Rogers Waters has been on the road with The Wall Live tour since 2010 and has often said that after the final date in North America, he was pulling the plug on the extravaganza.  That final date would have been in Philadelphia on July 14, but Waters has just added a new gig a week later in Quebec City. The Quebec City show will mark 22 years to the day that The Wall was performed in Berlin, and Waters himself announced that the new performance will feature more pyrotechnic effects, more lighting effects and a surround-sound system to “shake the entire site”. The set will include the biggest wall yet. In Water’s words, “This one will be different. It’s going to be 800 feet wide, to make it the widest wall ever. When we did it in Berlin the end of the wall tapered off. Here it’s going to look like it disappears, so we get a Great Wall of China effect”.

Tickets for the outdoor show go on sale June 5. There are priority wristbands available for those who register on RogerWaters.com.

It sounds like it’s going to be the ultimate finale to the road trip. Or as Waters puts it, “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do outdoors theatrically. If you don’t come there’s something f******g wrong with you”.

We’re hearing lots of rumours about how the Rolling Stones plan to celebrate their 50th anniversary. Ronnie Wood told THE LONDON STANDARD that he is meeting with Keith Richards this week to talk  about the possibility of  recreating the band’s 1969 concert in  Hyde Park. Let’s hope that’s just the kick off to a huge tour that doesn’t pass by Ottawa!

CD:

David Bowie vs. KCRW – Golden Years
David Bowie – Little Wonder + Remixes (EP)
Iron Maiden – From Here To Eternity: Best Of 1990 – 2010
Marvin Gaye – What’s Going On 40th Anniversary (2 CD & LP box set)
Neil Young – A Treasure
New York Dolls – Dancing Backward In High Heels
Paul Simon – Paul Simon (remastered with bonus tracks)
Paul Simon – Paul Simon In Concert: Live Rhymin’ (remastered with bonus tracks)
Paul Simon – Still Crazy After All These Years (reissue)
Paul Simon – There Goes Rhymin’ Simon (remastered with bonus tracks)
Roger Waters – Roger Waters Collection (8-disc box set)
Various Artists – Come Together: Black America Sings Lennon & McCartney

Vinyl:

Grateful Dead – Blues For Allah (remastered)
Grateful Dead – Shakedown Street (remastered)
Neil Young – After The Goldrush (reissue)
Neil Young – Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (reissue)

DVD:

AC/DC: Let There Be Rock

     The Who are no longer touring, but Roger Daltrey is taking Tommy out on the road by himself.  The singer will be in Ottawa September 28th performing the classic album in its entirety, and we are eagerly anticipating his arrival.  Not everyone is as excited about the tour, however.  In his native UK, Daltrey has been forced to cancel several shows because of poor ticket sales.

     Gil Scott-Heron has died.  He was best remembered for his 1970 song “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”.  Scott-Heron’s beat poet style has been cited as an influence by many early and modern hip-hop acts, like Public Enemy, Boogie Down Productions and Kanye West.  Scott-Heron was never comfortable with the idea that he had contributed to the rise of rap music, saying he prefered to listen to jazz.  He was plagued by drug problems late in his life.  No cause of death has been released.  Gil Scott-Heron died in a Manhattan hospital on Friday at the age of 62.

     And for some reason, this keeps making the “news” in the rock world…Roger Waters says he has no desire to do a Pink Floyd reunion.  He told the BBC, “I’m really glad that I was in that band for the 20 years that I was in it and I really enjoyed it…I think we did some great work together but I have no wish to do it ever again.”  Waters will continue to tour, performing The Wall.

Steven Tyler solo…

Aerosmith’s  Steven Tyler will release his solo single “(It) Feels So Good” on May 9. It will be available the next day at digital retailers.

He’s hoping to record a whole solo album but as soon as Idol wraps up, Aerosmith is due to regroup in the studio to finish work on an album they started recording in January.

Ringo gets personal…

Ringo Starr has revealed that he is currently working on an “autobiographical” album.

He’s been asked to write a book about his life, but feels that most people are only interested in the eight years he spent in The Beatles. According to Ringo, there would be “three volumes before I even got to that”.

Instead, Ringo is  “making a record about me and Liverpool”,  and will create mini-autobiographies in song form.

Keith is at it too…

A number of sources say that Keith Richards  has been recording at New York’s Germano Studios with producer Steve Jordan and engineer Dave O’Donnell. There’s no official confirmation and no word on whether it’s solo material or something for the Rolling Stones.

Either is possible because not too long ago, Mick Jagger’s brother Christopher confirmed that Mick was working on a solo album in Los Angeles with producer Dave Stewart.

It COULD be two solo albums in the works but there’s always the chance that The Glimmer Twins are working on Stones music at separate locations. Or maybe that’s wishful thinking!

” The Roger Waters Collection” will be released May 30th. It’s a deluxe Box Sset that  includes seven CDs and one DVD, with each album packaged in a mini-LP replica sleeve with original artwork. Included in the collection: “The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking”, “Radio K.A.O.S.”, “Amused To Death” and “Ca Ira” (his opera). There’s also a 2 CD/DVD edition of “In The Flesh – LIVE”

Paul McCartney will reissue his albums “McCartney” and “McCartney II” in remastered and deluxe editions. The deluxe editions will come with bonus DVDs and a booklet featuring rare photographs. The remasters will include bonus tracks and live material. The albums will be available as of June 13.

     To coincide with the European leg of his The Wall Live tour, Roger Waters will be releasing a limited edition box set on April 4th.  The box will contain all eight of his solo studio and live albums, with mini-LP replica wallets, and comes with a 16-page booklet.  The box set will be available only for the duration of the tour.  It is available now for pre-orders.

  The Beatles’ famous Abbey Road crossing has been designated a “site of national importance” in Britain, which means it will likely not be changed.  More

  The surviving members of The Doors say there was no reason to “pardon” Jim Morrison for an alleged indecent exposure incident in Florida 40 years ago, since he never did what he was accused of doing.  More

  Having just wrapped up his The Wall tour, Roger Waters has made available a special download of The Wall wallpaper for computers, iPads and so forth.  Here