark, slightly somber images slowly swept away buildings, then an army of citizens, eyes on their cellphone screens, while thunder and Gregorian chants rang out. The camera stopped at a flying pig (a nod to Orwell’s work, which will return later in the show) and at the same time the screen rose, revealing the scene.
An unconventionally shaped scene; a kind of square with four ridges on each side. The whole thing was framed by a band of red LED lights that occasionally turned green, turquoise, pink, blue, and white. However, red was predominant. The videos that aired during the songs were almost all tinged with it, except when Waters, who was more talkative during this concert, addressed the crowd or during walks, as on “Wish You Were Here.” A performance that also seemed to enjoy the audience, who sang every word very loudly.
And rather rare for the amphitheater, all of the seats for this show were unobstructed, with none blocking the view of the stage.
After the break, a flying pig (a kind of dirigible balloon) with the inscription “Steal it from the poor and give it to the rich” flew into the bell center.
Among the other hot topics the singer pointed out before the break: the abolition of abortion rights in the United States, COVID-19 and firearms.
Review Courtesy Of Ashley Cornell
Capacity 19,000+
Bell Centre , formerly known as Molson Centre , is a multi-purpose arena located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Opened on March 16, 1996, it is the home arena of the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL), replacing the Montreal Forum. It is owned by the Molson family via the team’s ownership group Groupe CH, and managed via Groupe CH subsidiary Evenko.
Since it opened in 1996, it has consistently been listed as one of the world’s busiest arenas, usually receiving the highest attendance of any arena in Canada. In 2012, it was the fifth-busiest arena in the world based on ticket sales for non-sporting events.
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