• International edition
  • Australia edition
  • Europe edition

Stirring and hopeful ... Roger Waters on stage.

Roger Waters review – raging at the dark side of the Earth

Manchester Arena The former Pink Floyd bandleader is full of air-punching vigour as his Us +Them tour makes a stand for ethical resistance

A nyone who thinks pop and politics shouldn’t mix should steer clear of Roger Waters’ Us + Them tour, one man’s attempt to put the world to rights delivered as a giant spectacle. There is a flying pig bearing the words “Stay human or die”. There are slogans reading “Pigs rule the world” and “Trump is a pig”. There are surveillance satellites and rendition aeroplanes. During a thrillingly tumultuous Another Brick in the Wall, a multiracial group of local schoolchildren dressed as Guantánamo Bay prisoners sing: “We don’t need no thought control.”

The message of all this – which is written on the schoolchildren’s T-shirts and on confetti that showers over the audience during a superbly reflective Comfortably Numb – is “resist”. “Resist what or who?” reads a query on screen during the interval, to which the answers come in a blitzkrieg: “Neo-fascism”, “pollution”, “profits from war”, “Mark Zuckerberg” and other such bogeymen.

In fairness, Waters has been writing lyrics about authoritarianism, war, death, power and such for decades, but the Pink Floyd co-founder can probably scarcely believe how prescient those songs now are. Breathe’s “don’t be afraid to care” lyric sounds like a manifesto. Time’s ticking clocks perfectly capture the current creeping dread as we sleepwalk towards an unknowable future, because “hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way”. The mammoth setlist spans five Pink Floyd albums – Meddle, The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals and The Wall – from 1971-79, but the mostly retrospective show feels alive and relevant.

Creeping dread... Roger Waters.

It helps that the sound is impeccable: a quadrophonic system means the cackle in Brain Damage suddenly emits from the other side of the arena. But Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig ( from indie outfit Lucius ) more than manage The Great Gig in the Sky’s tonsil-troubling wailing, and the musicians recreate and reimagine Waters’ old band’s sound impeccably. It’s not all Floyd, though. The Last Refugee – one of four recent solo songs – sounds eerily moving with the breaking news report of more than 200 migrant drownings in the Mediterranean.

Although Waters’ politics undoubtedly have refuseniks, issues close to his heart are mostly encouragingly received, although the massed cheering that suddenly spreads round the arena during the Orwellian, Trump-ridiculing Pigs (Three Different Ones) is for news of England’s penalty shootout success , not the revolution. Other ovations come thick and fast for the mock-up of Battersea power station (the cover star of 1977’s Animals ) across the stage, or the gigantic, laser-powered Dark Side of the Moon prism . For all such stunning visuals, the focus never quite drifts from the music. Eclipse is wonderfully weightless. Money chugs timelessly on its groove of cash tills. Us and Them – illustrated by Black Lives Matter protests and riot police – is heartbreakingly beautiful.

Waters doesn’t speak much during the performance but ends it with a stirring, hopeful speech asking people to “rise up” for human rights. In Floyd’s turbulent heyday, he infamously became so alienated from live crowds that he spat at a fan and built his Wall. But here, the rugged 74-year-old grins, air-punches and even seems to wipe a tear from his eye at the audience reception. If it weren’t for all those audiovisual runes of oncoming war and apocalypse, you’d think he was having the time of his life.

  • At Hyde Park, London , on 6 July. At Arena, Birmingham , on 7 July. Then touring .

This article was amended on 6 July 2018 to correct the year Animals was released from 1976 to 1977.

  • Roger Waters
  • Pop and rock
  • live music reviews

More on this story

pink floyd us and them tour

Roger Waters accused of repeated antisemitism in new documentary

pink floyd us and them tour

Berlin police investigate Roger Waters over Nazi-style uniform at concert

pink floyd us and them tour

‘Nobody really knew what happened’: tracing the life of Syd Barrett

pink floyd us and them tour

Roger Waters review – embattled singer vows ‘I will not be cancelled’

pink floyd us and them tour

Roger Waters threatens legal action over German concert cancellations

pink floyd us and them tour

Roger Waters reveals first music from re-recorded solo Dark Side of the Moon

pink floyd us and them tour

Comfortably strum: David Gilmour's Black Strat goes on display

pink floyd us and them tour

It shouldn’t take Pink Floyd to rescue Isis fighters’ abandoned children

pink floyd us and them tour

David Gilmour, a veteran still in the pink – archive, 1978

Comments (…), most viewed.

an image, when javascript is unavailable

  • facebook-rs

Roger Waters Talks ‘Us + Them’ Film, Why Pink Floyd’s Songs Remain Relevant

By Kory Grow

When Roger Waters planned his recent, massive Us + Them Tour, he wanted to use his songs as a plea for humanity, a call for listeners to get together and tackle the world’s problems. So he combed the Pink Floyd catalogue for songs like “Us and Them,” “Pigs,” and “Money” that spoke to today’s social ills and paired them with selections from his recent LP, Is This the Life We Really Want? Because he’s Roger Waters, he supersized his message with stunning visuals like a video wall that divided arena audiences and showed satirical takedowns of Donald Trump, and he closed each evening with a laser pyramid and rainbow light array that harkened back to the cover of Dark Side of the Moon .

But these multimedia touches weren’t just eye candy. Throughout the performance, he used his screens to tell the stories of refugees fleeing their homelands and warlords abusing power. This is the message he highlights — along with all the hit songs — in the new film Us + Them , which he co-directed with longtime collaborator Sean Evans. The movie overwhelms both in subject matter and presentation — the theater shakes with the bass in the Dolby Atmos mix — and you can see how the show affected the audiences that came to see the tour. Us + Them, which contains footage from the tour’s stop in Amsterdam last year, will screen around the world this week.

“I’m glad the film turned out to have a humane and political message,” Waters tells Rolling Stone . He was worried during the editing process since the film was too long, so he decided to cut the nightly encore “Comfortably Numb” since “it’s an appendage added to the end of the thing,” and he and Evans focused their cut to show more of the story of the woman featured in the visuals for his Is This the Life song “The Last Refugee.” “I think the film benefits greatly from that,” he says.

When he watched the concert footage, though, he was stunned to see the emotion on the faces of his fans in the close-up shots. “I’m proud of them,” he says. “I’m proud of anybody who allows themselves to be moved by the idea that human beings acting collectively to make each other’s lives more full of love is something worth fighting for.”

Editor’s picks

The 250 greatest guitarists of all time, the 500 greatest albums of all time, the 50 worst decisions in movie history, every awful thing trump has promised to do in a second term.

Do you feel like the message of the tour reached people in the way you intended? You know, yeah. That comes out in the film. There’s one woman in the film who is singing along with the second verse in [ Is This the Life’s ] “Déjà Vu” — I can’t remember which line — but she’s got a little tear running down her cheek. And I think, “Wow. I must have done something right that these young, young people are responding to work that I created when I was 74 years old.” It’s moving. So I’ve done something right.

There’s a lot of Trump imagery in the film. Did you ever get sick of seeing house-sized pictures of him on the tour? I didn’t look at it very much. I’m glad it’s on the film. I like the zoom-in on the [doctored photo of Trump’s] tiny dick. I think that’s important to point that out because he clearly is infantile and he almost certainly has got a tiny dick. Anyway, whatever, it’s silly to waste breath on Trump. Or it would be if it wasn’t for the fact he’s conspiring to destroy the United States brick by brick.

The dick image is shown during “Pigs (Three Different Ones).” What did that song mean to you when you wrote it and what does it mean to you now? Well, within the context of this show, it’s “Pigs (One).” It’s just the pig, the awful Trump.

But in the original thing, who were they? I don’t know. “Big man, pig man,” that’s any businessman who’s more interested in making money than they are in having relationships with other human beings, which might be more rewarding than accumulating wealth. So that’s for Steve Schwarzman and all the rest of them. They’re all the same, by and large.

The last verse is about somebody who tried to censor English television to keep sex off of it who was called Mary Whitehouse, which was convenient ’cause it means I can say, “Hey, Whitehouse,” and a lot of people think I’m singing about the White House in Washington, D.C. And I am now, because nobody cares about Mary Whitehouse anymore. She did try to clean up British television by making it sort of evangelical-Christian–friendly in ways that are unhealthy, in my view. So hang on, what’s the second verse about?

It goes, “Bus stop, rat bag … “ Oh, Margaret Thatcher. How could I have forgotten? What a wonderful thing the human mind is that you can forget Margaret Thatcher. I love that.

What inspired the scene onstage where you and the band put on pig masks and drink wine? There’s a long section in “Dogs” after I sing the verse “Dragged down by the stone,” which is about dogs and pigs destroying whatever they can in a mad scramble to be Gordon Gekko. So it’s only Joey [Waronker, drums] and [keyboardist] Jon Carin actually playing anything. So what are the rest of us going to do? Stand around on the stage? Let’s dress up as pigs and be served by sheep in a bar and have a glass of champagne and be obnoxious, so it developed from that. it’s an opportunity to attempt a piece of theater on the stage.

Roger Waters Dropped by BMG After Pink Floyd Co-Founder's Israel Comments

Roger waters fired his son. he's playing in a pink floyd tribute band.

And it’s a bit of audience participation. I hold up a sign that says “Pigs Rule the World” followed by another that says, “Fuck the pigs.” And the audience is very glad, ’cause by and large most people don’t want to be ruled by these assholes. Most people recognize that the division of wealth is completely unacceptable, and we don’t want to be ruled by the oligarchs. We don’t think it’s a great system where the poor get poorer and the rich get richer and richer. It needs to be addressed and redressed as soon as possible.

I imagine that’s why you used so much imagery from Animals , like having Battersea Station split the audience in half. Your message in the show relates to the themes of the album. Yeah, it does. When I designed that album cover and went and photographed Battersea Station, I thought it was quite good symbolically of a band like Pink Floyd, because it’s a thing that has some power and there are four of us and four chimneys. It’s all very phallic and whatever. It sort of represented to some extent the power, maybe, that we had as a band if we cared to use it for something. And maybe music has no power. I don’t believe that. I believe music is a very powerful art form and that it can be used as a political tool, as well as a source of entertainment to keep the masses quiet.

Was there anything that didn’t make it into the film that you wish had? I sort of wanted to do something that implicated the people who would have been present at the Obama weekly drone-strike meetings, where they would sit in a darkened room somewhere and decide who to kill next week, which is one of the most disgusting pieces of U.S. foreign policy. Well, no — maybe that’s pitching a bit hard. But it’s pretty scary to think of grown men sitting in a room deciding who to kill — foreign nationals — and then killing them. This is disgusting beyond all belief. So I wanted to shoot something that implied that, but we didn’t have time. So I regret that.

What song would you have used as the soundtrack? Somewhere in the second half. Most of the stuff we shot is in or around “Déjà Vu,” “The Last Refugee,” and “Picture That.” So I’d do it probably in “Dogs.”

In the film, Lucius — the singers Holly Laessig and Jess Wolfe — do a stunning version of “The Great Gig in the Sky.” Did you give them much direction for that? No, I didn’t. We talked about it and they came up with something. Then we worked on it and worked on it. Like anything that is brilliant takes work. G.E. Smith and I sat with Jess and Holly for a few hours in rehearsals, but that’s not to take credit for them. It’s largely their creation but with input from G.E. and me. When we got to Amsterdam, where we recorded that one particular performance, it’s brilliant. The performance is beautiful.

There have been so many tribute bands — the Australian Pink Floyd, Brit Floyd, whatever, and Dave’s done it as well. They all slavishly copy Claire [Torry, the original singer’s] performance from Abbey Road in 1973. And that’s fine, because it was beautiful and great. But I think it’s wonderful that Jess and Holly produced their own interpretation of it. It’s also a fitting tribute to Rick [Wright], whose music it is.

Another standout in the film is “Wish You Were Here.” What does that mean to you now? The last time I sang “Wish You Were Here” was on Balsham Street, outside the Home Office in London. Julian Assange is locked up in Belmarsh Prison, and I heard he’s not doing well. You will not know this because it wasn’t reported in a single mainstream media outlet; not a single newspaper or television station reported the fact that I made a public performance of that song for Julian Assange. People ask me all the time, “Why aren’t journalists standing up for Julian Assange? He’s a journalist doing his job.” The answer is, they’re frightened of being fired. But as for why I played “Wish You Were Here,” it just popped into my head. It’s easy to sing with one bloke and an acoustic guitar. I’m really proud of that song.

There’s a close-up in the film of you at the start of “Time” where you’re playing a tick-tock sound on your bass strings. Is that how that song started, making that sound? No, the tick-tock thing came about probably from just the idea of, “Hey, let’s use clock sounds,” so they’re just deadened strings on repeat. But the impetus was the narrative in the song. For me, personally it’s a very important song. I wrote that when I was 29 years old, so the bits in the song where it goes, “No one told you when to run/You missed the starting gun,” it’s about my experience of being 29 years old and certainly going, “Fuck me. It’s the middle of life. I’ve been told that I was preparing for something.” Eventually I figured out what it was, and it was probably something to do with earning a living and having a family and blah, blah, blah.

But suddenly I realized that I was aimless. The reason it’s a good song is because it describes the predicament of anybody who, growing up — if we’re grown up at all — suddenly realizes that time is going really, really fast. It makes you start to philosophize about life and what is important and how to derive joy from that. And whether we should let the pigs and dogs spend all our energy trying to fuck other people and steal from them or whether we accept the truth of this fact: If you help another human being, it brings joy to your life. And the act collectively brings more joy to your life than to act selfishly. It’s as simple as that.

