Do you know that Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” has only been performed 31 times in concert?

The band performed the 1979 rock opera 30 times in 1980 and 1981. Then in 1990, Roger Waters, along with an all-star cast, performed “The Wall” to commemorate the fall of a real life wall, the Berlin Wall.

Had you asked me how many times Pink Floyd had performed “The Wall” in concert I would have said at least one-hundred. Perhaps if I had really given it some thought I would have realized the number was far lower, but I still wouldn’t have guessed anything even close to “31.”

This fall the number of “The Wall” live performances is about to increase exponentially.

Former Pink Floyd frontman, and “The Wall’s” primary composer, Roger Waters is taking his opus magnum out on the road. The 36-date North American tour begins Sept. 15 in Toronto. It’s set to wrap Dec. 13 in Anaheim.

After gallivanting around the United States and Canada, Waters will take the show to Europe for an additional 57 dates beginning in March of 2011.

During the North American leg, several major U.S. cities will be hosting The Wall and its creator: Boston welcomes Roger Waters to TD Garden on Sept. 30; New York City welcomes Roger Waters to Madison Square Garden on Oct. 5; Washington D.C. welcomes Roger Waters to the Verizon Center on Oct. 10; and Las Vegas welcomes Roger Waters to the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Nov. 26.

Waters, one the most underrated musicians in rock history, is launching “The Wall” tour to not only commemorate the work’s 30th Anniversary but to see if it’s still relevant in today’s world.

“I started to think that maybe there is something in the story of ‘The Wall,’ which is about this one guy…that could be seen as an allegory for the way nations behave towards one another, or religions behave towards one another,” Waters told Billboard.com. “In other words, could the piece be developed to describe a broader, more universal condition than we did in 1980 and I did in 1990 in Berlin?

“So I started to think about it more and more, and I suddenly had a few more ideas and I thought, ‘Maybe if we did this with this song and that with that song, we could achieve that.’ And so I started jotting a few things down on paper, and eventually I said, ‘Y’know what? I’m gonna do this…’ ”

For purists that may sound like Waters is rewriting the entire score but he has stated that he’s still committed to the original material. There might be some minor changes to a few songs but no major alterations are pending.

However this does raise the question of exactly what was Waters writing down and how exactly is he going to broaden “The Wall’s” appeal without significant revisions? Apparently fans will have to buy a Roger Waters concert ticket to find out.

The 66-year-old bassist said that the upcoming “The Wall” tour will be similar to the Pink Floyd versions of the early 1980’s and not the 1990 performance at Potsdamer Pltaz.

In other words, 2010’s “The Wall” will be more theatrical in nature and less like a rock concert. Fans should expect musicians to hit their marks, strict lighting cues, and little to no improvisation.

As for special effects and staging, prepare for a 240-foot wide, 35-foot high wall that assembles in the first act and crumbles in the second. Also included in the production are Gerald Sarfe-designed puppets and huge video projections.

“The engineering and technology has gotten better, especially the projection techniques,” said Waters. “We can make a very bright image across the width of the arena, which we couldn’t do before.”

The Wall is performing back-to-back nights in two cities: Roger Waters will be performing in Chicago at the United Center, Sept. 20-21; and Roger Walters is scheduled at the Wachoiva Center in Philadelphia, Nov. 8-9.

If for some reason you can’t make it to one of the shows, chances are very good you’ll be able to see the concert on the small screen.

“…it’s very unlikely we won’t film it at some point,” explained Waters.

Author Bio: Ryan Hogan writes for ClickitTicket.com, a website that sells affordable Roger Water tickets and tickets to almost any other concert you’d want to attend.

Category: Entertainment
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