Roger Waters lined up for Malta gig

Pink Floyd mania is bound to hit Malta again this summer as NnG Promotions yesterday secured a live concert by Roger Waters, the band's legendary frontman.

The concert will be staged on July 10, probably at the Luxol grounds, just a month after Sting plays in Malta on another leg of his Broken Music tour.

Nigel Camilleri, from NnG Promotions, told The Times that discussions with the management of Roger Waters had been going on for months.

"He is definitely one of the most popular artists of all time, and we're happy to be getting two big names in the industry," Mr Camilleri said.

Kicking off on May 20 in the UK, Roger Waters is expected to embark on a European tour, before moving on to the US. His tour is being anticipated by many as he is expected to play the entire Dark Side Of The Moon, Pink Floyd's masterpiece, during the second part of the concert.

The first half of the concert will be a blend of Floyd classics and Roger Waters's solo material. Elaborate staging has been promised, complete with projections, and a full, 360-degree quadrophonic sound system. It has been announced that his former Pink Floyd bandmate, Nick Mason, will be joining him on some of the tour dates, though it is not clear whether he will be present in Malta.

Mr Camilleri admitted that he was encouraged to secure Roger Waters's gig following the overwhelming success of tribute band The Australian Pink Floyd during a concert in Malta last summer.

"If a tribute band can entice so many fans, then why shouldn't we go for the real thing," he wondered.

The concert had been such a hit that The Australian Pink Floyd were actually booked in to play again this summer.

Renowned somewhat as an enigma, Roger Waters was the brains behind most of Pink Floyd's classics, including the multi-million album The Wall.

Renowned as a perfectionist, he released his opera, Ça Ira last October after 16 years of work. Incidentally, 15 minutes of the opera were premiered during Malta's EU celebrations.

Roger Waters and Pink Floyd reunited for a performance at the Live 8 concert, London last July. Billed by many critics as the finest performance of the day, they played a four-song, 23-minute set, concluding with the classic Wish You Were Here. While many fans clamoured for a reunion, the band effectively dismissed it as a no-go area.