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Live 8 was a string of benefit concerts that took place on 2 July 2005, in the G8 states and in South Africa. They were timed to precede the G8 conference and summit held at the Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder, Scotland from 6–8 July 2005; they also coincided with the 20th anniversary of Live Aid. Run in support of the aims of the UK's Make Poverty History campaign and the Global Call for Action Against Poverty, ten simultaneous concerts were held on 2 July and one on 6 July. On 7 July, the G8 leaders pledged to double 2004 levels of aid to poor nations from US$25 billion to US$50 billion by the year 2010. Half of the money was to go to Africa.

More than 1,000 musicians performed at the concerts, which were broadcast on 182 television networks and 2,000 radio networks.^[1]

Live Aid and Band Aid organiser Bob Geldof announced the event on 31 May. Many former Live Aid acts offered their services to the cause. Prior to the official announcement of the event, many news sources (see e.g.^[2][3]) referred to the event as Live Aid 2. However, Geldof and co-organiser Midge Ure have since explicitly said they don't think of the event as the same as Live Aid. Geldof said "This is not Live Aid 2. These concerts are the start point for The Long Walk To Justice, the one way we can all make our voices heard in unison.".^[4] Many of the Live 8 backers were also involved in the largely forgotten NetAid concerts, including Executive Producer Jeff Pollack.

Organizers of Live 8 presented the "Live 8 List" to the world leaders at the Live 8 call that politicians take action to "Make Poverty History".^[5] Names from the list also appeared on the giant televisions at each concert during the broadcast.

An official Live 8 DVD set was released on 7 November 2005 internationally, 8 November 2005 in the United States. It was released almost a year to the day after the release of the DVD of Live Aid on 8 November 2004.

Concerts[link]

Live 8 concerts and line-ups
2 July 2005 Hyde Park, London Château de Versailles, near Paris Siegessäule, Berlin Circus Maximus, Rome Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia Park Place, Barrie Makuhari Messe, Chiba Mary Fitzgerald Square, Johannesburg Red Square, Moscow "Africa Calling", Eden Project 6 July 2005 "Edinburgh 50,000 – The Final Push"

There were ten concerts held on 2 July 2005, most of them simultaneously. The first to begin was held at the Makuhari Messe in Japan, with Rize being the first of all the Live 8 performers. During the opening of the Philadelphia concert, Will Smith led the combined audiences of London, Philadelphia, Berlin, Rome, Paris and Barrie (outside Toronto) in a synchronised finger click. This was to represent the death of a child every three seconds, due to poverty.

Bob Geldof was at the event at Hyde Park in London, England and made numerous appearances on stage, including a performance of "I Don't Like Mondays". Special guests appeared throughout the concerts. Both Kofi Annan, then Secretary-General of the United Nations, and Bill Gates made speeches at the London show and Nelson Mandela addressed the crowd in the South African venue. Guest presenters, ranging from sports stars to comedians, also introduced acts.

Included in the line-up were Pink Floyd, reunited with former bassist/lyricist Roger Waters for the first time in over 24 years. The complete foursome had not performed together since a show at Earls Court in London on 17 June 1981. With the death of keyboardist Richard Wright in 2008, Live 8 became the final time the four members of the band's classic line-up of the late 1960s and 1970s performed together.

The final event was held in Edinburgh, Scotland on 6 July 2005 and went by the name Edinburgh 50,000 - The Final Push. It featured further performances from some of the artists from the other concerts, and was the closest of the eleven to the actual location of the G8 summit.

It was also said that Live 8 organizers had planned to have the US show in New York's Central Park. However, due to the work of Larry Magid, Geldolf and others were convinced to return to Philadelphia, the U.S. home of Live Aid 20 years earlier. Over 700,000 people turned out to the Ben Franklin Parkway to experience the show.

Key events[link]

The Live 8 concert in the Tiergarten, Berlin. On stage is a-ha

The Live 8 concert in Rome, Italy

• 31 May 2005: Official announcement of Live 8 concerts by Bob Geldof.

• 1 June 2005: Geldof calls for a million people to descend upon Edinburgh in a "Long Walk to Justice", on 6 July, the first day of the G8 summit at Gleneagles. Geldof is immediately criticised by Lothian and Borders Police chief constable Ian Dickenson for encouraging such a large crowd to assemble in Edinburgh with such little notice and no consultation with local authorities about how to accommodate so many people.

• 3 June 2005: British Chancellor Gordon Brown announces that VAT will be waived on the cost of the London concert. He estimates that this will save the organisers £500,000.^[6] He also supported Geldof's call for a peaceful protest rally in Scotland.

• 6 June 2005: Text lottery launches in the UK for tickets for the London concert. 1.5 million text messages are received in the first day.

• 7 June 2005: Midge Ure announces a concert to be held in Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, Scotland on 6 July as the climax to the proposed rally.

• 11 June 2005: G8 finance ministers agree to cancel the debt owed by 18 of the poorest countries.

• 14 June 2005: eBay announces that they will block the selling-on of tickets after Geldof calls on the public to rally against the internet auction site.

• 15 June 2005: Peter Gabriel announces he will organise a sixth simultaneous Live 8 concert dubbed "Africa Calling" featuring all African artists, to counter criticisms that most performers announced to date are white. The event is to be held in Cornwall, southwest England, on 2 July. Senegalese musician Youssou N'Dour will host the event, which will also feature performances by African performers Maryam Mursal, Salif Keita and Thomas Mapfumo.^[7]

• 16 June 2005: Geldof announces three more concerts for 2 July, to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa; Makuhari Messe, Japan; and Sudbury, Canada.

• 17 June 2005: The Live 8 List, a petition to the G8 leaders, launches.

• 21 June 2005: "Live 8 Canada" announced. Acts include Bryan Adams, Barenaked Ladies, and more. The event will be hosted by comedians Dan Aykroyd and Tom Green

• 21 June 2005: Damon Albarn, who recently criticised Live 8 for the lack of African artists, is now reportedly happy about Live 8 now that they have addressed his criticism. He told a reporter: "I have said certain things in relation to the density of African performers... In some way that's been addressed and that's really good... Live 8 will make a difference – it's already created a debate that we're all involved in.".^[8] Albarn's band Blur was originally a part of the Live 8 line-up, but withdrew after complaining of the event being too "Anglo-Saxon".

• 22 June 2005: In the United States, MTV, MTV2, mtvU, and VH1 all confirm that they will broadcast Live 8 starting at Noon ET. Country Music Television and VH1 Classic will show highlights on 3 July in favour of their viewers' genres.

• 23 June 2005: All 35,000 tickets for Canadian show are taken within 20 minutes of being made available online.^[9]

• 24 June 2005: Live 8 Japan and South Africa announced. Acts in Japan concert include Do As Infinity, Björk, Good Charlotte, while acts in Johannesburg concert include African stars such as 4Peace Ensemble and Oumou Sangare.