I imagine that song means something different to you than when you wrote it nearly 50 years ago. I’ve been talking today with Sean [Evans] about this tour that we’re going to do next summer, and I was saying, I’ve been thinking about a title and which songs to do. There’s a song in a demo for a piece that I’m recording, and it’s, “Time keeps slipping away.” I think it’s because we’re all dying under the attack from the homicidal sociopaths who have all the money and all the power and run the media and the propaganda system and lie to us constantly and try to keep us at each other’s throats so they can maintain the system.

The problem with that is they will kill us all. They’re killing us all now. That’s one thing that the kid from Sweden, Greta Thunberg, is saying. We’re running out of time very, very fast. So more power to her. And more power to the anti-war movement and climate-change movements, who are fighting a valiant battle to try and get the walking dead, who unfortunately are most of the people — certainly in the United States of America — to wake up and understand that their lives and their children lives are not just under threat, they’re almost certain to be over.

I’m sure you were happy to hear that when David Gilmour sold his guitars this year, he donated the money to fighting climate change. Oh, bless him. I think that’s a good thing. Good for him. [ Pauses ] I wish he’d let me advertise this movie on the Pink Floyd website. It’s not allowed. He censored it, and I’m not allowed to announce anything on it.

When was the last time you spoke to him? We spoke in June. We had a big meeting where I came up with a big peace plan that has come to nothing, sadly.

I’m sorry to hear that. I know you are. I bet all Pink Floyd fans are sorry to hear that. They all hoped that we could kiss and make up and everything would be wonderful in a cozy, wonderful world. Well, it wouldn’t be all that cozy or wonderful for me, because I left Pink Floyd in 1985 for a reason. The reason being that I wanted to get on with my work.

Well, thank goodness I’ve been able to get on with my work. Work is its own reward. I was very happy to see in the Variety review of the movie that they managed to connect the dots between Dark Side of the Moon , Animals , [Waters’ solo album] Amused to Death , and Is This the Life We Really Want? That was gratifying. Anyway, let’s not go there any further. I’ve said more than I should.

Before we move on from the topic of Pink Floyd, I saw you perform “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun” with Nick Mason this year in New York. What did you think of his show? I was really pleasantly surprised by Saucerful of Secrets. I really enjoyed it, and obviously I love Nick. He’s a very old friend, and luckily all those bridges have been rebuilt. We see each other often, and I adore him. The atmosphere that night was wonderful, and I couldn’t have been happier than to be allowed to share the stage and sing one of my songs with that band.

Guy Pratt was great singing and playing the guitar. He knows a lot about it all having worked for Gilmour for all those years. And I thought Nick sounded great. And the other guys were really splendid.

Would you ever want to do a tour like that on a smaller scale where you played older songs for people who aren’t expecting the big hits? Fuck no. Why would I want to do that? I’m writing new shit all the time. I will go on doing what I’ve always done. 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. And I shall continue to do that. I can’t think of anything I want to do less than go and sing “Set the Controls” in a pub.

You once said, “[The concert] spectacle is an interesting thing, because I can say I invented it.” What put you on that path? Going into big venues and thinking, “Christ, this is boring.” I remember around Dark Side of the Moon , when we had a couple of risers with lights on it built by Arthur Max, who was a lighting guy we stole from Bill Graham and the Fillmore East. And he sort of invented the circular screen we used. I thought, “How can we fill these spaces with theater?” That’s when I started working with people who made inflatables and thinking more about projecting images and firing fireworks that turn into parachuting sheep into the air and flying planes, all that crap. [ Pauses ] It’s not crap, actually. It’s perfectly reasonable.

To have a Stuka [plane] coming out of the audience, like I did in The Wall, even again a few years ago, it’s actually a perfectly legitimate theatrical device. I remember when we did The Wall [in 1979] being criticized by Bono. U2 were a very young band, and they’re going [ affects Irish accent ], “Oh, we can’t stand all that theatrical nonsense that Pink Floyd do. We just play our music and the songs unto themselves and blah, blah, blah.” Oh really? All they did for the rest of their fucking career was copy what I’d been doing and continue to do. So good luck to them, but what a load of bullshit. If you lead them, people will follow.

Did people say things like that a lot? I remember Jagger coming to the Nassau Coliseum gigs in late 1979 and seeing The Wall . He came backstage, trying to find out how he could get that . “I want that .” Somebody pointed to [illustrator] Gerald Scarfe, who was sitting on the sofa chatting with Nick Mason and said, “He’s the one you should see.” And Jagger didn’t see. He thought it was Nick. So he went up to Nick and said [ in a Jagger impression ], “I gather you’ve done all the visuals and all that.” And Nick, of course being Nick, said, “Well, yes. I did. I do that in my spare time when I’m not practicing my drumming.” And Jagger sat and talked to him, wasted half an hour of his life thinking that. Bless Nick. How cool.

And not that I’ve got anything against Mick. Well, I haven’t. Well, not a lot. He’s just a bit old for me.

Since we’re talking about concert spectacles, what are you planning for next summer? I think the plan is to do 30 or 40 gigs in North America in election year, and also a few gigs probably only in Mexico City. If we’re playing in the States, I really want to go to Mexico because audiences are stunning. I love the people. It’ll be Canada, the U.S.A., and maybe three gigs in Mexico City. And that’s all. I can’t go off around the world, and I don’t really want to either. And I’m not doing any outdoor shows; I’m just doing arenas, so there’s only one thing to produce. But it’ll be a new show. It will be no-holds-barred.

How will it be different from the Us + Them show? It will be even more political than Us + Them was — political and humane. We were listening to songs and looking at set lists today. We were talking about, what should we call it? I shouldn’t be giving this away, but I don’t give a shit because it will probably all change, but imagine the iconic helicopter that normally comes before “Happiest Days” and “Brick 2” — that noise that we all know and love — and imagine a megaphone, somebody abused this device before, I know — but, “This is not a drill.” I thought that could be a good title for the show: This Is Not a Drill. The ruling class is killing us.

Ice Spice Is a Lana Del Rey Stan, Too

  • Queens on Queens
  • By Tomás Mier

Lindsay Lohan Confirms a 'Freaky Friday' Sequel Is (For Real) in the Works

  • Back to the Future

Kate Hudson Stops Time and Finds Love in New 'Talk About Love' Music Video

  • Stuck In a Moment
  • By Jon Blistein

The 2024 ACM Awards Are Heading Back to Texas in May

Jelly roll, justin timberlake, tate mcrae, and more will perform at iheartradio music awards.

  • iHeart Awards

Most Popular

Oprah winfrey to exit weightwatchers board after she announced use of weight-loss drug, rumors surrounding prince william’s relationship with rose hanbury are at an all-time high amid kate middleton’s recovery, willy wonka immersive event leaves kids in tears: "it looks like a meth lab", adult film star knockout claims explicit photos used in diddy lawsuit are of him, not stevie j, you might also like, production spend quadruples in spain’s bilbao-bizkaia as tax credits kick in , the redmond family’s third, peptide-powered hair care brand is here, this best-selling magnetic rowing machine is $185 off on amazon today, demands for pay equity plaster the costume designers guild awards: ‘you’re naked without us’, wwe founder vince mcmahon selling $400m in tko group shares.

Rolling Stone is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2024 Rolling Stone, LLC. All rights reserved.

Verify it's you

Please log in.

pink floyd us and them tour

pink floyd us and them tour

Hey Hey Rise Up Limited Edition

Peter Zinovieff

Yes, I Have Ghosts

David Gilmour YouTube Channel

Facebook Streaming Event

A Theatre for Dreamers

Make A Difference

A Saucerful Of Secrets Mono Remaster

A Saucerful Of Secrets Mono Remaster

Review: Roger Waters, Us + Them tour, Brisbane Entertainment Centre

PINK Floyd founding member Roger Waters is ready to bow out of Brisbane with a bang, as the music legend admits tonight’s show will probably be his last ever in Queensland.

Plea to find missing woman who vanished from highway

Plea to find missing woman who vanished from highway

Who are the new players? What are the key dates? Broncos’ 2024 outlined

Who are the new players? What are the key dates? Broncos’ 2024 outlined

‘Simple’ move that could boost lifesaving donations

‘Simple’ move that could boost lifesaving donations

PINK Floyd founding member and creative linchpin Roger Waters is already more than 70 dates into his Us + Them world tour, and if he’s experiencing any fatigue he surely isn’t showing it on stage.

As the houselights at Brisbane Entertainment Centre fade, the sound of seagulls echoes through the venue as a video of a solitary figure sitting on a beach with her back to us projects on to the giant screen behind the stage.

Roger Waters on stage at Brisbane Entertainment Centre for the first Queensland date of his Us + Them tour. Picture: AAP Image/Steve Pohlner

While the stadium fills, eerie vocal chants and bird squawks are replaced by the unmistakable soundscape from Speak to Me , and as the “I’ve been mad for f---ing years” sample plays over the speakers, Waters – dressed in his ubiquitous black T-shirt and black jeans – and his band take to stage and launch straight into Breathe , with vocal duties adeptly handled by guitarist Jonathan Wilson, the “resident hippie in the band”.

As a giant animated sphere traverses cityscapes on the screen behind, Breathe seamlessly transitions into One of These Days and Time , which includes a reprise of Breathe . To describe vocalists Jessica Wolfe and Holly Laessig – from indie-pop band Lucius – as backing singers does them a great disservice, with the platinum-wigged duo’s soaring vocal harmonies on the otherwise-instrumental The Great Gig in the Sky giving the song a superior edge to its studio counterpart.

A giant screen displaying playing footage of animated clocks plays behind Roger Waters during his first night at Brisbane Entertainment Centre during the Us + Them tour. Picture: AAP Image/Steve Pohlner

During the throbbing bass Welcome to the Machine , a spotlight follows Waters as he struts back and forth across the front of the stage, clearly revelling in the rapturous response from the crowd. As the seven-minute opus draws to a close, the stage darkens, and as a pulsing beat fills the arena, Waters swaps his Fender four-string for an acoustic guitar and takes to the mic for an emotionally wrought rendition of Déjà Vu , the opening from last year’s Is This the Life We Really Want?

After a near-album-perfect replication of The Last Refugee – which features suitably restrained drumming from Joey Waronker and is accompanied by its poignant music video – and the acerbic, expletive-laden Picture That , the band launch into the title track from Wish You Were Here , which garners a predictably rousing response. Although his former Pink Floyd bandmate David Gilmour sang the track on the album, Waters wrote the track, and he handles the vocals – in the same key as the studio version – with aplomb, and adds extra emotional resonance in the process.

Singer and bassist Roger Waters on stage at Brisbane Entertainment Centre. Picture: AAP Image/Steve Pohlner

As the sounds of choppers fill the venue and a simulated searchlight sweeps the crowd, the darkened stage again lights up to reveal a row of hooded figures in orange jumpsuits. They stand motionless, with heads bowed, as Rogers and his band tear through The Happiest Days of Our Lives , and as the “we don’t need no education” refrain from Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2 begins, the figures remove their masks and begin marching on the spot and singing the chorus.

The figures turn out to be students from Ipswich West Special School, and as the song and progresses, they remove their jumpsuits to expose black T-shirts emblazoned with the word “RESIST”. Waters is full of praise for the students’ efforts, and as Another Brick in the Wall Part 3 draws to a close, so does the first half of the show.

After the intermission, many are likely questioning how Waters will top the spectacle they have just witnessed, but as giant screens unfurl from the roof above the main seating area to reveal a rendering of the Battersea Power Station, which adorns the cover of Pink Floyd’s 1977 album Animals , any doubts are quickly put to rest.

Singers Jess Wolfe and Holly Laeesig perform with Roger Waters in Brisbane. Picture: AAP Image/Steve Pohlner

The Orwellian themes of that album seem even more relevant today than they were when the album was released, and as a stunning visual display adorns the screens to accompany Dogs , it’s difficult to know where to look. But as Pigs (Three Different Ones) kicks off, everyone’s eyes are trained to the screens, which are emblazoned with anthropomorphic sheep, dogs and pigs and interspersed with Donald Trump’s own quotes and tweets and digitally altered images of the US President that run the gamut from sardonic and comical to graphic and unsettling.

Money is repurposed as another attack on Trump, before a heart-rending Us and Them lulls the audience into near-silence. Recent track Smell the Roses and Floyd classic Brain Damage both get an airing, and as the set draws closer to its conclusion, Waters, who has let the music do the talking for most of the evening, seems overcome with emotion.

“I can’t hear anything that you’re saying but it feels positive, so come on let’s hear it,” Waters tells the crowd, extending his arms skyward and lapping up the resultant applause.

Waters introduces his band – which also comprises guitarist and bassist Gus Seyffert, multi-instrumentalists Jon Carin and Dave Kilminster, saxophonist Ian Ritchie and keyboardist Drew Erickson – before telling us “there’s a big message in this show and it’s that love has the transcendental ability to affect everything in our lives, even romantic love can change our lives”.

Singer and guitarist Jonathan Wilson – ‘the resident hippie’ of Roger Waters’ band – sings Pink Floyd’s <i>Breathe </i>during Waters’  Brisbane Entertainment Centre concert. Picture: AAP Image/Steve Pohlner

“I was looking at the schedule and thinking this may be the last time I ever come through Australia … I won’t get this chance, probably to talk to people in Brisbane again for the rest of my life; one has to remember there is a finality to all of this,” 74-year-old Waters tells the crowd before finishing with Mother and a rousing Comfortably Numb .

And as ribbons of confetti slowly spiral through the smoke and lights of the laser pyramid and the crowd rises to give a standing ovation, there’s an overwhelming sense of unity, and suddenly it doesn’t feel like there’s an “us and them”, only an “us”.

