“Us and Them” isn’t just the title of a Pink Floyd song that Roger Waters co-wrote during his days with the band, it has also become a theme very much on the mind of the 73-year-old singer and bassist during the current political climate.
“There is no ‘us’ and ‘them’; it’s an illusion,” Waters told Rolling Stone. “We are all human beings and we all have a responsibility to support one another and to discover ways of wresting the power from the very, very few people who control all the cash and all the property.”
Waters is outspoken about his disapproval of Donald Trump. Before the election, he performed the Pink Floyd tune “Pigs (Three Different Ones)” in Mexico, accompanied by images of Trump and the word “pendejo”, meaning “stupid”. He posted the video online on Inauguration Day.
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Waters will kick off the North American leg of his upcoming arena tour, Us + Them, in May. When asked about the theme of the tour, he told Rolling Stone, “…in that song, there’s a line that goes, ‘With, without/And who will deny that’s what the fighting’s all about?’ And I’ve realized in the last few years that the interesting thing about that lyric that I wrote in 1973 is that the answer to the question would be, ‘Almost everyone.’ Almost everybody thinks that the fight is about ideology… And no, it’s not. It’s about money. The fighting is always about cash. War is hugely profitable… So there is always an encouragement to promote war and keep it going, to make sure that we identify people who are others whom we can legitimately make war upon.”
The tour will feature Waters performing Pink Floyd tunes from Dark Side of the Moon, The Wall, Animals and Wish You Were Here. Visit roger-waters.com for a full list of dates.
Waters is currently in the studio working on a new concept album which will reflect the same theme.
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Roger Waters performs “Pigs (Three Different Ones)” in Mexico City:
