Waters to take 'The Wall' on stadium tour next year

Roger Waters, a founding member of Pink Floyd, on Thursday announced a tour of the rock opera "The Wall" in large open-air stadiums across Europe next year. "There's something about connecting with that many people outdoors, which is actually extremely gratifying," Waters told a press conference in London. He said he had redesigned the show, which was Pink Floyd's 11th album, and created it on a larger scale suitable for stadiums for the 25-date tour. The tour, which kicks off at Belgium's Werchter festival on July 20 and will visit Wembley Stadium in London on September 14, marks a u-turn for Waters, who admitted he had never enjoyed playing in stadiums with Pink Floyd. "Back in 1975 and 1977 when we were touring with Pink Floyd and we were playing soccer stadiums, I rather disliked it," he said. "It felt like we were very disconnected from people but I think that disconnection was actually a projection of the disconnection that existed in the band more than about us and the audience." Waters, who will turn 70 during the tour, said however it was unlikely that former bandmate David Gilmour would join him on stage again even though the pair played together at London's O2 Arena last year. "I haven't had any conversations with David about that," he said. "I think it's extremely unlikely, I think by and large David is retired."