• 28 June 2005: ABC say they will broadcast a two-hour highlights event at 8 p.m. ET on 2 July in prime time.

• 2 July 2005: Live 8 Russia, in Moscow's Red Square, announced.^{[citation needed]} Acts include Pet Shop Boys, The Red Elvises and Bravo.

• 2 July 2005: AOL Music begins broadcasting streams from each city live and on-demand at AOLmusic.com.^[10]

• 2 July 2005: The march against poverty in Edinburgh starts and continues mostly peacefully, with an estimate of 200,000 people involved with the march. Main concerts start.

• 3 July 2005: Sail 8 flops.

• 6 July 2005: Edinburgh 50,000 - The Final Push concert in Edinburgh takes place.

• 8 July 2005: The G8 summit ends. Leaders pledge to increase aid to developing countries by US$50 billion overall by 2010, including an increase of US$25 billion in aid for Africa.

• 8 July 2005: Bob Geldof thanks the G8 for meeting the Live 8 goal.

• 25 October 2005: Official Live 8 Africa Calling at the Eden Project DVD releases.

• 7 November 2005: Official Live 8 DVD releases internationally.

• 8 November 2005: Official Live 8 DVD releases in North America.

• 2 July 2006: MTV Networks, CTV and BBC One broadcast Live 8: What a Difference a Day Makes special to celebrate the one year anniversary of the show.

Tickets[link]

Although the concerts were free, 66,500 pairs of tickets for the Hyde Park concert were allocated from 13 to 15 June 2005, to winners of a mobile phone text message competition that began on Monday, 6 June 2005. Entry involved sending the answer to a multiple choice question via a text message costing £1.50. Winners were drawn at random from those correctly answering the question. Over two million messages were sent during the competition, raising £3m. Thus entrants had a roughly one-in-28 chance of winning a pair of tickets. The first £1.6m raised is to be given to the Prince's Trust, who in turn will donate to the Help A London Child charity. The Prince's Trust usually host the Party in the Park concert in Hyde Park in July, a major source of British pride. That event was shoved aside in 2005 to make way for Live 8. The £1.6m donation will act as a quid pro quo. Funds raised beyond the £1.6m "will go to pay for the costs of Live 8, as it is a free event", according to the Live 8 website. When challenged on how a free event could cost anything, Live 8 organizers made their steady exit.

Some ticket-winners immediately placed their tickets for sale on the Internet auction site eBay, and were heavily criticised by the organisers of the event, including Bob Geldof. Initially, eBay defended its decision to allow the auctions to go ahead, stating that there were no laws against their sale. It also promised to make a donation to Live 8 that would be "at least equal to any fees" it would be making for such sales. Many people, angered by others seemingly using Live 8 to make money, placed fake bids for millions of pounds for such auctions in an attempt to force the sellers to take them off sale. It was later announced that eBay, under pressure from the British government, the public, as well as Geldof himself, would withdraw all auctions of the tickets.

Similar touting situations arose for the Edinburgh and Canadian shows, and eBay halted sales of those tickets as well. In fact, the 35,000 free tickets for the Canadian show were all distributed in just 20 minutes on 23 June 2005, Ticketmaster reported.^[1]

Memorable moments from the concerts[link]

Hyde Park, London[link]

Madonna performing at the Live 8 benefit concert (2005)

• The classic line-up of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd (Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Richard Wright and Nick Mason) played together on stage for the first time in 24 years. The band performed the songs "Speak to Me", "Breathe / Breathe (Reprise)", "Money", "Wish You Were Here" and "Comfortably Numb". They were the only band not to be verbally introduced; instead the house and stage lights were darkened while the introduction to "Speak To Me" was played, accompanied, on the video screens, by an animated version of the heart monitor graphic from The Dark Side of the Moon sleeve.

• Pete Doherty joined Elton John for a version of T.Rex's hit "Children of the Revolution". Doherty showed up on the stage evidently drunk and perhaps under the influence of drugs.^{[citation needed]}

• Using much of the musical equipment used by rock band Travis, who had just left the stage, Bob Geldof decided on the "spur of the moment" to perform The Boomtown Rats' hit "I Don't Like Mondays".

• Before Madonna's set, Geldof introduced Birhan Woldu, who was the famous starving child in the CBC News report which prompted Geldof to organise Live Aid. She held hands with Madonna while the singer performed the first verses of "Like a Prayer". Geldof had asked Woldu whom she wanted to appear on stage with, with Woldu choosing Madonna as she the only artist she'd heard of.
• Chris Martin included a verse of "Rockin' All Over the World" from Status Quo (originally written and recorded by John Fogerty) in the bridge of Coldplay's song "In My Place". Status Quo had opened the 1985 Wembley Live Aid concert with that song. In addition, Coldplay were joined by Richard Ashcroft (declared by Martin to be 'the best singer in the world') to perform "Bitter Sweet Symphony".

• U2 and Paul McCartney opened the London concert, playing "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". Later, Bono added a couple of lines of The Beatles' "Blackbird" to the end of "Beautiful Day".

• Robbie Williams began his set with a cover of Queen's "We Will Rock You". Williams stated in an interview that he "wanted to bring a bit of Freddie back from the original Live Aid."

Philadelphia, USA[link]

• Almost the entire crowd joined in to sing the theme song to "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" led by Will Smith during his appearance at the concert.

• Philadelphia's Mayor, John Street, announced on stage that there were over 1 million spectators in the audience.

• The closing act, Stevie Wonder, was joined on stage by Matchbox Twenty front man Rob Thomas and Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine. Thomas dueted with him on "Higher Ground" and Levine on "Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours". During Wonder's performance, American Idol judge Paula Abdul can be seen dancing off stage right, next to concert volunteer nurse Bob Arndts.^[11]

Barrie, Canada[link]

Deep Purple made an appearance and performed "Highway Star", "Smoke on the Water" and "Hush". The Tragically Hip played a set, just before Neil Young finished off Live 8 in Barrie with "4 Strong Winds", "Rockin' in the Free World" and "O'Canada".

Berlin, Germany[link]

Some of the highlights of the Berlin show included Brian Wilson who played a strong set with his band, doing Our Prayer/Gee, God Only Knows, California Girls, Good Vibrations, Die Toten Hosen and Fun Fun Fun.

Rally and protest in Edinburgh[link]

On 2 July, the same day as the Live 8 concerts, a rally and protest march was held in central Edinburgh, the nearest major city to the Gleneagles venue for the G8 conference later that week. This protest was organised by the Make Poverty History coalition as part of a series of events ahead of the G8 conference, and had been planned for months before the announcement of Live 8.

An estimated total of 225,000 people took part, making it the largest ever protest in Scotland and the largest ever anti-poverty protest in the UK.

The marchers had been asked to wear white to make a symbolic ring of white through the city, matching the Make Poverty History white wristband. Marchers were addressed by coalition and other activists, celebrities and religious leaders who support the campaign for political action on world poverty.