Last year, Waters told Marc Maron on his WTF podcast that his “major contribution to rock ’n ’ roll … was really to develop the theatre of arena rock” and last night’s show proved, 40 years later, that his ability to meld theatricality with musical prowess in live performances remains unrivalled.

Roger Waters performs at Brisbane Entertainment Centre again tonight, with tickets still available at the box office

Originally published as Review: Roger Waters, Us + Them tour, Brisbane Entertainment Centre

Police have appealed for public help to find a missing Monto woman who was last seen driving on the Sunshine Coast.

Grand final heartache may linger with the Broncos but the NRL powerhouse has bigger designs on 2024. ULTIMATE GUIDE

SA has a much higher proportion of registered organ donors than the rest of Australia, due to a system other states and territories are being urged to adopt to save lives.

JAVASCRIPT IS DISABLED. Please enable JavaScript on your browser to best view this site.

Pink Floyd – A Fleeting Glimpse

By the fans - for the fans - est. june 1998.

pink floyd us and them tour

  • Collectors Hub
  • Discography
  • Fun & Fantasy
  • Other Exhibits

Roger Waters – Us And Them 2018 Tour

pink floyd us and them tour

Roger Waters announces second leg of world tour entitled Us & Them.

The Us + Them tour was launched the U.S. on May 26th 2017 and ran for over 40 dates including shows in Denver, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Boston and Toronto. You can see the full list of the last leg in our 2017 tour zone.

A press release has been released and promises the tour “will showcase highlights from Waters’ groundbreaking body of work.” Presumably, the 1973 song that gives the tour its name — “Us and Them,” from Pink Floyd‘s landmark The Dark Side of the Moon album — will be one of them.

“We are going to take a new show on the road, the content is very secret,” Waters says. “It’ll be a mixture of stuff from my long career, stuff from my years with Pink Floyd, some new things. Probably 75 percent of it will be old material and 25 percent will be new, but it will be all connected by a general theme. It will be a cool show, I promise you. It’ll be spectacular like all my shows have been.”

The press release also notes that Waters’ stage show feature a state-of-the-art audio-visual production and quad sound, and hints that the upcoming concerts will include even more spectacular sights and sounds.

The 2018 Touring Band

Joey Waronker An American drummer and music producer. He is best known as a regular session musician of both Beck and R.E.M., and as member of the experimental rock bands Atoms for Peace and Ultraísta.

Gus Seyffert An American bass and guitar player. He is best known for his work with American rock band The Black Keys.

Jonathan Wilson is an American Guitarist and record producer based in Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles. He has an exensive reseme of work including proudcer credits with a familar floydian face Roy Harper

Bo Koster A Cleavland Born keyboard player and background vocalist, Known for his work with the rock band My Morning Jacket.

Jess Wolfe &  Holly Laessig Jess and Holly are both known primarily for their work with Lucius, a four piece indie pop band from Brooklyn, New York.The band has two studio albums to date and was named one of the best live acts in 2015.

Ian Ritchie A UK based Saxaphone Player, Arranger, Producer who most noticeably produced Rogers 1987 Album Radio Kaos.

Jon Carin A New York based Grammy Award winning musician, singer, songwriter and producer who has been a longtime collaborator with Pink Floyd and the solo careers of David Gilmour and Roger Waters, The Who, Pete Townshend, Eddie Vedder, and Kate Bush.

Dave Kilminster Is a British guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, producer and music teacher, who has toured as a sideman to several prestigious musicians, including Steve Wilson, Keith Emerson, John Wetton (ex King Crimson), Ken Hensley (ex Uriah Heep), Qango (an Asia spin-off), The Nice, and Carl Palmer.

pink floyd us and them tour

Barclaycard presents British Summer Time Hyde Park, kicks off festival announcements for 2018 with another world-class headliner and the promise of yet another legendary night in the park.

Pink Floyd visionary Roger Waters becomes the latest in a long line of era defining artists to grace Hyde Park – one of music’s most spectacular showmen at the greatest outdoor venue in the world.

Roger Waters is famous for taking his sonic and visual experimentation to breath-taking levels, turning rock n roll into theatre on the grandest scale.

At Desert Trip in 2016, in the Californian desert, Roger’s performance featured the biggest quadrophonic sound system ever built. His recent sell-out shows have seen some jaw dropping moments – the rising towers of Battersea Power station evoking the cover of the classic Pink Floyd album Animals, the iconic pigs floating over the audience and a Spitfire crashing into the stage.

This new tour promises to be no exception, following months of meticulous planning and craft, it will inspire crowds with its powerful delivery to take the audience on a musical journey.

Roger Waters – Us + Them will showcase highlights from Waters’ groundbreaking body of work, with songs from Pink Floyd’s greatest albums (Wish You Were Here, The Wall, Animals, Dark Side of The Moon), along with tracks from his critically acclaimed new album “Is This the Life We Really Want?”.

The tour title is derived from the 1974 track “Us And Them,” from the multi-million selling album The Dark Side of the Moon.

web analytics

an image, when javascript is unavailable

  • Manage Account

Roger Waters Announces Us + Them Tour Dates for 2017

It's his first tour not themed around a specific Pink Floyd album since the early 2000s.

By Chris Willman

Chris Willman

  • Share this article on Facebook
  • Share this article on Twitter
  • Share this article on Flipboard
  • Share this article on Pinit
  • + additional share options added
  • Share this article on Reddit
  • Share this article on Linkedin
  • Share this article on Whatsapp
  • Share this article on Email
  • Print this article
  • Share this article on Comment
  • Share this article on Tumblr

Roger Waters performs during Desert Trip

The classic Pink Floyd song “Us and Them” is about the haves versus the have-nots. Ironically or otherwise, Roger Waters may divide fans into just those two categories when tickets go on sale next week for his 2017 Us + Them tour of North American arenas. It’s his first tour not themed around a specific Pink Floyd album since the early 2000s, and follows a few years on the heels of his three-year Wall  trek, which went down as the most successful tour by a solo artist in touring history.

Sinead O'Connor's Estate & Label Slam Donald Trump's Use of 'Nothing Compares 2 U' at Campaign…

See latest videos, charts and news

Waters plays the second of two shows at the Desert Trip festival this Sunday, and a credit card presale for next year’s tour goes up the following day, with tickets going on sale to the general public a few days later, on Oct. 21. Us + Them is scheduled to begin May 26 in St. Louis and wrap up next Oct. 28 in Vancouver, covering more than 40 dates in 36 cities. Although no overseas concerts have yet been announced, ultimately, Waters tells Billboard , “we’re gonna do nearly 200 shows all over the world with the new show.”

Roger Waters Eviscerates ‘Racist, Sexist Pig’ Trump at Desert Trip

Trending on Billboard

Waters’ first set at Desert Trip was heralded by many attendees as the highlight of a three-day jam that had such non-slouches as Paul McCartney and the Rolling Stones for competition. But while it might be tempting to imagine his massive Indio gigs (and a trio of dates in Mexico City that preceded them) as a dry run for the Us + Them tour, he says this fleeting desert stand truly is a one-off, and the tour that begins next May will be substantially if not completely different.

“My plan absolutely is to move on,” Waters tells Billboard . “I’ve got a lot to say, and I’ve got a huge amount of material. I’ve got a whole new record [coming out next year]. Obviously I won’t play the whole new record live, but I will definitely be playing some of the music of it. This Desert Trip thing I accepted given the way the weekend was planned, which was sort of Rolling Stones/Beatles/Pink Floyd, and I thought, well, if I’m being given the mantle of Pink Floyd, it behooves me to take a good, strong, long, loving, nostalgic look at the work that David and Rick and Nick and Syd and I did together between 1967 and 1982. I think it’s a great body of work, and I was just happy to use this weekend to tip my hat to them and to that band. But moving on, we’ve got to save the world, man!” he laughs.

That’s not to say that his vision of moving on means foregoing vintage material in the Us + Them show. The fact that the tour is named after a Floyd song and not one of the new ones is testament to that. The balance between old and new material in next year’s set will be “most likely 80/20, I would think,” Waters says. “You know, if people are going to come see me in arenas or stadiums from Shreveport, Louisiana to Shanghai, China, and if I want them to listen carefully to what I have to say, and I do, I think it is absolutely essential that I give them a lot of songs that they recognize. And the fact is, because, whether it’s new material or from my solo career – from Amused to Death or Radio KAOS or Pros and Cons (of Hitchhiking) – or whether it’s anything from the records that I did in Pink Floyd, there is a general thread running through it. My basic ethos and philosophy hasn’t changed at all over the years.  So it doesn’t matter which bits of my career the songs come from. They’re still me telling my truth.”

And what truth will that be? “The new show’s going to be called ‘Us + Them’ because it’s really specifically about the line from this 1973 song ‘Us and Them’ that goes ‘With, without/And who’ll deny that’s what the fighting’s all about.’ Because the main message that I have to propagate, if I can, is embodied in the (concept) that the idea of perpetual war, which has been embraced by the neocons particularly in the United States of America, is an entirely wrong way for the human race to live… There’s a different way of organizing the human race that is better than this way. This way is driven by the greed of the few. There is so much money to be made out of killing people, and incarcerating people as well, that it’s a good model for people who are emotionally dead — like Donald Trump, for instance.”

Waters says that although the upcoming album — due to be his first rock studio album since 1992’s Amused to Death — is still well short of completion, he expects to have it in fans’ hands before the tour begins in May. He’s been working in L.A. with producer Nigel Godrich, of Radiohead collaborating fame.

A near-complete list of dates follows (with shows in San Antonio and Winnipeg set to be announced later). Watch Billboard for a complete Q&A with Waters that will cover how he put together his Desert Trip shows and the even stronger statement about Trump that he wanted to say before he put a check on himself.

Waters’ “Us + Them” 2017 North American dates:

May 26           Kansas City, MO        Sprint Center

May 28           Louisville, KY             KFC Yum! Center

May 30           St. Louis, MO              Scottrade Center

June 1                         Tulsa, OK                    BOK Center

June 3             Denver, CO                 Pepsi Center

June 7             San Jose, CA               SAP Center at San Jose

June 12                      Sacramento, CA         Golden 1 Center

June 14                      Phoenix, AZ                Gila River Arena

June 16                      Las Vegas, NV T-Mobile Arena

June 20                      Los Angeles, CA          STAPLES Center

June 21                      Los Angeles, CA          STAPLES Center

June 24                      Seattle, WA                 Tacoma Dome

July 3              Dallas, TX                   American Airlines Center

July 6              Houston, TX               Toyota Center

July 11                        Tampa, FL                  Amalie Arena

July 13                        Miami, FL                    American Airlines Arena

July 16                        Atlanta, GA                 Infinite Energy Arena

July 18                        Greensboro, NC          Greensboro Coliseum

July 20                        Columbus, OH            Nationwide Arena

July 22                        Chicago, IL                  United Center

July 23                        Chicago, IL                  United Center

July 26                        St. Paul, MN                Xcel Energy Center

August 2                     Detroit, MI                  The Palace of Auburn Hills

August 4                     Washington, DC         Verizon Center

August 8                     Philadelphia, PA        Wells Fargo Center

August 9                     Philadelphia, PA        Wells Fargo Center

Sept. 7                        Newark, NJ                 Prudential Center

Sept. 11                      Brooklyn, NY              Barclays Center

Sept. 12                      Brooklyn, NY              Barclays Center

Sept. 15                      Uniondale, NY            Nassau Coliseum

Sept. 19                      Pittsburgh, PA                       PPG Paints Arena     

Sept. 27           Boston, MA                TD Garden

Sept. 28                      Boston, MA                 TD Garden

Oct. 2              Toronto, ON               Air Canada Centre

Oct. 3              Toronto, ON               Air Canada Centre

Oct. 6              Quebec City, QC         Videotron Centre

Oct. 10                        Ottawa, ON                 Canadian Tire Centre

Oct. 16                        Montreal, QC              Bell Centre

Oct. 24                        Edmonton, AB            Rogers Place

Oct. 28                        Vancouver, BC           Rogers Arena

Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox

Want to know what everyone in the music business is talking about?

Get in the know on.

Billboard is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2024 Billboard Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

optional screen reader

Charts expand charts menu.

  • Billboard Hot 100™
  • Billboard 200™
  • Hits Of The World™
  • TikTok Billboard Top 50
  • Song Breaker
  • Year-End Charts
  • Decade-End Charts

Music Expand music menu

  • R&B/Hip-Hop

Culture Expand culture menu

Media expand media menu, business expand business menu.

  • Business News
  • Record Labels
  • View All Pro

Pro Tools Expand pro-tools menu

  • Songwriters & Producers
  • Artist Index
  • Royalty Calculator
  • Market Watch
  • Industry Events Calendar

Billboard Español Expand billboard-espanol menu

  • Cultura y Entretenimiento

Honda Music Expand honda-music menu

Quantcast

Pink Floyd, “Us And Them”

by Jim Beviglia November 4, 2018, 5:49 pm

pink floyd us and them tour

Videos by American Songwriter

People often add science-fiction connotations to Pink Floyd’s 1972 masterwork Dark Side Of The Moon , and there is no doubt that the music contained can levitate listeners to uncharted astral territories. But the titular phrase could easily have been “around the bend” or “out where the buses don’t run,” because this is a song cycle about the very earthly problem of madness.

So it is that the songs on the album catalog all the things that can drive a person crazy, including the pressures exerted by modernity, time and money. “Us And Them” directs its attention to war. It wouldn’t be the last time that Floyd’s chief lyricist Roger Waters would tackle this subject. But it’s arguable whether or not he was ever again able to detail the folly and inanity of war with such simple eloquence.

