Capacity: 20,150
Concert starts: 8pm

Address of venue: 1400 Edwards Mill Road, Raleigh, NC 27607. MAP

Website: www.pncarena.com

COMMENTS

Roger's new tour - THIS IS NOT A DRILL - has now been announced, and is a new production. As when his previous tour (Us + Them) was announced, details of what this new show will entail are brief; we suspect a new set list, and new presentation, and the image created to publicise the tour does note that the show will be "live in the round" - a departure from Roger's previous shows.

Those who have attended - or have seen pictures/video of - Roger's previous tours, will know just how spectacular and moving this new production is likely to be, and how it is a show you really shouldn't miss! From comments Roger has made in recent interviews, it could be his final tour...

For the regular sale of tickets, which starts on FRIDAY, JANUARY 31st at 10am (local time), CLICK HERE. Using this direct link also helps toward the ongoing running costs of this site, and is appreciated!

UPDATE: Due to the COVID-19/Coronavirus pandemic, this show has been postponed from its original date in 2020. Roger said about the cancellations: "Bummer, but if it saves one life, it's worth it."

Ticketholders are advised to hold onto their original tickets and await further information.

WARNING - SPOILERS AHEAD!

Do not read on if you don't want surprises to be spoilt, regarding what the band played!

Night eighteen of the tour, with Roger and his band on their This Is Not A Drill tour, performing in Raleigh, NC. They've got a day off (albeit travelling) before the show on Saturday night in Atlanta, Georgia.

Initial reports are that the show was quite an experience, but as always, we value your first hand views on all the concerts - so if you went, please let us know your thoughts!

CONCERT REVIEW by BD CONTRIBUTOR, Bill Dorn

My wife and I attended Roger's concert in Raleigh, NC. The concert started at 8:30pm. The arena was not sold out. The opening number of Comfortably Numb was done without the usual "Gilmour" guitar breaks, but rather keyboard and vocal wailing. While not what we normally hear, it was enjoyable. It was very pleasing that songs from the same album were performed without a break as they were on the original album.

The opening of the second act was fantastic, with Roger in his Wall coat and some of the Wall graphics. Run Like Hell was outstanding, with a great drum solo.

The band was super, and the vocalists were great. The "In the Round" style was a nice change. Of course Roger's political views were on display throughout the show.

One minor criticism; The volume of the music and sound effects sometimes made it difficult to hear and understand the vocals. The show ended at about 11:10pm. It was another spectacular show, which we've come to expect from Roger. And perhaps this is his final tour. Time will tell.

CONCERT REVIEW and PICTURES by BD CONTRIBUTOR, Ahmed Munier Qayyum

I live in Raleigh, NC and was so happy when the show was finally rescheduled rather than canceled. The show was incredible and a mind blowing spectacle as expected from a typical Roger Waters show. I have been to numerous of Roger's shows over the years. For this particular show at the PNC Arena my wife and I had a VIP package that included premium seats, access to the VIP lounge and bar and clean restrooms, skip the line entry for VIP and also skip the line access to Merchandise area. We arrived around 6:15pm and we had dinner reservations at the VIP club at the venue. The lamb and beef brisket were delicious, and the menu (see below) had suitable names for the various options.

After a few drinks and dinner we headed to the VIP bar and grabbed a cocktail and headed to our seats. The "in the round" concept had an interesting stage design and layout. The show was to start at 8pm, but it started at 8:30. Roger made 3 announcements 30 minutes, 15 minutes and 5 minutes before the show started. The announcement stated "Ladies and gentlemen the show will begin in xx minutes".

The lights dimmed and just before starting Roger announced "If you are here for Pink Floyd music and can't stand Roger Water's politics you are welcome to fuck off to the bar".... a loud round of applause and laughs followed. The show started with a dark and stark version of "Comfortably Numb".

The show had a very heavy dose of politics as expected and a bit more "preachy" than his prior tours and this in my opinion made the musical elements a little less defined and refined and more political focus. Nonetheless the production quality and presentation were absolutely stunning and top notch. On several numbers Roger took to the piano. The set list was unchanged from the previous 12 shows.

The sound at the PNC arena is always top notch and combined with the stunning visuals the show was quite a treat visually and sonically. PNC center is home to The Carolina Hurricanes (NHL Hockey) and home to North Carolina State University basketball team. This is the same venue where my wife and I had the rare privilege and opportunity to ride the "Zamboni" before a Carolina Hurricanes game. Also the same arena where we saw the Roger Waters Wall show a few years ago.

To me the highlight of the show was "Sheep". An inflated sheep prop was floating around the arena, seemed like drone operated the way it was making turns and tumbles. During "Wish You Were Here" the text prompts on the screen accompanying images told the story how in 1966 Roger and Syd discussed their desire to start a band and that moment still means a lot to Roger to this day!

During intermission I made a quick trip to the VIP merchandise stand. Grabbed a cocktail for my wife and myself from the VIP club lounge bar and made it in time for the show to resume. The second half of the show was equally impressive, but my wife and I noticed that Roger's energy was waning and his body language suggesting this may very well be his last major tour with massive back to back shows and intensive travel schedules and undertaking even for young artists. Roger is still in good form considering his age and workload.

The show concluded with a standing ovation and an extended version of "Outside The Wall" as the band exited the stage while still playing out the song. I clasped my wife's hand and we made our easy exit via the VIP section and were back home within 40 minutes of leaving our seats!

A memorable show indeed!

 

 

 

YOUR HELP NEEDED! We want to cover Roger's concerts the best we can, to share the experience with everyone, especially those who won't be able to attend the shows. We'd love to see ANY pictures, tickets scans, reviews, newspaper reports, and anything else you come across for this show - we look forward to hearing from you!