Criticism[link]

A lack of black presence[link]

Damon Albarn criticised the event for a lack of black presence, saying that "This country [the UK] is incredibly diverse," he said. "More than ever, black culture is an integral part of society. So why is the bill so damn Anglo-Saxon?". Albarn reportedly eventually became happy about Live 8, feeling that his criticisms had been addressed. He told a reporter on 21 June:

Youssou N'Dour, one of only two African-born performers, with Dido in Hyde Park, London

A Live 8 spokesman said that a number of black performers had been approached to participate and that the event would feature a "large urban element", and pointed to the number of artists of African descent like Ms. Dynamite and Mariah Carey (whose father was of African-South American descent). However, only two Africa-born artists, one black and one white, were signed to perform at the main concerts—respectively Youssou N'Dour (Senegal) and Dave Matthews (South Africa), the leader of Dave Matthews Band. Bob Geldof originally said that this was because he had aimed for the biggest-selling, most popular artists to ensure a large television audience; but critics noted that even if this was acceptable as the sole criterion for inclusion, some of the minor white artists signed up were substantially less well-known than some major African artists. Geldof has been accused of compounding the original error by announcing an entirely African line-up ("Africa Calling") at a concert to be held at the Eden Project in Cornwall, England on the same day as the main Live 8 concerts.^[12]

Artists' careers[link]

As with many charity events before it, Live 8 has come in for some criticism in the media. Some of these criticisms are not specific to Live 8 but representative of a particular point of view concerning western attitudes towards Africa. However, some critics such as TV and radio presenter Andy Kershaw directed criticisms at Geldof himself and the motives for Live 8:

Geldof is criticised for using Africa as "a catwalk" which is more about reviving the careers of ageing rock stars than about helping the poor in Africa. For example, some fans and music critics feel that some of the line-ups, such as that in Sudbury, are not only largely ethnically homogeneous but not likely to connect with, or speak to, younger fans.^[14]

Many^[who?] believed that it was hypocrisy that many of the performing artists had tens (if not hundreds) of millions of dollars of "spare cash" lying in their bank accounts while wanting to "Make Poverty History". Counter-critics^[who?], however, point out that these celebrities are still not rich enough to be able to cancel the debts of nations. Damon Albarn also suggested that the performers' record labels should pay "a tariff" as the accompanying publicity would increase future record sales and hence their profits. Live 8, it is important to note, is not a charity event. Indeed, public figures and media have since called on the artists and their record labels to donate the profits of increased sales that followed appearance at the event.^[15] Certain artists have undertaken such action on their own initiative: David Gilmour, for example, announced that he would donate the profits of increased sales in Pink Floyd's Echoes album to charity, stating:

More criticism has been levelled at some of the performers based on what they took home for participating in the Philadelphia concert. While they received no monetary compensation, some were given gift bags containing lavish gifts and designer goodies – including Gibson guitars and Hugo Boss suits – valued at approximately $3000.^[16]

Swearing and censorship[link]

Despite the show being broadcast before the watershed in many countries, there was no attempt at censorship. The BBC later apologised^[17] for not censoring performances such as Madonna's, where she asked the audience, "Are you fucking ready, London?" (she apologised shortly afterwards), and Snoop Dogg's performance, which contained a cornucopia of cursing. Madonna also swore repeatedly during her final song, "Music".^[17] Razorlight, Green Day (link-up with Live 8 Berlin), U2 and Velvet Revolver were also condemned for using strong language before the UK watershed. Performances by Robbie Williams, Pink Floyd and The Who also featured strong language, though all three appeared after the UK 9:00 pm watershed.

In the official DVD release of the concerts, Madonna's pre-song cursing was not included while her in-song cursing was. On the other hand, almost half of Snoop Dogg's performance was not made available. Robbie Williams' as well as Midge Ure's cursing comments remain from the Edinburgh concert. In the United States, MTV censored swear words from the performances it broadcast, except for the word "bullshit" as part of the lyrics to Pink Floyd's "Money". ABC drew criticism when it aired a highlights special of The Who's performance of "Who Are You" (ironically the theme song to a series airing on a rival network) without censorship of the lyric, "Who the fuck are you?"; however, the song "has been aired countless times in its unedited form on radio stations across the nation since its release in 1978."^[18]

Live 8 as public relations[link]

Critics claim the events can be best viewed as a PR campaign for G8 leaders and multinational corporations, due to the disparity between the rhetoric of the events and the actual efforts made after the events in reducing poverty.^[19]

Furthermore, the Live 8 concert's timing, coinciding with the long planned Make Poverty History march in Edinburgh, drew criticism from organisers of the march. Benedict Southworth of Make Poverty History claimed that the timing of the concert on the same day of the march diluted the political message and had the effect of leading the media to cover the concert rather than the march. He says ‘What should have been a political concert was very much kind of watered down and frittered away by the way the media covered it.’

Other[link]

Although the concerts in London and Philadelphia had the biggest stars lining up, both concerts are currently not available in their original, full version. Several artists' performances were cut to one or two songs, including Bon Jovi and Dido.

MTV and VH1 were criticised for cutting to commercials while bands were still performing, specifically Pink Floyd (during the guitar solo for "Comfortably Numb") and The Who right before Roger Daltrey's famous scream in "Won't Get Fooled Again". Criticism was also aimed at MTV and VH1 for focusing too much on ill-informed VJs and not enough on the music. VJs were frequently talking over the music, discussing how great it was to be hearing a particular song or seeing a particular band, rather than letting the performances speak for themselves. In some instances, VJs referred to the event as "Live 8 2005" or even "Live Aid 8" proving that they had little or no knowledge of the cause going into the event. Very few of Live 8's songs were played in full by MTV and almost none of them were broadcast live, leading some to say that MTV may have covered the event but it did not broadcast it. The following weekend, MTV and VH1 broadcast six hours of a commercial-free special devoted to Live 8 showing full performances in response to the heavy criticism. As a possible result of the criticism, neither MTV nor VH1 broadcast (or even covered) the Live Earth concerts in 2007.

Another criticism was at the London round, alcohol was barely available to concertgoers, while being made available to the VIPs.

In the weeks leading up to Live 8, the British tabloid Daily Mirror began a petition, garnering support for British rock legends Status Quo. Originally offered a 6 pm slot, the Quo already had commitments in Ireland and therefore it requested an earlier slot. The Mirror's petition, titled "No Quo, No Show", was backed by thousands though eventually nothing came of it. One proposed rationale behind this was a rumour that Geldof was angered at the Quo's reference to there being "a lot of drugs" at Live Aid in 1985.

The Spice Girls were rumoured to be coming back for their first appearance together since 1998. All across the UK, rumors began to circulate causing a frenzy with both fans and critics alike. The Spice Girls did intend to perform together at Live 8; however, Geldof decided that they would only be accepted in the event if all five members were in attendance. ^[20] Due to contractual commitments in Los Angeles, spice girl Melanie Brown could not attend Live 8, so none of the girls sung on stage.

