Roger Waters Tears Down The Wall for the Final Time in Quebec City

ROGER WATERS – THE WALL LIVE IN QUEBEC CITY CONCERT REVIEW

July 26 – Unlike British General James Wolfe, who died on the Plains of Abraham in 1759 during a battle in the Seven Year War with the French, Roger successfully landed in Quebec City!! He came, and he conquered the approximate 75,000 army of fans who were at the show. Whether a long-time fan or a first timer, no one will forget this special night.

The tour started on Sept 15, 2010 in Toronto and ended on July 21, 2012 in Quebec City, North America’s only remaining walled city north of Mexico. Over the 192 performances, more than 3 million people crammed arenas and stadium to witness what is being called the biggest and best show of all time and what T-MAK World declared is the best concert ever. Period.

The Quebec show was announced in May as the new final show and may fans including T-MAK WORLD have been awaiting this special show. The venue, les Plaines d’Abraham à Québec (the Plains of Abraham) was a fitting location to end the wall tour and is the only true outdoor venue.

Arriving on Friday, the grounds were in the final stages of preparation and a good view of the location could be had without the 75K people who were going to fill the plains in less than 24 hours. Roger even popped by with son Harry to view the grounds, do press interviews and sign a few autographs for a very few lucky fans.

This show featured an 800ft wall that was not 100% flat but had a slight curve or undulation at each end like the Great Wall of China, however the projection area was approximately 450ft which is the size used in stadiums. The main portion of the stage and wall where the amazing projections were displayed was similar to the setup in a stadium. However the view from the stage must have been quite different for Roger. The extra length of the wall was compromised of bricks that had been spread throughout Quebec City for residents to write graffiti on and looked spectacular.

Roger promised a few surprises however for the most part this was the same show despite the wild and rampant rumors of special guests on the web. Roger showed loyalty to his great band, but I am sure everyone’s heart skipped a beat in anticipation of maybe Bob Geldof opening the show or one more hope for David Gilmour on Comfortably Numb. It was not to be. The key special features of the Quebec show were the venue itself, plus the additional pyro (4x the norm) and lighting effects that could be seen from the top of the wall.

From the avant-scene section (front section) the approximate 9000 in attendance received an experience that was similar to the other shows. Many fans in the front of the avant-scene section wanted to see the band and Roger up close and likely hoped to get a glimpse of the special guests. The stage in Quebec was a little higher than other shows to fit the venue, however one could still see the stage and get a great view of Roger and the action on stage.

As expected the out of this world lighting which must have been viewable from space was better seen from further back. However the key is seeing the creator of one of Rock’s iconic masterpieces perform on stage and see every expression and the beads of sweat on his face which would have been difficult if you could see the lights. The sound fidelity of the show was the best of the previous 5 shows (see Comfortably Numb video, coming soon); thanks in part to the surround sound and myriad of massive speakers spread throughout the grounds; and no roof for sound to reflect back to the ground/floor like in an arena or outdoor stadium. However the lack of stands or a roof caused other challenges but required the use of cranes and cherry pickers for the plane and video crew.

As expected Roger did amaze the crowd by speaking French after Another Brick In The Wall Reprise. He pulled out a piece of paper, started his speech to the crowd and part way when he was about to switch to English the crowd encouraged him to continue. Well done!

One other surprise was the flying pig that flew around for an extended time including ending up in the crowd at the end of the show had additional sayings in French,

I think the biggest surprise of the show came at the end as the crowd start chanting Ole Ole. Once Roger and band gained their composure they joined the crowd in the chant before exiting stage right. Watching the video after the show I got goose bumps. What an ending! The crowd in Quebec really was into the party atmosphere right from people sleeping overnight and others who showed up early on concert day, to the balloons that floated around before the show and throughout the show. However, the crowd at the end of the show was the best part of the experience and definitely going to be part of the memories of this show.

Roger also ended the previous Dark Side of the Moon Tour in Canada (Toronto). He obviously must have a soft spot in his heart for Canada and I am sure he will also have a great memory of Quebec despite heading back to New York a couple hours after the show. During press interviews in Quebec, Roger hinted that this may not be the final time for the wall. One can only hope.

Roger has stated that he was not recording the show, just recording portions. Ideally key portions of this show will end up as extras on the Blu-ray/DVD. For now the army of fans will need to wait for Roger to complete the Blu-ray and hope that he has 1 more tour in him. One can only hope the Wall tour video will also be one of the first 4K videos that goes on sale.