It is important to note as well that Waters was aided in his efforts by the stunning beauty of the music composed by Pink Floyd keyboardist Rick Wright. The music is languid and restrained in the verses, before rising to fever-pitch intensity in the refrains. Wright’s plaintive piano, David Gilmour’s bluesy guitar and Dick Parry’s wailing saxophone all weave in and out of the picture while bassist Waters and drummer Nic Mason steer the rhythm from a lazy lope to a frenzied sprint.

What’s striking about Waters’ lyrics in the verses is how he says so much with so little. “Us and them/ And after all we’re only ordinary men,” it begins, Gilmour singing in a lilting deadpan, “Me and you/ God only knows it’s not what we would choose to do.” The narrator is speaking directly to the person who is supposed to be his enemy.

In the second verse, the lyrics hint that the divisions between people are random and pointless: “Black and blue/ And who knows which is which, and who is who?” The cyclical nature of it all also threatens one’s sanity: “Up and down/ And in the end it’s only round and round.” More damning is the narrator’s final conclusion in the last verse about the reasons for these wars: “With, without/ And who’ll deny it’s what the fighting about?”

In the refrains, Waters’ lyrics, as delivered by the anguished harmonies of Gilmour and Wright, start to take direct hits at the higher-ups who make decisions that cost lives without risking their own: “’Forward,’ he cried from the rear and the front flank died/ And the general sat and the lines on the map moved from side to side.” The song closes out with death as well, but not before an interstitial monologue by an associate of the band about a fistfight, proving that violence is endemic in society even on the micro level.

Waters clearly realizes that the song’s themes still translate well; he labelled his most recent live jaunt the Us & Them tour. And he spoke of the song’s continued relevance in an interview with AZCentral. “The title of the tour is from a song I wrote in 1972,” he said. “And sadly, what I was writing about then, the problems are still with us. Which is not surprising. It’s a nanosecond in cosmic timelines. A tiny amount of time has passed and evolution is a fascinating process but it does take a while.”

Dark Side Of The Moon  was the album where it all came together for Pink Floyd, as their musical flights of fancy met Roger Waters’ grounding lyrical concerns right in the sweet spot. “Us And Them” is a highlight among highlights on that stunning record, a song that claims that war isn’t just hell; it’s insane as well.

Read the lyrics.

pink floyd us and them tour

Charles Bradley: Black Velvet

© 2024 American Songwriter

pink floyd us and them tour

Band, orchestra shine in Music of Pink Floyd show at Heinz Hall

Harry Funk

Half a century after its release, audiophiles continue to demonstrate their latest gear by playing Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side of the Moon.”

The landmark LP by the British band not only pushed the boundaries of recorded clarity and depth, but its popularity is practically unparalleled, with 45 million copies sold and much of its content a staple of classic rock radio.

So at first glance, a complete performance of the album as the first set of a concert would seem to render what followed somewhat anticlimactic.

That was far from the case when Windborne Music brought its Music of Pink Floyd show to Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts, enhanced in sonically stellar fashion by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra .

Following intermission on Tuesday came a series of creatively arranged selections from Floyd’s post-“Dark Side” projects, including another 30-plus-million seller, “The Wall.”

The evening added up to a night of nostalgia for much of the audience, as recognized by Windborne lead singer Randy Jackson, who dedicated “Hey You” to folks over 50 who saw the actual Pink Floyd. But plenty of people who had yet to be born when the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers last played Pittsburgh, at Three Rivers Stadium in 1994, were present to sing along with the likes of “Wish You Were Here” and chart-topper “Another Brick in the Wall Part 2.”

Speaking of which, Jackson and Windborne founder-conductor-arranger Brent Havens invited five lucky fans onstage to help belt out the latter’s “We don’t need no education/We don’t need no thought control” chorus. And Havens handed his baton to a youngster who identified himself as Jonathan, giving him the opportunity to lead an orchestra, plus something to brag about at school on Wednesday.

The night’s rendition of “The Dark Side of the Moon” was fairly faithful to the original, including lead guitarist George Cintron doing a tremendous job replicating David Gilmour’s celebrated solo in “Time” and saxophonist Eddie Williams following in Dick Parry’s footsteps during “Money and “Us and Them.”

• Zach Bryan, Donnie Iris, Fall Out Boy highlight March's top Pittsburgh concerts • Guitarist Selwyn Birchwood, nominated for 4 Blues Music Awards, heading to Pittsburgh • 2024 Pittsburgh area concert calendar

A highlight of the album is Claire Torry’s wordless vocals on “The Great Gig in the Sky,” and Windborne’s Ann Marie Nacchio delivered a stunningly soaring version, with keyboard player Justin Avery backing her à la “Gig” co-composer Richard Wright.

Drummer Powell Randolph took the spotlight during the techno-instrumental “On the Run,” and Jackson added an effects-laden second guitar to “Any Colour You Like” prior to the set-closing coupling of “Brain Damage” and — the working title for “Dark Side,” incidentally — “Eclipse.”

The second half of the show featured other songs from “The Wall,” beginning with “Is There Anybody Out There?” and wrapping up with “Run Like Hell.” In between was “Comfortably Numb,” featuring Cintron again channeling Gilmour on the outro.

Other tunes in the setlist appear on Pink Floyd’s “A Momentary Lapse of Reason,” the 1987 album that Gilmour, Wright and drummer Nick Mason released after the departure of bassist-lyricist Roger Waters. Floyd fans will recall that the quartet reunited for a one-off performance in 2005, three years before Wright’s death.

And rock aficionados in general know that the band was co-founded by Roger “Syd” Barrett (1945-2006), who composed the majority of the 1967 debut LP, “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn,” before Gilmour replaced him the following year.

Fast-forward to 2024, and a packed Heinz Hall audience was able to see — and more importantly, given the orchestra’s presence, hear — a distinctive tribute to one of history’s most enduring musical acts.

Just ask the audiophiles who still love to listen to “The Dark Side of the Moon.”

Harry Funk is a TribLive news editor, specifically serving as editor of the Hampton, North Allegheny, North Hills, Pine Creek and Bethel Park journals. A professional journalist since 1985, he joined TribLive in 2022. You can contact Harry at [email protected] .

Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.

Get Ad-Free >

Setlist First set: • "Speak to Me" (Nick Mason) • "Breathe" (David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Richard Wright) • "On the Run" (Gilmour, Waters) • "Time" (Gilmour, Mason, Waters, Wright) • "The Great Gig In the Sky" (Wright, Claire Torry) • "Money" (Waters) • "Us and Them" (Waters, Wright) • "Any Colour You Like" (Gilmour, Mason, Wright) • "Brain Damage" (Waters) • "Eclipse" (Waters) Second set: • "Is There Anybody Out There?" (Waters) • "Hey You" (Waters) • "Another Brick In The Wall Part 2" (Waters) • "Signs of Life" (Gilmour, Bob Ezrin) • "On the Turning Away" (Gilmour, Anthony Moore) • "Learning to Fly" (Gilmour, Ezrin, Moore, Jon Carin) • "Comfortably Numb" (Gilmour, Waters) • "Wish You Were Here" (Gilmour, Waters) • "Run Like Hell" (Gilmour, Waters)

TribLIVE's Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need, right to your inbox.

A spectacular solar eclipse requires the right spectacles

setlist.fm logo

  • Statistics Stats
  • You are here:

This Day in 1968 Pink Floyd Kick Off First North American Tour

  • General News
  • Last updated: 8 Jul 2022, 17:41:12
  • Published: 8 Jul 2022, 17:00:00
  • Written by: Asal Shah
  • Photography by: Michael Ochs Archives
  • Categories: General News Tagged: Pink Floyd Pink Floyd World Tour 1968

Fifty-four years have passed since classic rock legends Pink Floyd embarked on their very first North American Tour. The outing was part of their 1968 World Tour where they visited Europe before heading to the States.

1968 was a pivotal year for PF, as their former lead singer Syd Barrett left the band officially in April, and stopped playing with them as early as January. The tour kicked off in Europe in February and David Gilmour became the main frontman, dropping most of Barrett's songs from the setlist.

On July 8th, PF headed to North America for their first tour. It kicked off in Chicago at the short-lived Electric Theater. We don't have the setlist details but other setlists from the tour tell us that PF was still performing two Barrett-composed tracks: "Interstellar Overdrive" and "Astronomy Domine."

According to our setlist archives, they also would weave in "A Saucerful of Secrets," "Set Controls for the Heart of the Sun," "Flaming," "Matilda Mother," "Let There Be More Light," "Remember a Day," "Careful with That Axe, Eugene," "Pow R. Toc H.," and "Paintbox" - All very early era PF songs you'd rarely hear in their later years with the exception of "Astronomy Domine."

Another rare performance they would do on the tour was an early, shorter version of "A Saucerful of Secrets," called "The Massed Gadgets of Hercules." This was also the year they included a large gong as part of the shows on the tour.

The North American leg lasted over a month, wrapping up on August 24th in Torrance, California.

While Pink Floyd haven't performed together in over a decade, David Gilmour and Roger Waters continue to perform PF songs as solo artists.

Latest News

pink floyd us and them tour

Halestorm and I Prevail Announce Co-Headlining Summer Tour

pink floyd us and them tour

Unlocked: Cherry Glazerr

pink floyd us and them tour

Nicki Minaj Kicks Off Pink Friday 2 Tour with Nine Live Debuts

pink floyd us and them tour

Editors Kick Off Their UK/EU Tour In Newcastle

Most played songs.

  • Money ( 537 )
  • Us and Them ( 498 )
  • Time ( 480 )
  • One of These Days ( 468 )
  • Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V) ( 412 )

More Pink Floyd statistics

Gigs seen live by

8,201 people have seen Pink Floyd live.

RobertPryke Tabbygentleman RecorderInquiry petefloyd Megachris birgerb2 Bibbo karenwells n_ftc Linds88 NicolaDolby PepsJam Swiggsy winstonscott AaronLG Crugsy Floyd88 Weta Beatletodd trigfoot Lucky_Micky LPCC R_Kuonen Kai-M Dawny_80 trisbayliff cactus128 Bushyjacko Stukaz snicky TheNev MrsSharples MatthewDev kiwitheiwik Ash137 SpaceAceJase edgeyside2005 bluemoondust SeamusLexy davonovo Mitch53 mwebb1 feis0021 HammerSaints helpsbothways JXXB radiojazzz niceguydave willars rycu

Showing only 50 most recent

Pink Floyd setlists

More from this Artist

  • More Setlists
  • Artist Statistics
  • Add setlist
  • Setlist Insider See the artists dive into their own setlist data.
  • Live Debuts Witness the first time a song is performed live.
  • Setlist.fm Exclusives Videos, photos and interviews - see it here first.
  • Covers Better than the original? You decide.
  • Guest Appearances Keeping track of the on-stage cameos.
  • Setlist History Looking back on moments in music history.
  • Tour Dates How to catch your faves: The who, what, where and when.
  • Festivals News about the multi-artist, multi-day extravaganzas.
  • General News Other music-related news.
  • Mar 3, 2024
  • Mar 2, 2024
  • Mar 1, 2024
  • Feb 29, 2024
  • Feb 28, 2024
  • Feb 27, 2024
  • FAQ | Help | About
  • Terms of Service
  • Ad Choices | Privacy Policy
  • Feature requests
  • Songtexte.com

pink floyd us and them tour

Roger Waters unveils plans for massive 2017 Us + Them tour of North America

British rocker Roger Waters backstage at last weekend's Desert Trip festival in Indio on a bill he shared with Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, the Who and Neil Young.

  • Show more sharing options
  • Copy Link URL Copied!

Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters will mount a solo tour in 2017, and the trek has a mission. Waters intends for the concerts to address societal, political and cultural divisiveness.

The Us + Them outing is scheduled to make at least 40 stops across the U.S. and Canada beginning May 26 in Kansas City, Mo., and reaching Los Angeles for concerts on June 20 and 21 at Staples Center.

Waters says the production will follow in the tradition of large-scale concert presentations he’s been known for since Pink Floyd’s monumental performances in the 1970s and 1980s. The tour gets its name from the “Us and Them” track on Pink Floyd’s blockbuster 1973 album, “The Dark Side of the Moon.”

Waters, 73, said the inspiration comes from a specific line in “Us and Them.” “With, without,” Waters sings in the song, “and who’ll deny it’s what the fighting is all about.’”

“The answer to that question is: Pretty much everyone will deny it,” Waters told The Times during an interview backstage at the Desert Trip festival in Indio, where he returns to conclude the event’s second weekend with his performance Sunday evening. “That thinking is everywhere: ‘We’re right and they’re wrong.’”

See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour »

The new tour follows his 2010-13 outing, The Wall Live, in which he mounted a massive staging of Pink Floyd’s 1979 concept album “The Wall.” It drew more than 4 million fans to its 219 performances and is one of the highest-grossing concert tours in history, taking in $458 million.

This time out, Waters will bring in a broader span of music from his years with Pink Floyd as well as his subsequent solo career, including new material from an album he’s working on this fall. He said he plans to release the work in the spring in conjunction with the start of the tour.

“‘The Wall’ was a coherent single narrative, with characters in it, a bit of plotting,” the British rocker said. “But the obsession in ‘The Wall’ — with being left by the wife, the teacher and all that stuff from my childhood — is not part of the narrative I’m interested in exploring any more. I’ve done that. That’s gone.

“What I’m more interested in exploring is how do we bring us and them together?” he said. “How do we reach out to one another? How do we hold hands? How do we create a system of cooperation in conflict resolution to replace the idea of perpetual war, which is completely accepted in many areas of American society?”