British comedian Peter Kay played a trick on Spice Girls fans in the audience, while he was introducing one of the acts. After several minutes of build-up, he introduced the Spice Girls, to cheers from the crowd, before looking backstage, supposedly confused as to whom he was introducing: "The what? The who?" He then turned back to the crowd with a smile on his face and introduced The Who.

Alternative rock band Green Day received some minor criticism for the politically charged lyrics used in the song "Holiday". Some viewers felt that the word choice caused unnecessary division in the audience and did too much to shift the focus off of ending poverty.

Oasis also declined to participate in the concerts as they were performing at the City of Manchester Stadium the same evening and the day after. Noel Gallagher later raised his resentment that musicians were expected to rally at the convenience of Geldof, and was quoted as saying "It's the general thing that rock stars should be doing something to fucking sort [the worldwide poverty issue] out. And it's like, 'Well, all right, that's what Bono and Chris Martin are for.'" He was later quoted as saying "I don't like the way that somebody suddenly decides that all the bands in England are going to fucking play and everybody jumps to attention". Later, Gallagher became one of the more vocal sceptics about the impact of Live 8, citing his belief that rock stars are not as influencing over world leaders as popular culture may believe.

The Backstreet Boys were one of the first artists offered to perform at the events but they declined as they would be performing overseas as part of their Never Gone Tour on the same dates as the events.

Legacy[link]

On 2 July 2006, BBC One, CTV and MTV broadcast Live 8: What a Difference a Day Makes. In the UK, the special was 60 minutes as compared to the U.S. version on MTV running at 90 minutes. The special was aired on MTV at 7:30 am Eastern time, giving nearly no chance for viewers to be made aware of the broadcast. Instead of airing the special late at night, MTV aired their normal broadcasting schedule for Sundays, again adding to the criticism of MTV's lack of interest in Live 8.

In a report issued in June 2006 the G8 have reportedly not lived up to their promises set in 2005. According to DATA, the U.S. has increased its development-assistance pledges but is increasingly off-track in meeting them and, in general, the G8 is moving slowly in the effort to meet its promises.^[21]

Some consider Live 8 to be a success, including Bob Geldof himself. However, others believe it was a publicity stunt and a failure as the G8 have already forgotten their pledges.^[22] Geldof also believes that public attention was quickly diverted by the London bombings on 7 July, the day after Live 8 Edinburgh which was the final concert in the series.

See also[link]

• Sail 8
• Live 8 broadcasters
• List of Live 8 artists
• Live Aid
• Live Earth
• Philadelphia Freedom Concert, in the same US location two days later

References[link]

This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (October 2007)

Further reading[link]

This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. Please improve this article by removing excessive or inappropriate external links, and converting useful links where appropriate into footnote references. (November 2011)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Live 8

	Wikinews has news coverage of Live 8:
Live 8 concerts around the world to "End Poverty Now" EBay UK bans sale of Live 8 tickets, rest of world unaffected Live 8 concert plans announced Over 1.5 m apply for British Live 8 tickets MTV and VH1 to broadcast Live 8

• Live 8 official website.
• Hello World, the Official Live 8 book, Paul Vallely, Century books, 2005
• Live 8 unofficial website. www.thelive8concert.com
• Sign the Live 8 petition to Make Poverty History
• Live 8 Philadelphia exclusive website.
• Bob Geldof and Live 8 on Indymedia.
• Live 8 global concerts under way from BBC News, 2 July 2005.
• Thousands flock to poverty march from BBC News, 2 July 2005.
• Geldof unveils Live 8 show plans from BBC News, 31 May 2005.
• Guardian Unlimited – Special Report: Live 8 ongoing coverage
• "The organiser of Live 8 discusses his efforts to fight poverty, his relationship with Bono and his critics." Brian Braiker, Newsweek
• View pictures of Live 8
• Live 8 Philly Concert 360 degree panorama
• Live 8 Berlin Concert 360 degree panorama
• Mike McCartney's Live 8 Book Launch
• Live 8 Review

Look up live in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Live may refer to:

• Alive
• Living
• Life
• Live birth
• Live vaccine
• Live wire (electricity)

Arts[link]

• Live Art (art form)
• Live coding
• Live music (concert)
• Live album
• List of albums titled Live
• Live (band), an alternative rock band
• "Live", a song written by Emitt Rhodes, that was a hit for his band The Merry-Go-Round, and was later covered by The Bangles.
• Live Aid, a multi-venue rock music concert held on July 13, 1985
• Live 8, a series of benefit concerts that took place in July 2005, in the G8 nations and South Africa
• Live Earth
• Live (Corneille album)
• Live (Eurythmics video)
• Live (Shania Twain DVD)
• Live (Alison Krauss & Union Station album)
• Live! (2007 film) a movie by Bill Guttentag
• Live (an album by Peatbog Faeries)
• Recorded live track

Media[link]

• Live television
• Live radio
• Live action, cinematography not produced using animation
• Live with Regis and Kelly, a syndicated American television talk show
• BBC Radio 5 Live, the BBC's radio service providing live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries
• CILV-FM, branded LiVE 88.5, a radio station in Ottawa, Canada

Information and Communication Technologies[link]

• Windows Live, the collective brand name for a group of Microsoft services currently under development
• Microsoft Office Live, an Internet-based software service
• Live Search, The search engine previously known as MSN from Microsoft
• Xbox Live, online gaming service for Microsoft's Xbox and Xbox 360 video game consoles
• YouTube Live, online annual live streaming event broadcasted by YouTube
• Ableton Live, a software music sequencer
• Live CD, also known as a Live Distro, Live DVD, Live OS or Live System: an operating system that can boot and run from a read-only medium (such as a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM) instead of a hard disk drive
• Live USB, a live operating system that runs off a USB flash drive

Other uses[link]

• Live fire exercise, an exercise (often military in nature) conducted under realistic conditions, or using real ammunition

See also[link]

• List of albums titled Live
• Live! (disambiguation)
• Lives (disambiguation)

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Roger Waters
Roger Waters in The O2 Arena (London) in 2008
Background information
Birth name	George Roger Waters
Born	(1943-09-06) 6 September 1943 (age 68) Great Bookham, Surrey, England, United Kingdom
Genres	Progressive rock, psychedelic rock, art rock, hard rock, opera
Occupations	Musician, songwriter, composer, producer
Instruments	Bass guitar, vocals, guitar, synthesiser, clarinet, trumpet
Years active	Since 1964
Labels	Capitol, Columbia, Sony, Harvest
Associated acts	Pink Floyd, The Bleeding Heart Band, Sigma 6
Website	roger-waters.com
Notable instruments
Fender Precision Bass Rickenbacker 4001 Martin acoustic guitars

George Roger Waters (born 6 September 1943) is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. He was a founder member of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd, serving as bassist and co-lead vocalist. Following the departure of bandmate Syd Barrett in 1968, Waters became the band's lyricist, principal songwriter and conceptual leader. The band subsequently achieved worldwide success in the 1970s with the concept albums The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals and The Wall. Although Waters' primary instrument in Pink Floyd was the bass guitar, he also experimented with synthesisers and tape loops and played rhythm guitars in recordings and in concerts. Amid creative differences within the group, Waters left Pink Floyd in 1985 and began a legal battle with the remaining members over their future use of the group's name and material. The dispute was settled out of court in 1987, and nearly eighteen years passed before he performed with Pink Floyd again. It is estimated that as of 2010, the group have sold over 200 million albums worldwide, including 74.5 million units sold in the United States.

