Roger Waters – This is Not a Drill Review

A live show release just as David Gilmour announces one of his own. What a coincidence. Roger Waters’ This is Not a Drill has the benefit of being first, and immediately leans into the soft controversies of his political stance. He tells listeners to “fuck off to the bar” should they disagree with his politics. Lucky for those with built-in booze crates at home, for the rest, too bad. This is Not a Drill suggests that in those opening moments, this will be more than a compilation of Pink Floyd hits. It is, but only just. Waters knows what his audience wants to hear, but will suggest he has a counter to those insisting he plays Wish You Were Here and Comfortably Numb. His counter is, quite simply, just to play them. Here are the hits. A few hidden gems within this Prague 2022 performance, of course, but Waters plays ball with the best of his works because it is what the audience thinks they want.  

For all the acclaim Waters and Gilmour received when in Pink Floyd, their live album offerings are below expectations. From a rather solid but instrumentally dense Live at Pompeii from Gilmour to the various feature film adaptations Waters has made of his stage shows, neither man has quite captured the beauty of their work together. Part of that is because they are now solo acts, but another major trouble is in trying to figure out how the visual aids are transferred to the album recording. They aren’t, simply put, and in Waters’ case, that is for the best. The Wall and Us + Them were not exactly subtle. Strip that away from his work, and he sounds much clearer. His tone is confident, the vocal performance is keen to let those backing vocalists and sound effects set the mood, as Waters does on opening song, Comfortably Numb. Most of the set is merely another retread of Pink Floyd songs he remains proud of, and a few bits from his solo discography. No risks taken, no rewards gained.  

In-between those inevitabilities like Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2 & 3, and Shine on You Crazy Diamond, adapted fine enough to the stage but with a monotonous undertone to them, are moments of real interest to the dedicated listener. The first proper release of The Bar can be found here, a delightful ballad, and Radio K.A.O.S. rip The Powers That Be, which is as on the nose as it gets for Waters. Both are examples of his opposing extremes. He can be subtle when the time is right, though rarely. This is Not a Drill certainly prefers the shock and awe treatment to those inevitable hits. Its greatest strength is in the lesser-known pieces. The Bravery of Being Out of Range, from Waters’ Amused to Death solo album, is an instrumental high the album rarely hits again. Crucial to any performer making a live album is still sounding reasonably good on stage. Waters sounds excellent. 

Quality from the likes of Us and Them and Money is more from the instrumental overhaul than anything Waters is, as evidenced by the Redux edition of The Dark Side of the Moon, changing. Run Like Hell is a great moment from Waters, not just because of the song’s complex rage, but his doubling down on a comparison between Anne Frank and Shireen Abu Akleh. He considers the meaning of both deaths, the contrast, and then hits on with a performance of Déjá Vu. It’s quite a beautiful and surprising moment. This is Not a Drill has an urgency to it which was lacking in other releases from Waters’ solo career. Any Colour You Like and Brain Damage are phenomenally performed, and the round out for the show with The Bart Part 2 and Outside the Wall highlights Waters has still got it. This is Not a Drill does well to profile Waters as a performer with a lot more to give.