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The “bullshit” band Roger Waters wishes his 1979 opus had never inspired: “Theatrical nonsense”
Roger Waters has criticised U2, saying he regrets inspiring the band’s large-scale concert style after they allegedly dismissed Pink Floyd’s 1979 album The Wall as “theatrical nonsense”. The dispute matters because it highlights Waters’ long-running resentment of Bono and his view that U2 later adopted the very kind of spectacle they had criticised.
Waters recalled Bono objecting to Pink Floyd’s theatrical approach when U2 were still a young band, while claiming that U2 subsequently copied his ideas throughout their career. The article points to U2’s 360 Tour as an example of such spectacle: it grossed about $736 million across 110 shows between 2009 and 2011, drew more than seven million attendees, and used a vast production requiring 120 trucks and roughly 300 crew members.
In short
- Waters says U2 criticised then copied Pink Floyd’s theatrical style.
- The row stems from U2’s reported reaction to The Wall.
- U2’s 360 Tour exemplified the large-scale spectacle Waters resents.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
U2's later embrace of theatrical production represents natural artistic evolution rather than hypocrisy. Young bands often critique approaches they later adopt once they have resources and artistic maturity; Bono may have objected to Pink Floyd's specific style whilst recognising that ambitious scale could serve U2's distinct vision. Artists' views legitimately change through experience, and retrospectively condemning them for this evolution conflates inconsistency with dishonesty.
The case against
Waters identifies a pattern of dismissal followed by imitation that suggests U2's original critique was unprincipled rather than principled. If Bono called Pink Floyd's theatrical approach artistically misguided, then later championed nearly identical spectacle, this indicates the criticism stemmed from resentment or circumstance rather than genuine artistic conviction. The 360 Tour's core DNA—vast architectural scale, production ambition, audience immersion through stagecraft—directly mirrors what Waters pioneered, making claims of independent artistic vision less credible.
Explained simply
Pink Floyd are a British rock band whose 1979 album The Wall tells a story about isolation and fame through music and theatrical staging. Roger Waters wrote much of the album and helped shape the band’s elaborate live shows.
U2 are an Irish rock band, with Bono as their lead singer. Their concerts have also featured large stages and ambitious production, including the 360 Tour, which ran from 2009 to 2011.
The disagreement centres on whether U2’s show style drew on ideas Waters developed with Pink Floyd. It matters because both bands became known for concert spectacles that combined music with extensive staging.
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