Waters' solo career includes three studio albums: The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking (1984), Radio K.A.O.S. (1987) and Amused to Death (1992). In 1986, he contributed songs and a score to the soundtrack of the animated movie When the Wind Blows based on the Raymond Briggs' book of the same name. In 1990, he staged one of the largest and most elaborate rock concerts in history, The Wall – Live in Berlin, with an official attendance of 200,000. In 1996, he was inducted into the US and the UK Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Pink Floyd. He has toured extensively as a solo act since 1999 and played The Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety for his world tours of 2006–2008. In 2005, he released Ça Ira, an opera in three acts translated from Étienne and Nadine Roda-Gils' libretto based on the early French Revolution. On 2 July 2005, he reunited with Pink Floyd bandmates Nick Mason, Richard Wright and David Gilmour for the Live 8 global awareness event; it was the group's first appearance with Waters in 24 years.

In 2010, he began The Wall Live, a worldwide tour that features a complete performance of The Wall. During this tour, at The O2 Arena in London on 12 May 2011, Gilmour and Mason once again appeared with Waters, Gilmour performing "Comfortably Numb", and Gilmour and Mason joining Waters for "Outside the Wall".

He has been married four times and has three children. In 2004 he became engaged to actress and filmmaker Laurie Durning; the pair married in 2012.

Early years (1943–1964)[link]

George Roger Waters was born on 6 September 1943, the younger of two boys,^[1] to Mary and Eric Fletcher Waters, in Great Bookham, Surrey.^[2] His father, the son of a coal miner and Labour Party activist, was a schoolteacher, a devout Christian, and a Communist Party member.^[3] In the early years of the Second World War, his father was a conscientious objector who drove an ambulance during the Blitz.^[3] He later changed his stance on pacifism and joined the British Army, and as an officer of the 8th Royal Fusiliers was killed at Anzio in Italy, declared missing or presumed dead on 18 February 1944,^[4] when Roger was five months old.^[5] Following her husband's death, Mary, also a teacher, moved with her two sons to Cambridge, and raised them there.^[6] His earliest memory is of the VJ Day celebrations.^[7] Mary died in 2009 at the age of 96.

Waters attended Morley Memorial Junior School in Cambridge, and later the Cambridgeshire High School for Boys (now Hills Road Sixth Form College) with Roger Barrett (later to be known as Syd),^[8] while his future musical partner, David Gilmour, lived nearby on the city's Mill Road, and attended The Perse School.^[9] At 15 Waters was chairman of the Cambridge Youth Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (YCND),^[10] having designed its publicity poster and participated in its organisation.^[11] Though he was a keen sportsman and a highly regarded member of the high school's cricket and rugby teams,^[12] his educational experience was lacking; according to Waters, "I hated every second of it, apart from games. The regime at school was a very oppressive one ... the same kids who are susceptible to bullying by other kids are also susceptible to bullying by the teachers."^[13] Whereas Waters knew Barrett and Gilmour from his youth in Cambridge, he met future Pink Floyd founder members Nick Mason and Richard Wright in London at the Regent Street Polytechnic (later the University of Westminster) school of architecture, where he enrolled in 1962,^[1] after a series of aptitude tests indicated he was well-suited to that field, though he had initially considered a career in mechanical engineering.^[14]

Subsequent personal life[link]

In 1969, Waters married his childhood girlfriend and "girl next door"^[7] Judy Trim, a successful potter; she was shown on the gatefold sleeve of the original release of Ummagumma, but excised from subsequent CD reissues.^[15] They had no children together and were divorced in 1975.^[2] She later remarried; and died on 9 January 2001.^[16] In 1976 he married Lady Carolyne Christie,^[2] the niece of the Marquess of Zetland. His marriage to Christie produced a son, Harry Waters, a musician who has played keyboards with his father's touring band since 2006,^[17] and a daughter, the model India Waters.^[18] Through Harry, he has grandchildren.^[7] Christie and Waters were divorced in 1992.^[2] In 1993 he married Priscilla Phillips;^[19] their marriage ended in 2001. In 2004 he became engaged to actress and filmmaker Laurie Durning, and the two wed on 14 January 2012.^[20]

Pink Floyd (1965–1985)[link]

Pink Floyd portal

Formation and Barrett-led period[link]

Waters performing with Pink Floyd at Leeds University in 1970

By September 1963, Waters and Mason were losing interest in their studies^[21] and they moved into the lower flat of Stanhope Gardens, owned by Mike Leonard, a part-time tutor at the Regent Street Polytechnic.^[22] Waters, Mason and Wright first played music together in the autumn of 1963,^[23] in a group formed by vocalist Keith Noble and bassist Clive Metcalfe.^[24] The group usually called themselves Sigma 6, but they also used the name the Meggadeaths.^[11] Waters played rhythm guitar and Mason played drums, Wright played on any keyboard he could arrange to use,^[25] and Noble's sister Sheilagh provided an occasional vocal accompaniment.^[23] In the early years the band performed during private functions and rehearsed in a tearoom in the basement of Regent Street Polytechnic.^[26]

When Metcalfe and Noble left to form their own group in September 1963,^[27] the remaining members asked Barrett and guitar player Bob Klose to join.^[28] By January 1964, the group became known as the Abdabs, or the Screaming Abdabs.^[28] During the autumn of 1964, the band used the names Leonard's Lodgers, Spectrum Five, and eventually, the Tea Set.^[29] Sometime during the autumn of 1965, the Tea Set began calling itself the Pink Floyd Sound, later, the Pink Floyd, and by early 1966,^[30] Pink Floyd.^[31]

By early 1966 Barrett was Pink Floyd's front-man, guitarist, and songwriter.^[32] He wrote or co-wrote all but one track of their debut LP The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, released in August 1967.^[33] Waters contributed the song "Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk" (his first sole writing credit) to the album.^[34] However, by late 1967, Barrett's deteriorating mental health and increasingly erratic behaviour,^[35] rendered him "unable or unwilling"^[36] to continue in his capacity as Pink Floyd's singer-songwriter and lead guitarist.^[33] Working with Barrett eventually proved too difficult, so in early March 1968 Pink Floyd met with managers Peter Jenner and Andrew King of Blackhill Enterprises to discuss the band's future. Barrett agreed to leave Pink Floyd, and the band "agreed to Blackhill's entitlement in perpetuity" with regard to "past activities".^[37] The band's new manager Steve O'Rourke made a formal announcement about the departure of Barrett and the arrival of David Gilmour in April 1968.^[38]

Waters-led period[link]

A live performance of The Dark Side of the Moon at Earls Court, shortly after its release in 1973. (l-r) David Gilmour, Nick Mason, Dick Parry, Roger Waters.

