Tomorrow, Sunday (May 28), Roger Waters will be giving his last (not yet completely sold out) German concert in Frankfurt as part of the Europe-wide tour “This Is Not a Drill”. Like all of his five guest performances in this country, the concert in the festival hall at the local exhibition center was and is highly controversial; up to an interim cancellation by the trade fair owner, the city of Frankfurt and the state of Hesse. As is well known, the musician went before the administrative court – and won due to the requirement of freedom of opinion and art.
Now the police and authorities are expecting protests in front of the hall. The “image” also wants to know that civil servants will be present in the multi-purpose arena. This is to keep protesters and Waters fans apart. The officials should also take a look at the allusive mega-show of the old rocker, which, in addition to all sorts of clear political slogans, also offers stagings in the gray area for symbolism that is forbidden in Germany. A retro concert between synth pads, Gniedel guitars and Reichsbürger riots; In addition, there were constant public allegations of anti-Semitism against Waters – the 79-year-old denies being an anti-Semite.
That’s exactly what the aftertaste of his concerts in the arena at Berlin’s Ostbahnhof is all about. The local public prosecutor initially suspected that his change of outfit to a floor-length, black leather coat with a red armband was based on the SS uniform look. That would be a prohibited optics in this country.
The Englishman, who has always ironed out controversy, now takes a stand on his tour account via Facebook.
Headline: Statement by Roger Waters on the controversy over his Berlin concert.
“My recent appearance in Berlin has provoked malicious attacks from those who want to slander me and silence me because they disagree with my political views and moral principles,” he writes in his usual style.
“The elements of my performance that were questioned are clearly a statement against fascism, injustice and bigotry in all their forms. Attempting to portray these elements as something else is disingenuous and politically motivated. Portraying a lunatic fascist demagogue has been a feature of my shows since Pink Floyd’s 1980’s The Wall…”
In fact, Waters Ledermann’s outfit is part of his neo-staging of the “Wall” cycle, which rushes across the oversized LED screens to accompany stage action while the band performs. Finally, Waters shoots blank cartridges into the audience with a machine gun.
A message to the fans and the outside world:
“I’ve spent my whole life speaking out against authoritarianism and oppression wherever I see it. When I was a child after the war, the name Anne Frank was often mentioned in our house. She became a constant reminder of what happens when fascism is left unchecked. My parents fought against the Nazis in World War II, with my father paying the ultimate price. Regardless of the consequences of the attacks on me, I will continue to condemn injustice and those who commit it…”
A cat-and-mouse game like before.
Who is the enlightener here, who is the persecuted?
Roger Waters considers himself the supreme righteous man on earth. Even if many critics see exactly the opposite. The man will be 80 years old in just over three months. It is unlikely that he will change again.
On the contrary, he became more and more radical in the late autumn of his career. Hardly anyone talks about his music anymore.