Roger Waters’ album, The Lockdown Sessions, is out under the Sony Music label, uploaded to all digital music platforms. It is a collection of songs that were recorded in a home studio during the 2022-2021 pandemic. This album also features the famous “Comfortably Numb 2022”, recorded during Waters’ This Is Not A Drill North American tour.
The Lockdown Sessions was produced by Roger Waters and Gus Seyffert. Along with Waters (vocals, guitar and piano), the following played on the album: Gus Seyffert – bass, cello, vocals; Joey Waronker – drums and percussion; Dave Kilminster – guitar and rhythm guitar; Jonathan Wilson – guitar and vocals; Jon Carin – keyboards and vocals; Lucius (Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig) – vocals; Bo Koster – organ (everywhere except on “Mother”), as well as Ian Ritchie – saxophone (“Two Suns In The Sunset”).
The Lockdown Sessions consists of 5 songs, some of which belong to the Pink Floyd era, while Waters was in the band, i.e. his solo career: “Mother” and “Vera” (originally released on Pink Floyd’s The Wall album; “Two Suns In The Sunset” ” and “The Gunner’s Dream” from Pink Floyd’s The Final Cut; “The Bravery of Being Out Of Range” from Waters’ solo album, Amused To Death. Additionally, as the final, sixth track on this release, Waters also covered Pink Floyd classic, “Comfortably Numb”.
On the release of The Lockdown Sessions, Roger Waters stated:
“The Us and Them tour lasted for three years…we would end each concert with the song “Comfortably Numb”…followed by an encore, the song “Mother”. At some point, near the end of the tour, I started thinking that it would be interesting to make an album of “encore” songs and call them “The Encores”. My idea was first delayed by a concert in honor of Ginger Baker, with Eric Clapton, and then a march and speech in support of Julian Assange in London. And then on Friday, March 13, 2020, the quarantine started and my project “The Encores” got stuck somewhere… until now… As an exclamation mark, “Comfortably Numb” closes this circle of love.”
The entire album was filmed by producer and director Sean Evans.
Roger Waters will embark on the This Is Not A Drill tour in Europe next year, and 40 concerts are planned, in a total of 14 European countries. The first date is scheduled in Lisbon, March 13, 2023 in the Altice arena.