Filling the void left by Barrett's departure in March 1968, Waters began to chart Pink Floyd's artistic direction. He became the principal songwriter, lyricist, and co-lead vocalist (along with Gilmour, and at times, Wright), and would remain the band's dominant creative figure until his departure in 1985.^[39] He wrote the lyrics to the five Pink Floyd albums preceding his own departure, starting with The Dark Side of the Moon (1973) and ending with The Final Cut (1983), while exerting progressively more creative control over the band and its music. Every Roger Waters studio album since The Dark Side of the Moon has been a concept album^[40] With lyrics written entirely by Waters, The Dark Side of the Moon was one of the most commercially successful rock albums of all time. It spent 736 straight weeks on the Billboard 200 chart until July 1988 and sold over 40 million copies worldwide. It was continuing to sell over 8,000 units every week as of 2005.^[41] According to Pink Floyd biographer Glen Povey, Dark Side is the world's second best-selling album, and the United States' 21st best-selling album of all time.^[42]

Waters produced thematic ideas that became the impetus for the Pink Floyd concept albums The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975), Animals (1977), and The Wall (1979)—written largely by Waters—and The Final Cut (1983)—written entirely by Waters.^[43] He referred or alluded to the cost of war and the loss of his father throughout his work, from "Corporal Clegg" (A Saucerful Of Secrets, 1968) and "Free Four" (Obscured By Clouds, 1972) to "Us and Them" from The Dark Side of the Moon, "When the Tigers Broke Free", first used in the feature film, The Wall (1982), later included with "The Fletcher Memorial Home" on The Final Cut, an album dedicated to his father.^[44] The theme and composition of The Wall was influenced by his upbringing in an English society depleted of men after the Second World War.^[45]

The double album The Wall was written almost entirely by Waters and is largely based on his life story,^[47] and having sold over 23 million RIAA certified units in the US as of 2010, is one of the top three best-selling albums of all-time in America, according to RIAA.^[48] Pink Floyd hired Bob Ezrin to co-produce the album, and cartoonist Gerald Scarfe to illustrate the album's sleeve art.^[49] The band embarked on The Wall Tour of LA, New York, London and Dortmund. The last band performance of The Wall was on 16 June 1981, at Earls Court London, and this was Pink Floyd's last appearance with Waters until the band's brief reunion at 2 July 2005 Live 8 concert in London's Hyde Park, 24 years later.^[50]

In March 1983, the last Waters–Gilmour–Mason collaboration, The Final Cut, was released. The album was subtitled: "A requiem for the post-war dream by Roger Waters, performed by Pink Floyd".^[51] Waters is credited with writing all the lyrics as well as all the music on the album. His lyrics to the album were critical of the Conservative Party government of the day and mention Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher by name.^[52] At the time Gilmour did not have any material for the album, so he asked Waters to delay the recording until he could write some songs, but Waters refused.^[53] According to Mason, after power struggles within the band and creative arguments about the album, Gilmour's name "disappeared" from the production credits, though he retained his pay.^[54] Rolling Stone magazine gave the album five stars, with Kurt Loder calling it "a superlative achievement"^[55] and "art rock's crowning masterpiece".^[56] Loder viewed the work as "essentially a Roger Waters solo album".^[57]

Amidst creative differences within the group, Waters left Pink Floyd in 1985, and began a legal battle with the remaining band members regarding their continued use of the name and material.^[58] In December 1985 Waters "issued a statement to EMI and CBS invoking the 'Leaving Member' clause" on his contract. In October 1986, he initiated High Court proceedings to formally dissolve the Pink Floyd partnership. In his submission to the High Court he called Pink Floyd a "spent force creatively".^[59] Gilmour and Mason opposed the application and announced their intention to continue as Pink Floyd. Waters claims to have been forced to resign much like Wright some years earlier, and he decided to leave Pink Floyd based on legal considerations, stating " ... because, if I hadn't, the financial repercussions would have wiped me out completely."^[60] In December 1987, an agreement between Waters and Pink Floyd was reached.^[58] According to Mason:

Waters was released from his contractual obligation with O'Rourke, and he retained the copyrights to The Wall concept and his trademarked inflatable pig.^[62] The Gilmour-led Pink Floyd released two studio albums: A Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987), and The Division Bell (1994). As of 2006, it is estimated that Pink Floyd have sold over 200 million albums worldwide,^[63] including 74.5 million RIAA certified units sold in the US.^[64]

Solo career (1984 on)[link]

1984–1996[link]

Waters performing The Wall – Live in Berlin, Germany, on 21 July 1990

The Wall – Live in Berlin, 21 July 1990

Following the release of The Final Cut, Waters embarked on a solo career that produced three concept albums and a movie soundtrack. In 1984, he released his first solo album, The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking, a project about a man's dreams across one night that dealt with Waters' feelings about his failed marriage to Judy Trim, sex, and the pros and cons of monogamy and family life versus "the call of the wild".^[65] In the end the character, Reg, chooses love and matrimony over promiscuity. The album featured guitarist Eric Clapton, jazz saxophonist David Sanborn, and artwork by Scarfe.^[65] Rolling Stone's Kurt Loder described The Pros And Cons of Hitch Hiking as a "strangely static, faintly hideous record",^[66] Rolling Stone rated the album a "rock bottom" one star."^[65] Years later, Mike DeGagne of Allmusic praised the album for its, "ingenious symbolism" and "brilliant use of stream of consciousness within a subconscious realm", rating it four out of five stars.^[67] Waters began touring the new album aided by Clapton, a new band, new material, and a selection of Pink Floyd favourites. Waters débuted his tour in Stockholm on 16 June 1984. Poor ticket sales plagued the tour,^[68] and some of the larger venues had to be cancelled. By his own estimate, he lost £400,000 on the tour.^[69] In March 1985, Waters went to North America to play smaller venues with the Pros and Cons Plus Some Old Pink Floyd Stuff — North America Tour 1985. The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking has been certified Gold by the RIAA.^[70]

In 1986, Waters contributed songs and a score to the soundtrack of the animated movie When the Wind Blows, based on the Raymond Briggs book of the same name. His backing band featuring Paul Carrack was credited as The Bleeding Heart Band.^[71] In 1987, Waters released Radio K.A.O.S., a concept album based on a mute man named Billy from an impoverished Welsh mining town who has the ability to physically tune into radio waves in his head. Billy first learns to communicate with a radio DJ, and eventually to control the world's computers. Angry at the state of the world in which he lives, he simulates a nuclear attack. Waters followed the release with a supporting tour also in 1987.^[72]

