Roger Waters On The Give-And-Take Of His 'This Is Not A Drill' Tour Setlist

Roger Waters might get his name on the marquee (and the credit that goes with it) when he tours, but that doesn't mean the final spectacle of light and sound is entirely his brainchild.

With Waters' long-awaited 'This Is Not a Drill' tour launching this week, the Pink Floyd cofounder caught up with Q104.3 New York's Jim Kerr to discuss how one of his most unique live shows ever came into being.

While 'This Is Not a Drill' was originally scheduled to take place in 2020, the show that Waters is bringing on the road this summer is significantly different than the one planned two years ago, including new visuals and even new music written since the pandemic.

"I don't do that in a vacuum," Waters said of his setlist and his messaging. "I collaborated mainly with Sean [Evans] and my coworkers, the people I'm working with on the content of the thing and discuss it."

He added that when it comes to crafting a setlist, there are considerations beyond his personal whims; it's a give-and-take between everyone involved in getting the show on the road.

"I am under a huge amount of pressure from the promoters of the show ... who are AEG, who understandably might have a slightly different agenda than I do, and so they are constantly trying to put my thumb harder and harder on the Pink Floyd button," Waters says.

Indeed, 'This Is Not a Drill' includes Pink Floyd classics like "Us and Them," "Eclipse," "Brain Damage," Wish You Were Here" and more. But Waters isn't playing them reluctantly, mind you.

"Let's be fair as to who my bosses are," Waters adds. "My bosses are those people sitting out there in the seats, by and large. All right, they don't always agree with everything that I have to say. But they're in the arena because they know what my work is and they like, and to some extent they're in consort with it and we agree on a number of things. In consequence there is a lot of love in the room.

"And there is that communion that I have missed these last few years, not being able to be on the stage with my audience. ... It's them who I'm working for, I'm under no illusions about that."

Watch the full conversation via the player above!

Get all of Roger Waters' 'This Is Not a Drill' tour dates here.

Photo: Getty Images North America


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