Roger Waters brought an epic new production to the Desert Trip classic-rock festival in Indio.

For Waters, the answer is simple.

“The show will be centered on love and the idea of the transcendental nature of the acceptance of love,” he said. “Everything springs from that central idea of this new work.”

He had a more aggressive statement at the first weekend of Desert Trip. His celebrated floating pig was present in Indio, with the words “Divided We Fall” visible on one side, an unprintable criticism of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on the other and large Xs over its eyes. He used other aspects of the performance to communicate his not-so-friendly feelings about Trump.

“I lie in the absolute antithesis of where … Trump lies, in that I know that walls are a really, really bad idea — always,” Waters said. “Trump has tried to zero in on the sense of defeat in the middle and working class working community here in America.

“He has succeed to some extent in that, using smoke and mirrors, he has persuaded large numbers of Americans that everything is ‘their’ fault — they are to blame: The Chinese are to blame, Mexicans are to blame, Muslims are to blame.”

Waters said the Us + Them show will touch on those issues.

“Everybody else is to blame for their sense of defeat, when in fact the 1% have been [exploiting] them essentially since the Second World War,” Waters said.

Sitting in his artists’ trailer backstage at Desert Trip just minutes before Bob Dylan was to perform, Waters refuted any suggestion that the power of popular music as an agent of social and political change was strictly in the past.

“It’s coming back,” he said. “Protest is not dead. The spirit of Woody Guthrie and Huddie Ledbetter [folk-blues singer Lead Belly] and all the rest still lives on.”

“None of this is lofty,” he continued. “It’s just pragmatic stuff we have lost sight of. We’ve lost sight of being able to love one another. That is what I’ll spend my remaining years doing: trying to shine a light on that possibility.”

Tickets for the Us + Them tour go on sale Oct. 21, with presale of VIP packages starting on Oct. 17. Full ticket information is available at RogerWaters.com or AEGLive.com

[email protected]

Follow @RandyLewis2 on Twitter.com

For Classic Rock coverage, join us on Facebook

In a ‘radical’ choice, Bob Dylan wins the Nobel Prize in literature

Backstage at Desert Trip, Roger Waters on Trump’s wall and ‘the biggest quadrophonic sound system’

Roger Waters comes ready to rumble and hits his mark on closing night of Desert Trip’s first weekend

Paul Simon on late-career peak with ‘Stranger to Stranger’ album

They feel you: Depeche Mode is coming back with a new tour and studio album

More to Read

Norah Jones (Joelle Grace Taylor / Blue Note Records)

Norah Jones on her surprising new album and the old song that’s almost ‘too sad’ to play

March 4, 2024

Sean Combs arrives at a pre-Grammy party

Diddy’s ‘Love’ producer Lil Rod accuses him and associates of sexual assault, illicit behavior

Feb. 27, 2024

Josh Homme of Queens Of The Stone Age performs at The O2 Arena on November 15, 2023 in London, England.

His music is still hard as nails. But nowadays, Josh Homme loves a good cry

Dec. 12, 2023

It's a date

Get our L.A. Goes Out newsletter, with the week's best events, to help you explore and experience our city.

You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.

More From the Los Angeles Times

A man in a cream, wide-brimmed hat with aa bear and tattoos on his forearm sitting at and playing a drumkit on a stage

Brit Turner, drummer for Blackberry Smoke, dies at 57 after brain cancer battle

A photo of Taylor Swift with bangs and her hair in a side ponytail. On the right, a black-and-white photo of Emily Dickinson

Taylor Swift and Emily Dickinson aren’t just acclaimed writers. They’re distant relatives

FILE - First lady Jill Biden accepts the award for best song for social change on behalf of Shervin Hajipour for "Baraye" at the 65th annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 5, 2023, in Los Angeles. The Iranian singer who won a Grammy presented by U.S. President Joe Biden's wife said Friday, March 1, 2024, that he had been sentenced to over three years in prison over his anthem supporting the 2022 protests over the death of Mahsa Amini. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

World & Nation

Iranian singer who won Grammy for Mahsa Amini protest anthem is sentenced to prison in Iran

March 1, 2024

Karol G points to her newly won Grammy Award trophy

FAA investigates after Karol G’s private plane makes emergency landing in Van Nuys

Songfacts Logo

  • Songwriter Interviews
  • Song Writing
  • Fact or Fiction
  • They're Playing My Song
  • Songfacts Pages
  • Songwriting Legends
  • Songfacts Podcast
  • Amanda Flinner
  • Bruce Pollock
  • Corey O'Flanagan
  • Dan MacIntosh
  • Laura Antonelli
  • Leslie Michele Derrough
  • Maggie Grimason
  • Nicole Roberge
  • Roger Catlin
  • Shawna Ortega
  • Trevor Morelli

Us And Them by Pink Floyd

pink floyd us and them tour

Songfacts®:

  • This began as a piano piece Rick Wright came up with while working on the soundtrack to the 1970 movie Zabriskie Point . It didn't make the soundtrack, but they worked with it at the Dark Side of the Moon sessions and it eventually became this song. The director of Zabriskie Point , Michelangelo Antonioni, rejected the song for being "beautiful, but too sad... it makes me think of church."
  • Zabriskie Point was one of the first soundtracks Pink Floyd worked on. They put a lot of work into it, but the director ended up using only 3 of their songs. Floyd also worked on soundtracks for the movies More , The Valley , and Tonight Let's All Make Love In London .
  • The band refereed to this as "The Violence Sequence" because they worked on it for a very violent scene in the movie.
  • Dave Gilmour sings lead, but this song was written by Roger Waters and Pink Floyd keyboard player Rick Wright. Some of Wright's other songwriting credits include "Breathe," "Great Big Gid In The Sky," and "One Of These Days," but by the late '70s Waters ended up doing most of the writing himself, and he wrote all the songs on their 1983 album The Final Cut . Talking about Wright's compositions, Waters said in a 2003 interview with Uncut : "He would write odd bits. He secreted them away and put them on those solo albums he made and were never heard. He never shared them. It was unbelievably stupid. I never understood why he did that. I'm sure there were two or three decent chord sequences. If he'd given them to me, I would have been very, very happy to make something with them."
  • One of Pink Floyd's first uses of female backup singers. They brought in Liza Strike, Leslie Duncan and Doris Troy to sing harmonies. Troy had a hit on her own with "Just One Look."
  • Like other songs on the album, this contains the ramblings of random voices. Roger Waters made flashcards with questions on them and recorded different people around the studio answering them. He showed one to a weird roadie for another band named Roger The Hat, who got the question "When was the last time you thumped somebody." His answer made it onto this song, which is the part about giving someone a "short, sharp shock."
  • Along with " Money ," this was one of 2 songs on the album to use a sax, which was played by Dick Parry.
  • The engineer for the album was Alan Parsons , who also worked on The Beatles' Abbey Road album. Some of the production techniques on this are similar to the suite of songs at the end of that album, especially " Sun King ." Parsons went on to form his own band called The Alan Parsons Project, which had a hit in 1982 with " Eye In The Sky ."
  • Pink Floyd's record company was originally hesitant to release this track because it was felt that the signature melody line was extremely depressing. >> Suggestion credit : Joe - Piscataway, NJ
  • In the Dark Side Of The Rainbow theory (that Dark Side of the Moon acts as a soundtrack to The Wizard Of Oz ), the line, "And who knows which is which and who is who," occurs after the Wicked Witch of the West appears and she is first seen with Dorothy and Glinda, the good witch on the opposite side of the screen. According to Roger Waters, any relationship between the movie and album is purely coincidental, but he did hear that Willie Nelson tried it on his tour bus . >> Suggestion credit : Adrian - Brookings, SD
  • When this was recorded, Rick Wright played the song's jazz-influenced grand piano to what he thought was the rest of the band playing in the next studio. In fact they weren't present and it was a recording made earlier. What started as a prank became, according to Alan Parsons in Mojo magazine, "one of the best things Rick ever did."
  • More songs from Pink Floyd
  • More songs with a saxophone part
  • More songs with an organ
  • More songs from 1973
  • Lyrics to Us And Them
  • Pink Floyd Artistfacts