In November 1989, the Berlin Wall fell, and in July 1990 Waters staged one of the largest and most elaborate rock concerts in history,^[73] The Wall – Live in Berlin, on the vacant terrain between Potsdamer Platz and the Brandenburg Gate. The show reported an official attendance of 200,000, though some estimates are as much as twice that, with approximately one billion television viewers.^[74] Leonard Cheshire asked him to do the concert to raise funds for charity. Waters' group of musicians included Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Cyndi Lauper, Bryan Adams, Scorpions, and Sinéad O'Connor. Waters also used an East German symphony orchestra and choir, a Soviet marching band, and a pair of helicopters from the US 7th Airborne Command and Control Squadron. Designed by Mark Fisher, the Wall was 25 metres tall and 170 metres long and was built across the set. Scarfe's inflatable puppets were recreated on an enlarged scale, and although many rock icons received invitations to the show, Gilmour, Mason, and Wright, did not.^[75] Waters released a concert double album of the performance which has been certified platinum by RIAA.^[70]

In 1990, Waters hired manager Mark Fenwick and left EMI for a worldwide deal with Columbia. He released his third studio album, Amused to Death, in 1992. The record is heavily influenced by the events of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 and the Gulf War, and a critique of the notion of war becoming the subject of entertainment, particularly on television. The title was derived from the book Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman. Patrick Leonard, who had also worked on A Momentary Lapse of Reason, co-produced the album. Jeff Beck played lead guitar on many of the album's tracks, which were recorded with an impressive cast of musicians at ten different recording studios.^[76] It is Waters' most critically acclaimed solo recording, garnering some comparison to his previous work with Pink Floyd.^[77] Waters described the record as a, "stunning piece of work", ranking the album with Dark Side Of The Moon and The Wall as one of the best of his career.^[78] The album had one hit, the song "What God Wants, Pt. 1", which reached number 35 in the UK in September 1992 and number 5 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in the US.^[79] Amused to Death was certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry.^[80] Sales of Amused to Death topped out at around one million and there was no tour in support of the album. Waters would first perform material from it seven years later during his In the Flesh tour.^[81] In 1996, Waters was inducted into the US and UK Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Pink Floyd.^[82]

1999–2004[link]

In 1999, after a nearly 12-year hiatus from touring, and a 7-year absence from the music industry, Waters embarked on the In the Flesh Tour, performing both solo and Pink Floyd material. The tour was a financial success in the US and though Waters had booked mostly smaller venues, tickets sold so well that many of the concerts were upgraded to larger ones.^[83] The tour eventually stretched across the world and would span three years. A concert film was released on CD and DVD, named In the Flesh Live. During the tour, he played two new songs "Flickering Flame" and "Each Small Candle" as the final encore to many of the shows. In June 2002, he completed the tour with a performance in front of 70,000 people at the Glastonbury Festival of Performing Arts, playing 15 Pink Floyd songs and five songs from his solo catalogue.^[83]

Miramax announced in mid-2004 that a production of The Wall was to appear on Broadway with Waters playing a prominent role in the creative direction. Reports stated that the musical contained not only the original tracks from The Wall, but also songs from Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here and other Pink Floyd albums, as well as new material.^[84] On the night of 1 May 2004, recorded extracts from the opera, including its overture, were played on the occasion of the Welcome Europe celebrations in the accession country of Malta. Gert Hof mixed recorded excerpts from the opera into a continuous piece of music which was played as an accompaniment to a large light and fireworks display over Grand Harbour in Valletta.^[85] In July 2004, Waters released two new tracks on the Internet: "To Kill the Child", inspired by the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and "Leaving Beirut", "inspired by his travels in the Middle East as a teenager".^[86] The lyrics to "Leaving Beirut" are highly critical of former US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

2005–present[link]

Waters (far right) performing with Pink Floyd at Live 8, 2 July 2005

Waters playing "In the Flesh" on his Dark Side of the Moon Tour at Viking Stadion, Stavanger, 26 June 2006

In July 2005, Waters reunited with Mason, Wright, and Gilmour for what would be their final performance together at the 2005 Live 8 concert in London's Hyde Park, Pink Floyd's only appearance with Waters since their final performance of The Wall at Earls Court London 24 years earlier.^[87] They played a 23-minute set consisting of "Speak to Me/Breathe"/"Breathe (Reprise)", "Money", "Wish You Were Here", and "Comfortably Numb". Waters told the Associated Press that while the experience of playing with Pink Floyd again was positive, the chances of a bona fide reunion would be "slight" considering his and Gilmour's continuing musical and ideological differences.^[88] Though Waters had differing ideas about which songs they should play, he "agreed to roll over for one night only",^[89] Gilmour told the Associated Press, "The rehearsals convinced me it wasn't something I wanted to be doing a lot of. There have been all sorts of farewell moments in people's lives and careers which they have then rescinded, but I think I can fairly categorically say that there won't be a tour or an album again that I take part in. It isn't to do with animosity or anything like that. It's just that ... I've been there, I've done it."^[90] In November 2005, Pink Floyd were inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame by Pete Townshend of The Who.^[91]

In September 2005, he released Ça Ira (pronounced [sa iˈʁa], French for "it will be fine"; Waters added the subtitle, "There is Hope"), an opera in three acts translated from the late Étienne Roda-Gil's French libretto based on the historical subject of the French Revolution.^[92] Ça Ira was released as a double CD album, featuring baritone Bryn Terfel, soprano Ying Huang and tenor Paul Groves.^[93] Set during the early French Revolution, the original libretto was co-written in French by Roda-Gil and his wife Nadine Delahaye. Waters had begun rewriting the libretto in English in 1989,^[94] and said about the composition: "I've always been a big fan of Beethoven's choral music, Berlioz and Borodin ... This is unashamedly romantic and resides in that early 19th-century tradition, because that's where my tastes lie in classical and choral music."^[95] Waters appeared on television to discuss the opera, but the interviews often focused instead on his relationship with Pink Floyd, something Waters would "take in stride", a sign Pink Floyd biographer Mark Blake believes to be, "a testament to his mellower old age or twenty years of dedicated psychotherapy".^[95] Ça Ira reached number 5 on the Billboard Classical Music Chart in the United States.^[96]

In June 2006, he commenced The Dark Side of the Moon Live tour, a two-year, world-spanning effort that began in Europe in June and North America in September. The first half of the show featured both Pink Floyd songs and Waters' solo material, while the second half included a complete live performance of the 1973 Pink Floyd album The Dark Side of the Moon, the first time in over three decades that Waters had performed the album. The shows ended with an encore from the third side of The Wall. He utilised elaborate staging by concert lighting designer Marc Brickman complete with laser lights, fog machines, flame throwers, psychedelic projections, and inflatable floating puppets (Spaceman and Pig) controlled by a "handler" dressed as a butcher, and a full 360-degree quadraphonic sound system was used. Nick Mason joined Waters for The Dark Side of the Moon set and the encores on select 2006 tour dates.^[97] Waters continued touring in January 2007 in Australia and New Zealand, then Asia, Europe, South America, and back to North America in June.

In March 2007, the Waters song, "Hello (I Love You)" was featured in the science fiction film The Last Mimzy. The song plays over the film's end credits. He released it as a single, on CD and via download, and described it as, "a song that captures the themes of the movie, the clash between humanity's best and worst instincts, and how a child's innocence can win the day".^[98] He performed at California's Coachella Festival in April 2008 and was to be among the headlining artists performing at Live Earth 2008 in Mumbai, India in December 2008,^[99] but that concert was cancelled in light of the 26 November terrorist attacks in Mumbai.^[100]

Roger Waters in Barcelona, during The Wall Live in 2011

He confirmed the possibility of an upcoming solo album which "might be called" Heartland, and has said he has numerous songs written (some already recorded) that he intends to release when they are a complete album.^[101] In June 2010, Waters released a cover of "We Shall Overcome", a protest song derived from the refrain of a gospel hymn published by Charles Albert Tindley in 1901. He performed with David Gilmour at the Hoping Foundation Benefit Evening in July 2010.^[102] The four-song set included: "To Know Him Is to Love Him", which was played in early Pink Floyd sound checks, followed by "Wish You Were Here", "Comfortably Numb", and "Another Brick in the Wall (Part Two)".^[103]

In September 2010, he commenced The Wall Live tour, an updated version of the original Pink Floyd shows, featuring a complete performance of The Wall.^[104] According to Cole Moreton of the Daily Mail, "The touring version of Pink Floyd's The Wall is one of the most ambitious and complex rock shows ever ...",^[105] and it is estimated that the tour cost £37 million to stage.^[105] Waters told the Associated Press that The Wall Tour will likely be his last, stating: "I'm not as young as I used to be. I'm not like B.B. King, or Muddy Waters. I'm not a great vocalist or a great instrumentalist or whatever, but I still have the fire in my belly, and I have something to say. I have a swan song in me and I think this will probably be it."^[106] At the O2 Arena in London on 12 May 2011, Gilmour and Mason once again appeared with Waters and Gilmour performing "Comfortably Numb", and Gilmour and Mason joining Waters for "Outside the Wall".^[107]

Activism[link]

After the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake and subsequent tsunami disaster, Waters performed "Wish You Were Here" with Eric Clapton during a benefit concert on the American network NBC.^[108] He was outspoken against the Hunting Act of 2004, and performed a concert for, and attended marches supporting, the Countryside Alliance. Waters explained:

I've become disenchanted with the political and philosophical atmosphere in England. The anti-hunting bill was enough for me to leave England. I did what I could, I did a concert and one or two articles, but it made me feel ashamed to be English. I was in Hyde Park for both the Countryside Alliance marches. There were hundreds of thousands of us there. Good, honest English people. That's one of the most divisive pieces of legislation we've ever had in Great Britain. It's not a case of whether or not I agree with fox hunting, but I will defend to the hilt their right to take part in it.^[86]

Waters performing "Comfortably Numb" during The Wall Live in Kansas City, 30 October 2010

In October 2005, he clarified: "I come back to the UK quite often. I didn't leave as a protest against the hunting ban; I was following a child in the wake of a divorce."^[109] After leaving Britain, he moved to Long Island in New York with his fiancé Laurie Durning.^[110] In July 2007, he played on the American leg of the Live Earth concert, an international multi-venue concert aimed at raising awareness about global climate change, featuring the Trenton Youth Choir and his trademarked inflatable pig. Waters told David Fricke why he thinks The Wall is still relevant today:

The loss of a father is the central prop on which [The Wall] stands. As the years go by, children lose their fathers again and again, for nothing. You see it now with all these fathers, good men and true, who lost their lives and limbs in Iraq for no reason at all. I've done Bring The Boys Back Home in my encore on recent tours. It feels more relevant and poignant to be singing that song now than it did in 1979.^[111]

In 2007, Waters became a spokesman for Millennium Promise, a non-profit organisation that helps fight extreme poverty and malaria. He wrote an opinion piece for CNN in support of the topic.^[112] Waters has been outspoken about Middle Eastern politics and in June 2009, he openly opposed the Israeli separation barrier, calling it an "obscenity" that "should be torn down".^[113] In December 2009, Waters pledged his support to the Gaza Freedom March^[114] and in March 2011, he announced that he had joined the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.^[115]

Equipment and instruments[link]

Waters' primary instrument in Pink Floyd was the electric bass guitar. He briefly played a Höfner bass but replaced it with a Rickenbacker RM-1999/4001S,^[28] until 1970 when it was stolen along with the rest of the band's equipment in New Orleans. He began using Fender Precision Basses in 1968, originally alongside the Rickenbacker, and then exclusively after the Rickenbacker was lost in 1970. First seen at a concert in Hyde Park, London in July 1970, the black P-Bass was rarely used until April 1972 when it became his main stage guitar and as of 2 October 2010, the basis for a Fender Artist Signature model.^[116] Waters endorses RotoSound Jazz Bass 77 flat-wound strings.^[117] Throughout his career he has used Selmer, WEM, Hiwatt and Ashdown amplifiers but has recently settled on using Ampeg for the last few major tours, also employing delay, tremolo, chorus, stereo panning and phaser effects in his bass playing.^[118]

Waters experimented with the EMS Synthi A and VCS 3 synthesisers on Pink Floyd pieces such as "On the Run",^[119] "Welcome to the Machine",^[120] and "In the Flesh?"^[121] He played electric and acoustic guitar on Pink Floyd tracks using Fender, Martin, Ovation and Washburn guitars.^[118] He played electric guitar on the Pink Floyd song "Sheep", from Animals,^[122] and acoustic guitar on several Pink Floyd recordings, such as "Pigs on the Wing 1 & 2", also from Animals,^[123] "Southampton Dock" from The Final Cut,^[124] and on "Mother" from The Wall.^[125] A Binson Echorec 2 echo effect was used on his bass-guitar lead track "One of These Days".^[126] Waters has also played clarinet and trumpet during concert performances of "Outside the Wall".^[127]

Discography[link]

• Music from The Body (with Ron Geesin) (1970)
• The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking (1984)
• When the Wind Blows (various artists soundtrack) (1986)
• Radio K.A.O.S. (1987)
• The Wall – Live in Berlin (1990)
• Amused to Death (1992)
• In the Flesh – Live (2000)
• Flickering Flame: The Solo Years Volume 1 (2002)
• Ça Ira (2005)

Citations[link]

Sources[link]