Comments: 90

  • Gave Drohl from England About the use of the word "slice", it almost definitely means a slice of cake like you'd get at a cafe/restaurant.
  • Ryan T from Richland, Washington I have always been a huge Pink Floyd follower, the melodies and lyrical chaos have given me wonderful memories. I know most people love The wall, and yes its fantastic but Dark side of the moon thats my favorite. Oh yeah the lyrics to Us and Them everybody says its about war. My view OS not just any war but "civil war" us against the government
  • Mjmcnult from Vancouver, Bc Replying to: David of Toronto: "Tea and a slice" refers to a cup of tea and a slice of bread or toast, which was a mainstay meal/snack for many in Britain during wartime and other tough times. George Orwell makes numerous references to "tea-and-two-slices" in his book Down and Out in Paris and London, so it's at least possible that Pink Floyd was influenced by that book.
  • Brann from Australia Uncanny sense of world events...
  • Dale from Leander, Texas Anyone else notice an uncanny similarity between this song and Alan Parsons' later hit single "Time"?
  • Jim from Columbus, Ms Could be cake, but apparently having a piece of fried bread is an English thing. Considering that a cup of tea and a slice of bread would likely be the cheapest item on the menu, it fits the basic idea of the lyric.
  • Jodie from Xx What does slice mean? Tea and a slice. Do they mean Lemon? Slice of Lemon? Bread?
  • Kimberly from Landing, Nj For our country. Science seen and heard for what its worth are the values. Trust in our times of trial. And let's all remember our truth.
  • Drake from Huntington Beach, Ca The lyrics tell about the battle between the different factions of time, I think? The first few stanzas tell about how men would do things to be invincible, but their all the same. Both second and thirds stanzas tell about the British against the colonies.
  • David from Toronto, On Love this song but I've always been puzzled by "for want of the price of tea and a slice, the old man died" SLICE of what? Is pizza by the slice in the English jargon?
  • Bonnie from Natick, Ma It's about the Kent State Shootings which took place on May 4, 1970. The Ohio National Guard opened fire on a group of students and activists who had been protesting Nixon's invasion of Cambodia for three days. Four students were killed and Nine others were injured, one of those injured was permanently paralyzed. This song is absolutely about that devastating event in our nation's history.
  • Kevin from San Jose, Costa Rica war is so pointless i wish we could all go back to the 70s and 80s for a day or two to think of war as the most ubsured thing in this universe
  • Sunny from Calcutta, India the most precious ever comment made on earth would be wrong to judge these people!! m/ Pink Floyd Lives!!
  • Tomás from [email protected], Argentina I´m reading a Richard Hoggart´s book called "Uses of Literacy" (from 1957). Richard Hoggart is considered the founder of Cultural Studies, whose followers are Raymond Williams, Edward Thompson, Stuart Hall, etc. The book is about northern England´s working class, and the development of Mass-media culture in between those people. The third chapter is called "Us and Them", and, when I started reading it, the lyrics of this song came to me. Hoggart says that the working class organizes their world from an estructural oposition, "us" and "them". "Them" are the police, their bosses, the people who sent them to war, the people that make their fortunes making them work. "Us" is the people. I don´t know if Waters read the book, or if he heard about it, but, perhaps, the cosmic burocracy -or the looking for social justice- made them meet. "Up and down", "with, without", are strong metaphores we can´t ignore.
  • Doug from Kansas City, Mo well i just dont do drugs anymore. Dont seem to listen to PF much anymore either. Just a coincidence.
  • John from Zwickau, Germany If you want to listen to another amazing creative attempt at Us and Them, listen to the version by Easy-Star All-Stars. As a matter of fact. People should buy Dub Side of The Moon which is the reggae version made by them. I swear I was skeptical but it really is good. Us and Them is one of my favorite songs of all-time and Easy Star did a good job.
  • Alan from London, United Kingdom I used to have a cassette tape that I recorded off the radio with the original interviews that contained the over dubs that were put on dsotm . As the album was recorded questionaires were handed out , what are your views on life , money death when di you last hit someone etc the interesting replys went on to be interviewed and the rest is history .The Guy 'I've always been mad etc' was a roadie called roger the hat and he features quite a lot .He explains . I was going along near wher my brother lives in Northwood Hills and this bloke called me a long haired git , I wasn't going to be put upon in this manner so I hit him , he got off light cos I could have given him athrashing I mean good manners dont cost nothing . The tape was in my player when it got stolen has anyone got a copy or remember the broadcast on Capital Radio with Nicky Horne ?
  • Hamed from Mashad, Iran Dear Guy, Tel Aviv, Israel I really enjoyed your comment. I am Ok with you. I think If Gilmour had any Talent he could show it in his solo Albums which are not at all comparable to Waters'; e.g. Amused To Death is, I think, the best album ever released.
  • Lee from London, United Kingdom remember that roger & crew (and me)were born in England from parents who lived during the war. It left an impact on my generation and my father's memories in the RAF will also be with me. That's part of PF's message. Learn from it.
  • Bobbye from Scottsdale, Az I am 75 years old and I think the music is absolutely beautiful and the lyrics profound.
  • Mario Anthar from Tijuana, Mexico People come up to me and beg me to tell them what this song is about, I'm the only one around that speaks english, so I tell them... their expression changes as they come to realize that this is not a love or a romantic song. On the other hand, I have been witness to lots of people becoming interested in Floyd's lyrics and eventually fans because of this song.
  • Rahul from Chennai, India beautiful....absolutely beautiful.... i think this even beats comfortably numb and wish u were here...
  • Mike from Santa Barbara, Ca Beautiful song, it's Pink Floyd's best.
  • Drew from Grand Rapids, Mi I think that Linus and Elysia have it right. This song is layered. I'm sure not even the Floyd them selves would want to pigeon hole this one. "Us and Them" is such a great piece of art it can be applied to explain almost anything regarding opposites. differences in opinion, separation, empathy, misunderstanding, conflict of many kinds, etc. I believe the "us and them" theme is relevant on all levels in this world. ie. From the kiddies at school, black culture, white culture, Christianity, Islam, big corporations, factory workers, up & down, with & without, opinion & no opinion. The look of "the other". Difference in opinion. Other minds. Us and well......them. Were not gonna have the same opinions. We were all given minds. You are you, I am me. This blog on "song facts" represents the difference in opinions perfectly. Us and them. Many people are dead set on labeling this song as a war song. It's certainly not us that is labeling it, its them. You dig? Who knows which is which and who is who?
  • Oldpink from New Castle, In Austin from Dallas, Texas, kindly go back to your bong, and quit posting such nonsense.
  • Oldpink from New Castle, In This is my favorite song, from ANYONE. The lyrics are absolutely mesmerizing, the vocals are so dreamy/melancholy, and Dave and Rick turn in some of their most beautiful work on their respective instruments. It is fortuitous indeed that Antonioni rejected this for the "Zabriskie Point" soundtrack, thus making it possible for the band to do a VERY few live performances of it (only two live recordings exist!) before they incorporated it into what was then called "Eclipsed" suite. Eclipsed later became to be known and much loved as "Dark Side of the Moon." A true masterpiece.
  • Austin from Dallas, Tx the song, or atleast the second half of the song is directly referring to the boston tea party, the man with the poster is holding a poster that is declaring the unjust tax that the british were putting on the americans, then he tells them to go into the room where there is alot of it (tea) about, which is being thrown everywhere with and without, and it can not be helped to because it is being heaved into the ocean, which is undeniably what the fighting is about. also the final conclusion to be made that the song is about the boston tea party, is in the end when it is said purpose of the fighting was "for want of the price of a tea and a slice" thats why the americans did what they did that "buisy day" boston harbor, to show their hate of the unfair taxes on tea.
  • Billy J from San Antonio, Tx I have listened to PF for decades and maybe old age but after the line "haven't you heard its a battle of words" I hear "and most of them are lies" and as one listener previously stated I also hear "Out of the way its a busy day and nothings on my mind '.Like I said maybe old age
  • Trey from Kalamazoo, Mt This is my favorite Pink Floyd song. It's awesome to watch to the Wiz of Oz. When (in the song) they say the word "die" the witch appears and a bunch of munchkins fall over dead. That was freaky. The sax part is very moving.
  • Steven from Sparks, Nv To assume that "Us and Them" is solely about war is to draw a superficial conclusion. Yes, "War" serves as a metaphor for the separative mentality that modern day people have. But the "Down and Out" stanza is about our refusal to help others in need, because we have "things to do". Pink Floyd is saying that for the money it would cost for "tea and a slice", an old man died. This song is about closed-mindedness and the majority of peoples' inability to empathize with another's plight, and to furthermore act on this inability, i.e. the general who doesn't fight alongside his men.
  • Nat Scott from Brunswick, Ga "Us and them" is the philosophy of life that enables one to hate. This philosophy is one of exclusivity that can never create anything but strife. It is this principal of comparison that allows us to sit on our teeter totter where we find ourselves Up looking down at those below us or Down looking up at those above us. Either way we lose because with comparison we never find a state of equanimity."Us and them" living is the way of life that ultimately leads to an end known as war. There is no us and them; only we. I think this is what PF was getting at.
  • Jk from Tampa, Fl I assume Roger Waters wrote all of the lyrics to this song. "Forward he cried from the rear and the front rank died. And the general sat, and the lines on the map, moved from side to side." have become only too true in this bogus war.
  • Allie from A Little Ol' Town In, Mi i love this song, other than Wish you were here, this is my all time favourite pink floyd song!!!!!!!! Good Sax and awesome lyrics, if you listen to the beginning, you can hear one of them say "i don't know i was really drunk at the time" hahahahaha!!BUt this song is awesome, i use this to fall asleep sometimes. I don't know why, i think it's the free flowing sax and piano and the backup singing!!!!!AWESOME SONG!!!!!!!!
  • David from Deerfield Beach, Fl Posted on 11/7/2007. Pink Floyd made a lot of great music but this song along with "Comfortably Numb" ranks as one of my all-time favorites by them. Just a classic if there ever was one and a masterpiece in my opinion. This song is just so soothing and relaxing, and down-right hypnotic even! For some reason this song makes me imagine an Apollo capsule traveling silently thru space on the way to the moon, or one of those serene space travel scenes in "2001: A Space Odyssey" when they are playing "The Blue Danube" or something. Maybe I'm imagining this cuz this album came out close to the time when all that was happening, or maybe it's cuz "Dark Side Of The Moon" was just so cosmic. I don't know. Anyways, what a great song!
  • Steveb from Spokane, Wa "forward he cried, from the rear, and the front rank died" As the man in charge, who sits safely at the back of combat cries 'forward' the "front rank" meaning the first line of people perishes at command. "And the general sat, and the lines on the map, moved from side to side" while some commanding politician(IE, president Nixon, president Bush) sits back in their office giving orders, their soldiers who they view as nothing more than fodder, lines on a map, do as they are told for no good reason but obedience. "Black and blue, and who knows which is which and who is who" simply referring to how someone becomes black and blue after a physical confrontation, and how war leaves a wake of death and injury too confusing and chaotic to measure... "Up and Down, and in the end, its only round and round" speaks of the pattern of history, despite wars and triumphs of nations, all civilizations which are on top will fall(yes, even America) as the Greeks did and be replaced by another in a cycle of futility. "Haven't you heard its a battle of words, the poster bearer cried?" an idealistic person tries to get out to the world that it can all be resolved with an ounce of logic and understanding, "Listen son, said the man with the gun, there's room for you inside" he is silenced and recruited by the overwhelming sway of the militaristic agenda. "Down and out, it can't be helped, but there's a lot of it about" Death is all over, and nothing can be done about it as we've made it a way of life.. "With, without, and who'll deny its what the fighting's all about?" Every war ever started has been for the desire of what one nation has and one doesn't, all the death is a result of greed. "Out of the way, its a busy day, and nothing's on my mind" This is from the perspective of the war-mongering politician, or pro-war citizen, who has never seen the line of duty and continues to support it but cannot even begin to comprehend the horror of war and has no worries on his mind about the matter. "For want of the price, of tea and a slice, an old man died" This has always been obscure and hard for me to analyze, but I believe the old man is a reference to Roger's father was fell in combat, and that the price of "tea and a slice" represents how menial these comforts are that lives are taken for, and how each soldier's effort is just in vain. Once again, not about drugs, their songs weren't about drugs at all after Syd left, please don't be stupid, just pay attention to the lyrics a TINY TINY TINY TINY bit and maybe you'll understand them as opposed to ridiculously misinterpreting them.
  • Steveb from Spokane, Wa Us and Them refers to how there are always two sides to any conflict with their own perspectives, in this case a war. "Us and Them, and after all we're only ordinary men" States that despite all propaganda and misconception, each side of the coin consists of humans, pure and alive as the other. "Me and You, god only knows its not what we would choose to do" if the intelligent and aware persons(those who will meet on the dark side of the moon) had any say in it, we wouldn't be going to war,
  • Jeanette from Plymouth, Ma does anyone think the title "us and them" might be related to genocide?
  • Tim from Chicago, Il Katie from Florida - what a nice note! It's always great to hear that some of your age group are interested in music beyond Britney Spears and 50 cent. But when you added Sweetness to your "list" , well, I am very impressed! Walter was truly amazing to watch, getting something from "nothing", then watching him bounce up after getting brutally gang tackled. BTW-this song will always gain energy during times of War.
  • Kim from Corry, Pa ok....to add to this "pink floyd on drugs" discussion, ever since piper, which is safe to say was highly influenced by LSD, floyd never forgot their roots. ever since syd left the group i think they've tried to make each of their songs kind of space rockish, or psychedelic since thats what they first started out as--a psychedelic band. that doesnt mean that they were on drugs when recording their other albums. you can record psychedelic music and not drop the ole acid bombs all the time.
  • Aya from Cairo, Egypt I beleieve the song describes the tendency of people to partition themselves from those who are different, in cases such as war, politics, and social class. It's definitely about war but i believe it also encompasses different races and social classes. It's also alleged that the song was influenced by Roger Waters' father dying in World War II, and this is created by the fact that the music has the slow jazz style, which is usually related to the 40s.
  • Bert from Cape Town, South Africa I'm 56 and I can't stop listening to Pink Floyd. Somehow their music places human behaviour in perspective for me. It's loaded with razor sharp social comment and whenever I listen to them I feel re-assured that there is a truth out there.Their music transpotrs me to an unknown place where only I can see and my whole outlook becomes a different colour for quite some time
  • Markemark from Cincinnati, Oh Shinedown came out with an album called Us and Them
  • Johny from Etw, La A few things to say. When we hear "Out of the way, it's a busy day, I've got things on my mind..." Does anyone hear "Out of the way, It's a busy day, but NOTHINGS on my mind?" I do, and I think it sounds better the second way, as like a contradiction; Go away, I'm busy... Wait... I really don't have anything planned. Interesting. I love how the organ plays the opening chords to the song at the end of money, then leads into it at the beginning. It sounds like the circle of fifths. Very beautiful. I wonder if anyone knows which organ they used. A Wurlitzer?
  • Ben from Nowhere, In Just to clarify, when either Us or Them is assigned in the above comments its proving Waters point. The Us and Them tactic is one that occurs most in a military situation (and usually a right leaning government). The "Us" is the nation, faction, or group that operates using nationalism as a unifing factor. The "Them" refers to any group in opposition. Such thinking is critisized by this song, with the intention of showing how pointless such descriminations are.
  • Kelly from Anchorage, Ak This song is certainly about war, but also has some open-ended, remarkable, genious lyrics which can be applied that can be applied to life in general such as "up and down, but in the end it's only round and round." This song is so powerful with the lyrics, echoes, sax.. you can feel it, it's amazing!
  • Norbert from Oaklahomacity, Or This is one of the most boring songs I ever heard since Joes Garage by {Frank Zappa}
  • Sam from Taunton, Ma i know in this song dave gilmour sings the verses, the "us and them" part, but i am not sure who sings the choruses, rog or rick, cuz it doesn't sound like dave, could someone answer that please.
  • Bill from Erie, Pa Shortly before Syd Barrett split with Floyd, he made an ambiguously sarcastic suggestion that all the band's problems could be solved by adding two female saxophonists to the lineup. Funnily enough, Floyd's biggest success came on an album that had both females (Clare Torry on "Great Gig in the Sky", and the backup singers on this song) and sax (Dick Parry on this song and "Money").
  • Sam from Taunton, Ma Andy, if you are referring to when you hear on the album someone say "I don't know I was really drunk at the time" well you aren't hearing Dave saying how he is drunk you hearing someone answering a question of Roger's written on a flashcards and this one is "Were you in the right", because this random man and his wife had a big fight the night before, and he couldn't remember because he was drunk, geez everyone thinking Pink Floyd is all about drugs are idiots, I don't think Roger wrote one song about drugs, mostly about politics, maybe Syd did, but Roger's floyd era is much more famous.
  • Bridget from Montreal, Canada I love how Roger Waters' wrote such deep meaningful lyrics about the problems in the world and they were still fit into that rock and roll category. I love Led Zeppelin with all my heart, but they never wrote these kinds of lyrics. I hope no one took offence to me comparing 2 of the greats. But lyrically Pink Floyd were just absolutly amazing!!!! The precision of the instruments on this song are amazing and you really feel the impact of the message. Oh yes and I want to add These guys weren't on drugs.
  • Ashley from Moncton, Canada The sax is mellow and beautiful, and the organ is almost a symbol of purity and life. The lyrics contrast this, and it almost becomes sort of demented. Sort of like hysterical yet indifferent, or screaming in the mind while the body is calm. Favourite song on DSOTM I think. Us= the sensible yet powerless ones; Them= the ignorant, destroying, powerful ones killing the world.
  • Michelle from San Diego , Ca oh em gee i totally agree with Dustin...yea maybe they did some drugs but not as hard core as syd...ppl ppl please...the floyd is not a drugband they are more political than anything. Pink Floyd wanted people to come to their shows and actually listen to the music. thats where "The Wall" concept came from. Roger waters wanted to kind of build a "wall" to block out the crazy fans who started riots and used drugs just for the experience at their concerts. thats y Roger Waters spat on a fan. now im not saying that the album the Wall was based on this one fact alone (the fact that he wanted to build a wall to devide the band or himself from the audience)because its not. its based on something entirely different and im not about to get into that discussion it would take too long to state my opinion on that. all im saying is that pink floyd is not a drugband ok? but im not saying you cant listen to them while on a trip cuz u shoud its awesome!
  • Michelle from San Diego , Ca guy, i sort of agree with you but you do know David Gilmour sang "Us and Them" right?
  • James M from Earth, Greece I am having trouble deciding witch is better "Us and them" or "time" there both AMAZING
  • Guy from Tel Aviv, Israel Roger Waters have the most unique and speacial voice I ever heard, Gilmour is a great singer but he doesn't have the psychdelic voice of Roger.
  • Dustin from My Home, In there was one comment in here that comment about how they thought that this song was related to LSD and i would liek to ask WHY DOESE EVERYONE THINK THAT EVERY SONG IS ABOUT DRUGS!! this song is obviously about war now people please stop thnking everything is about drugs
  • Chris from Hamilton, Canada To me this song is about just war. How a soldier on one side is an ordinary man just like the soldier on the other side. It tells of how they know they wouldn't be there if they could. How hundreds die but to a general, simply "the lines on the map moved from side to side". Since they're just people like us you cannot tell the difference. Oppression of those who want to make peace and the fact that the fighting is only for land and the soldiers lives are used so carelessly, they're basically worth "tea and a slice". Thats my theory
  • Andy from Apex, Nc if you listen closely you can hear david gilmour say that he is on heavy drugs and he is drunk during that session.
  • Yuya from Kyoto, Japan This song is best played at the ski hill.
  • Andrew from Livonia, Mi Roger did actuall sing this live before the album was recorded. The Floyd have said that they didn't really think of Dark Side as a "all eggs in a nest" type of album but I think they really must have. David clearly had the best voice in the band. After Dark Sides success they didn't need to sell themselves any more. We hardly ever heard Dave's voice after this album until after Roger left.
  • Katie from Tallahassee, Fl I'm only 15 and was either not around or too young to see Pink Floyd perform live, but I enjoyed the laser and light show at the planitarium in my town. It was unbelievable and breath-taking. I'm not one of those kids who gets messed up and listens to Pink Floyd and is a 'stoner'. I enjoy their music and I have a great respect for how hard it had to be to blend the audio tracks. They are music at it's finest. I was raised listening to this stuff and enjoyed every bit of it. I knew the words and tune to Money before I knew how to read. I recently bought my mom a new remastered copy of Dark Side of the Moon. For Christmas this year, I'm taking her to see the laser and light show. I listen to Pink Floyd literally all the time. There are two things I wish I could've seen. One: See Pink Floyd perform The Dark Side of the Moon or The Wall. Two: See Sweetness (Walter Payton) play a game with the Chicago Bears in his prime.
  • Stan from Brooklyn, Ny This song completely changed my views on war. Made me realize how pointless war is.
  • Josh from Las Vegas, Nv easily my favorite pf song, although it surprises me it was used in the violence sequence. but then again, pf had a way of doing just that and making it work
  • Lad from Chester, Ct I was never much of a PF fan, but this song caught my ear in its prime. I was attracted to the song's class, the use of the saxophone and piano, the softly sung and highly meaningful lyrics, the disarming and almost romantic yet haunting melody and message. I do believe the lyrics are about the nonsense of war - at least on the surface. I also believe "Us and Them" is meant to engage the listener to understand that this is how all conflict starts and continues to spiral: whoever you are, you consider yourself part of "us" and everyone who doesn't share whatever makes you "us" becomes "them" (unless you're among those wishing to "belong" somewhere, in which case you consider yourself in the "them" category). This could be anything from the differences between people on one side of the war versus the other, or the prestigious "Generals" versus the lowly soldiers on the front lines within one side of the war, or any attribute that marks differences between people: Nike sneaker wearers, skin heads, any race or religion or level of wealth and standing in society, and even people who listen to PF and people who don't. Yes, the ultimate irony of this song is that in its time, and for some time beyond including today, PF became a divisive barrier between generations and between the "cool" and "uncool" within generations, thus creating it's own version of "us" and "them." It built the wall song by song, brick by brick, for better or for worse - and then split. It is hard not to notice how many PF fans who wrote about their interpretation of this song considered themselves to be "us," thus falling into the very trap that the forward-thinking lyricist of this brilliant song is warning about. We're all really in the same boat together. (Anyway, great sax!!)
  • Elysia from Hamilton, New Zealand I think that Linus has it right. I always felt that this song (along with the majority of their songs)is layered. I believe the "us and them" theme is relevant on all levels in this world. ie. From the kiddies at school that form cliques and cause division through fear of anyone different to them, to countries that feud for decades because of their differences. It's everywhere and I think the cream of Pink Floyd is that they take this broad view of these things in life and convey it's truth on every level and we all see our own angle on it because they have encompassed the entire issue so well. Oil and water, powerful and powerless, war and peace, us and them..
  • Linus from Istanbul, Turkey It's actually not entirely about war.. There is more to Pink Floyd than just putting words in. Syd once said that he liked songs that meant one thing when it's read, but also had another, much deeper meaning within. Pink Floyd followed that rule in their songs, and Us and Them is one of them. Look at the words, you'll see a song about war. But inside, like the caramel inside a chocolate, is the real stuff: It tells you of the abandoned loneliness of "Us" and the people who are one with the system: "Them." The conformists and the non-conformists make the central theme of Us and Them. Not mentioning the "Battle of Words" part which fits perfectly with the argument of the Wicked Witch of the West and the Good Witch of the North. This album is such a treat for mankind.
  • Shane from Sandy, Ut The song's central theme is violence. War, fist fights, and disagreements are the result of possessions ("With, Without"). The whole song isn't just about War. War is just another form of violence. Jerry Driscoll, the Abbey Road recording studio's doorman can be heard giving his theory behind fighting before the third verse. He sounds like a cool guy.
  • Shane from Sandy, Ut Definately one of the most emotional pieces on Dark Side. The Sax does a lot. The lyrics are simple, but sad, powerful, and relateable. This song gives me chills.
  • Ashley from Moncton, Canada "Haven't you heard its a battle of words the poster bearer cried...listen son, said the man with the gun there's room for you inside" -> I think this symbolises a sensible person (the poster bearer) protesting (protesters carry signs) against something and trying to do what's right, only to be crushed by authority (a cop threatening to put him in jail)
  • Chris from Bluffton, Sc The name of the film described above is Zabriskie Point (with another "i").
  • Kevin from Babylon, Ny pretty sure Stacey Paralta uses this song on his movie Dogtown and the Z-Boys
  • Liquid Len from Ottawa, Canada It's a song that says a bunch of things. Like, we are more alike than different (after all we're only ordinary men). Lots of different platitudes in the song, war is about wealth and resources (with/without), life and truth are difficult to understand (and who knows which is which and who is who), violence is sad and serves others' purposes (forward he cried from the rear and the front rank died), our busy society doesn't have compassion on the weak and hungry (for want of a price of tea and a slice the old man died). No real single message here.
  • Benoit from Paris, France In France I often heard this song was a "wink" to The Rolling Stones and the kind of competition between the 2 bands ; the words "blak and blue" would be a clear allusion to the RS ?? I love this tune because of the slow and "evening" background it contains. In fact I both love DSOTM and "wish you were here" , like many Folyd's enhoutsiasts ! (but I think the "top" is "shine on you, crazy diamond")
  • Mark from Moscow, United States Us means us common guys who go off to fight useless wars for THEM.Them the ones in command who cry out from the back and send innocent men to their deaths just like Rogers father.
  • Marty from Chicago, Il personally i beleive tis song is about the flow of life. Its saying that there are many different races on our one planet. People usually refer to the people in their own race as us and people of different race or creed as them. I think the message of tthe song is that there will always be difference on the planet and we shouldnt refer to others as them because we are all humans and we are all the same and all "us"
  • John from Waterville, Mi Us and Them is about war and its about world unity. Its about the tree of knowledge of good and evil; man has the knowledge of duality:good and evil, right and wrong, me and you, us and them,with and without.Duality is an archetype in all religions and its the reason we fight each other its the reason why we hate each other, Waters is saying that we are one world. Imagine your in a spaceship traveling millions and billions of miles away with all of the stars and galaxies then imagine turning back and looking at the earth: one little fragile speck.
  • Alex from Kitchener, Al When the chorus kicks in, it's pure magic
  • Pat from St. Paul, Mn I think there is definately some underlying themes about LSD in this song. "Us and Them" was a term given to students at Harvard during the days of Timothy Leary. "Us" were the people that turned on to acid, and "them" were obviously the ones who didn't; just my stupid opinion:)
  • Bob from Mt. Laurel, Nj This song is defienitly without a doubt about war.
  • Mike from Katy, Tx oh yes thats nice..." hey before you guys croak maybe you could get back tagether?thanks" pf is truely art in sound form
  • Brad from Bowling Green, Ky The third chord in this song (the Dm(maj7)) is what got me hooked on this band...the entire album is masterful.
  • Anthony from Wantagh, Ny Us and Them in my mind is about war, it's confusion and ultimatly the worthlesness of it all. It sends a sence of the GI's feeling of not understanding why he is there or where he is going. Once again Pink Floyd imagery shows its gorgious face. Pink Floyd lives for ever.
  • Anthony from Wantagh, Ny I wonder sometimes if Pink Floyd would loose there mysterious image in getting back together. However i cant quite match the electricity and excitment of Floyd touring The Wall with anything else concievable. If Floyd got back together i would cry. Pink Floyd lives for ever.
  • Echooes from Atlanta, Ga One of my top fav PF piece. 4 Those of U who didn't know about this...While the ECHOES (best of album) was being released, both Waters and Gilmour was interviewed where one of the question was "When will u guys get together and tour?" Guess what...their EGOS got on the way again, but this time Mr. Waters stated that he'd not mind touring with his old mates, BUT Mr. Gilmour declined that proposition! I actually heard the interview and Gilmour clearly stated he is currently busy with his solo project and PF is not in his agenda at this moment. My question is what wud it take to explain these 4 XTRA-Orinary musical GENEOUS that how badly they are missed among so many crazy fanatic music loverssssssssssssssssssssssss... I had my PLATINUM oppurtunity to see PF when they were they were doing Division Bell tour back in 1994 and it is un-explainable what kind of a spectacular show(i refuse to call it concert...coz its not!)they put out...It can only be seen and experience, and can't be heard or read...coz the story will never be enuf to see or experience the depth of their performances...
  • Echooes from Atlanta, Ga One of my top fav PF piece. 4 Those of U who didn't know about this...While the ECHOES (best of album) was being released, both Waters and Gilmour was interviewed where one of the question was "When will u guys get together and tour?" Guess what...their EGOS got on the way again, but this time Mr. Waters stated that he'd not mind touring with his old mates, BUT Mr. Gilmour declined that proposition! I actually heard the interview and Gilmour clearly stated he is currently busy with his solo project and PF is not in his agenda at this moment. My question is what wud it take to explain these 4 XTRA-Orinary musical GENEOUS how badly they are missed among so many crazy fanatic music loverssssssssssssssssssssssss... I had my PLATINUM oppurtunity to see PF when they were they were doing Division Bell tour back in 1994 and it is un-explainable what kind of a spectacular show(i refuse to call it concert...coz its not!)they put out...It can only be seen and experience, and can't be heard or read...coz the story will never be enuf to see or experience the depth of their performances...
  • Ben from New York, Ny It's an anti-war song. Listen to the lyrics carefully and you'll agree with me.
  • John from Boca Raton, Fl Dude guys, just take a percocet and listen to this song. It's so great.
  • Lee from Durham, Nc This is my 2nd favorite song on the DSOTM album. its briliant and the harmony and music just gives me this wonder buzz which sends shivers down my spine. the sax in this is the some of the best ive ever heard in my life. when ever i listen to this song i just feel relaxed mellow and happy
  • Ben Russell from Durham, Nc i envy the people who saw you guys live. i envy them so much that i would do anything to see the 4 of you back together.
  • Patrick from Durham, Nc Brilliant, U guys need to get back together because I want to see all four of you wonderful musicians in concert before you all die. Pleeeheeeheeez. I worship you and your egos now walk the talk and live life.

More Songfacts:

Michael Jackson

Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' Michael Jackson

"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" was Michael Jaskson's attack on the tabloid press: "They eat off of you, you're a vegetable."

Foreigner

Double Vision Foreigner

Foreigner got the title for "Double Vision" after watching a hockey game where goalie John Davidson got a concussion. It was announced over the PA system that he was suffering from "Double Vision."

Coldplay

The Scientist Coldplay

There aren't many songs with a scientist as the main character, but Coldplay's "The Scientist" is one of their biggest hits. The guy in the song is brilliant, but despondent because he's lost his girl after neglecting her for his work.

Christina Perri

Jar of Hearts Christina Perri

Christina Perri's "Jar Of Hearts," written about her ex, became a big hit after it was used in a routine on So You Think You Can Dance.

Miguel

Adorn Miguel

Miguel wrote "Adorn" about his girlfriend, model and artist Nazanin Mandi when he was returning home from a long trip and was anxious to see her.

Night Ranger

Sister Christian Night Ranger

"Sister Christian" was written by Night Ranger drummer Kelly Keagy, who was imploring his younger sister to be careful in her reckless youth, especially when "motoring" (driving around) with friends.

Editor's Picks

Stephen Christian of Anberlin

Stephen Christian of Anberlin Songwriter Interviews

The lead singer/lyricist for Anberlin breaks down "Impossible" and covers some tracks from their 2012 album Vital.

Mike Love of The Beach Boys

Mike Love of The Beach Boys Songwriter Interviews

The lead singer/lyricist of The Beach Boys talks about coming up with the words for "Good Vibrations," "Fun, Fun, Fun," "Kokomo" and other classic songs.

Evolution Of The Prince Symbol

Evolution Of The Prince Symbol Song Writing

The evolution of the symbol that was Prince's name from 1993-2000.

Tommy James

Tommy James Songwriter Interviews

"Mony Mony," "Crimson and Clover," "Draggin' The Line"... the hits kept coming for Tommy James, and in a plot line fit for a movie, his record company was controlled by the mafia.

Real or Spinal Tap

Real or Spinal Tap Music Quiz

They sang about pink torpedoes and rocking you tonight tonight, but some real lyrics are just as ridiculous. See if you can tell which lyrics are real and which are Spinal Tap in this lyrics quiz.

Artis the Spoonman

Artis the Spoonman Song Writing

Even before Soundgarden wrote a song about him, Artis was the most famous spoon player of all time. So why has he always been broke?

Songfacts® Newsletter

A monthly update on our latest interviews, stories and added songs

Information

  • Terms of Service
  • Our Privacy Policy
  • Google Privacy Policy
  • Songfacts API
  • Music History Calendar
  • Song Licensing
  • Affiliate Disclosure
  • Privacy Manager
  • X (Twitter)

Contribution

  • Message Boards
  • Songfacts Writers

©2024 Songfacts, LLC

Watch CBS News

Canadian metal band Voivod brings tour with NYC heavyweights Prong to UC Theatre

By Dave Pehling

Updated on: March 2, 2024 / 4:48 PM PST / CBS San Francisco

One of the most influential metal bands to ever emerge from Canada, headbanging futurists Voivod bring their co-headlining tour with New York band Prong to the UC Theatre Saturday.

Founded in 1982 in a small Quebec town, the quartet initially mixed elements of hardcore punk and thrash metal on raw early recordings like War and Pain and Rrröööaaarrr put a spotlight on the corrosive guitar of principle songwriter Denis "Piggy" D'Amour, the distinctive delivery of singer Denis "Snake" Bélanger and the pummeling rhythm section of drummer Michel "Away" Langevin (who also created the group's unique album art) and bassist Jean-Yves Thériault. Closer to the end of the decade, efforts like Killing Technology and Dimension Hatröss  refined the band's sound with added elements drawn from progressive rock (particularly Pink Floyd and their fellow countrymen Rush) and a science fiction bent to the lyrics of the two conceptually driven albums.

Their complex sound reached an apex with the release of Nothingface in 1989, which featured a cover of Pink Floyd's "Astronomy Domine." During the '90s, the band would dilute their experimental metal with more of a psychedelic, alternative-rock sound with musical differences leading to the departure of Bélanger and bassist Jean-Yves "Blacky" Thériault. Bassist/singer Eric Forrest would fill the void, performing on the albums  Negatron and  Phobos , new recordings that pushed the sound in yet another direction with more of an industrial-metal influence.

The band would reunite with Bélanger for it's tenth studio album in 2003 that also featured former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted playing four-string and handling production chores (the effort was also issued on his Chophouse record label). Tragically, D'Amour would succumb to colon cancer two years later, though the group would put out two posthumous albums that featured the guitarist's last recorded works. Voivod would soldier on, bringing Thériault back into the fold and adding new guitarist Daniel "Chewy" Mongrain in 2008, who made his recorded debut with the widely acclaimed 2013 album, Target Earth .

While Thériault split from the band again in 2014, Voivod brought on new bassist Dominique "Rocky" Laroche to record and release the Post Society  EP two years later that featured a cover of the Hawkwind classic "Silver Machine." The band would take its time writing the songs for Voivod's latest conceptual epic, but upon its release in 2018,  The Wake was hailed by critics and fans alike as one of the quartet's career-best efforts.

The band stayed busy since the rise of COVID-19, writing new material during the shutdown and releasing their 15th album Synchro Anarchy  in 2022 as well as last year's career-spanning collection of re-recorded deep cuts from the band's catalog entitled Morgöth Tales  along with the new title track to mark the band's 40th anniversary. 

For their first Bay Area show since the pandemic, Voivod brings its co-headlining tour with NYC metal contemporaries Prong to the UC Theater in Berkeley Saturday night . Guitarist and singer Tommy Victor was working as a sound engineer at legendary East Village punk institution CBGBs when he founded the trio with bassist (and CBGBs co-worker) Mike Kirkland and former Swans drummer Ted Parsons in 1986. Prong independently released it caustic debut EP Primitive Origins  the following year that showcased the band's raw, concise blasts of crossover thrash that drew equally on punk and metal influences in a way parallel to fellow CBGBs outfit and future MTV hitmakers Helmet. The band would build up a solid local following with its furious live shows, issuing its first album Force Fed  on In Effect in 1989 before signing a major label deal with Epic Records.

The band's muscular first effort for the label Beg To Differ  got solid reviews and became an underground sensation, laying down a sonic template that influenced the emerging groove metal scene that would be spearheaded by the likes of Pantera and Bay Area headbangers Machine Head. On their follow-up album Prove You Wrong , Prong began to incorporate more elements of industrial music. By 1994, the band's line-up had expanded to include keyboard player and programmer John Bechdel (who would later become a member of Ministry) and former Killing Joke bassist Paul Raven for the more industrial-metal sound of Cleansing.

The band would split up after Epic dropped them shortly after the release of Rude Awakening  in 1996 , with Victor going on to play guitar for Danzig before reconvening a new version of the band in 2002. While he would take breaks to collaborate with both Danzig and Ministry (Victor and Raven both wrote and toured with Al Jourgensen's group for the album Rio Grande Blood in 2006), Prong has been touring and releasing new music regularly ever since. Victor and the current line-up of the band featuring longtime bassist Jason Christopher and new drummer Tyler Bogliole play classic material alongside songs from Prong's latest album  State of Emergency  that came out last year. Opening the show will be SoCal thrash-metal band Hirax, a group led by singer Katon W. De Pena that released its first album Raging Violence  in 1985. While they would dissolve within a few years, there was enough interest in the band that De Pena put together a new band that has been performing and recording since 2000. 

Voivod and Prong with Hirax Saturday, March 9, 7 p.m. $32.50 UC Theatre

Featured Local Savings

More from cbs news.

After signing deal with Giants, Matt Chapman says he has 'unfinished business' in Bay Area

Scattered rain expected in the Bay Area; North Bay Frost Advisory extended

The California primary is Tuesday. Here's what to know.

Volunteer pushes to get the vote out in San Francisco's underserved communities

IMAGES

  1. Pink Floyd

    pink floyd us and them tour

  2. Pink Floyd UK

    pink floyd us and them tour

  3. Roger Waters PINK FLOYD US & THEM TOUR 2018 Madrid

    pink floyd us and them tour

  4. Pink Floyd

    pink floyd us and them tour

  5. Exclusive: Pink Floyd fan recounts her experience from Roger Waters

    pink floyd us and them tour

  6. Pink Floyd

    pink floyd us and them tour

VIDEO

  1. On this day in 1983, the Pink Floyd compilation album 'Works' was released in the US #PinkFloyd

  2. The Pink Floyd Experience

  3. Pink Floyd

  4. Pink Floyd

COMMENTS

  1. Us + Them Tour

    The Us + Them Tour was a concert tour by rock musician Roger Waters.The tour visited the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and countries in Europe and Latin America, showcasing songs from Waters' career with Pink Floyd and his 2017 album Is This the Life We Really Want? It opened on 26 May 2017 in Kansas City, United States and ended on 9 December 2018 in Monterrey, Mexico.

  2. Pink Floyd Tickets, 2024 Concert Tour Dates

    by Anonymous on 3/19/11 Anwhere in the US - Raleigh. Pink Floyd created the greatest music of all time. Too bad I wont ever get to see them in action in my lifetime. ... Find Pink Floyd tour schedule, concert details, reviews and photos. ... "Which one is Pink?" Rating: 5 out of 5 I saw them by Catahouligan on 4/30/13 Pepperland - San Raphael ...

  3. Roger Waters review

    The former Pink Floyd bandleader is full of air-punching vigour as his Us + Them tour makes a stand for ethical resistance ... The mammoth setlist spans five Pink Floyd albums - Meddle, The Dark ...

  4. Us and Them (song)

    "Us and Them" is a song by English rock band Pink Floyd, from their 1973 album The Dark Side of the Moon. The music was written by Richard Wright and Roger Waters [citation needed] with lyrics also by Waters. It is sung by David Gilmour, with harmonies by Wright. The song is 7 minutes and 49 seconds, the longest on the album. "Us and Them" was released as the second single from The Dark Side ...

  5. Roger Waters Interview: 'Us + Them' Film, Pink Floyd, David Gilmour

    September 30, 2019. Roger Waters discusses his new concert film, 'Us + Them,' and why Pink Floyd classics like "Pigs," "Dogs," and "Time" remain relevant. Kate Izor. When Roger Waters planned his ...

  6. Setlist Playlist: Diving Into Roger Waters' Us + Them Setlist

    The Us + Them Tour's setlist is very carefully curated with Pink Floyd cuts that will never stop being relevant. As Waters noted in 2016, the setlist carries 75% old material, and 25% new. The 2018 iteration of it contains four solo Waters songs, with three of them being new. The rest is Pink Floyd all the way.

  7. Us and Them

    About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright ...

  8. Pink Floyd

    Us And Them Any Colour You Like Brain Damage Eclipse Produced by Pink Floyd The Deluxe Box Set includes: CD1 - THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON (50th Anniversary) ... This tour marks Pink Floyd co-founder and drummer Nick Mason's first performances in North America since Pink Floyd's July 18, 1994 concert at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New ...

  9. Us And Them (2023 Remaster)

    Provided to YouTube by Pink FloydUs And Them (2023 Remaster) · Pink FloydThe Dark Side Of The Moon (50th Anniversary) (2023 Remaster)℗ 2023 Pink Floyd Music ...

  10. Roger Waters, Pink Floyd: Us and Them tour concert review

    PINK Floyd founding member and creative linchpin Roger Waters is already more than 70 dates into his Us + Them world tour, and if he's experiencing any fatigue he surely isn't showing it on stage.

  11. Pink Floyd Pulse Tour

    Buy the DVD! Doesn't cost much and much better then watching on youtube, but here is your quick fix.

  12. Roger Waters

    Presumably, the 1973 song that gives the tour its name — "Us and Them," from Pink Floyd's landmark The Dark Side of the Moon album — will be one of them. "We are going to take a new show on the road, the content is very secret," Waters says. "It'll be a mixture of stuff from my long career, stuff from my years with Pink Floyd ...

  13. Roger Waters Announces Us + Them Tour Dates for 2017

    Waters' "Us + Them" 2017 North American dates: May 26 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center. May 28 Louisville, KY KFC Yum! Center. May 30 St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center. June 1 Tulsa, OK BOK Center ...

  14. Pink Floyd, "Us And Them"

    Pink Floyd, "Us And Them" ... "The title of the tour is from a song I wrote in 1972," he said. "And sadly, what I was writing about then, the problems are still with us. Which is not ...

  15. Band, orchestra shine in Music of Pink Floyd show at Heinz Hall

    Half a century after its release, audiophiles continue to demonstrate their latest gear by playing Pink Floyd's "The Dark Side of the Moon." The landmark LP by the British band ...

  16. This Day in 1968 Pink Floyd Kick Off First North American Tour

    1968 was a pivotal year for PF, as their former lead singer Syd Barrett left the band officially in April, and stopped playing with them as early as January. The tour kicked off in Europe in February and David Gilmour became the main frontman, dropping most of Barrett's songs from the setlist. On July 8th, PF headed to North America for their ...

  17. Roger Waters: Us + Them

    Roger Waters: Us + Them is a 2019 British concert film and live album by English musician Roger Waters, founding member of Pink Floyd.The film was directed by Waters and Sean Evans, and captures a truncated performance from Waters' tour of the same name.This is the second film where both Waters and Evans are involved, their first being Roger Waters: The Wall.

  18. Roger Waters unveils plans for massive 2017 Us + Them tour of North

    Pink Floyd's Roger Waters will mount a solo tour in 2017, and the trek has a mission. Waters intends for the concerts to address societal, political and cultural divisiveness. The Us + Them ...

  19. Pink Floyd

    Pink Floyd will release a Collector's Edition of The Dark Side Of The Moon on crystal clear vinyl on April 19th. Pre-order here: https://pinkfloyd.lnk.to/TDS...

  20. Pink Floyd

    [Interlude] I mean, they're not gonna kill ya So like, if you give 'em a quick short, sharp, shock They won't do it again Dig it? I mean, he got off lightly 'Cause I would've given him a thrashing ...

  21. The Meaning Behind The Song: Us And Them by Pink Floyd

    Title: "Us and Them" by Pink Floyd: Decoding the Meaning Behind the Classic Song Introduction Released in 1973 on the album "The Dark Side of the Moon", "Us and Them" by Pink Floyd is an anthem that has become synonymous with the band's legacy and the era of classic rock. With its powerful lyrics and … The Meaning Behind The Song: Us And Them by Pink Floyd Read More »

  22. Us and Them: Symphonic Pink Floyd

    Us and Them: Symphonic Pink Floyd is an instrumental album of Pink Floyd songs. The album was arranged by Jaz Coleman, produced by Youth and performed by The London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Peter Scholes.. The album cover was painted by Roger Dean who is known for his organic paintings. He also designed albums for Asia, Uriah Heep, and Yes.. The album, which features six songs taken ...

  23. Us And Them by Pink Floyd

    Dave Gilmour sings lead, but this song was written by Roger Waters and Pink Floyd keyboard player Rick Wright. Some of Wright's other songwriting credits include "Breathe," "Great Big Gid In The Sky," and "One Of These Days," but by the late '70s Waters ended up doing most of the writing himself, and he wrote all the songs on their 1983 album The Final Cut.

  24. Pink Floyd live performances

    Pink Floyd's reunion, performing at Live 8 in London, July 2005. In their live performances, from the mid-60s until their very last concerts several decades later, Pink Floyd was known to utilize immersive live visuals. Pink Floyd set standards in sound quality with innovative use of sound effects and panning quadrophonic speaker systems.

  25. Canadian metal band Voivod brings tour with NYC heavyweights Prong to

    Voivod - Nothingface by hurr on YouTube. Their complex sound reached an apex with the release of Nothingface in 1989, which featured a cover of Pink Floyd's "Astronomy Domine." During the '90s ...