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Pink Floyd The Wall Tour (1980–81)

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“The Wall,” a rock opera telling a semi-autobiographical story about isolation and abandonment, was a massive commercial success conceived largely by Roger Waters. Its themes were vividly reflected in the elaborate stage shows of “The Wall” Tour. Renowned for its conceptual and theatrical nature, the tour presented dramatic performances with elaborate stage constructions, props, animations, and characters from the album’s storyline. One of the most iconic elements was the construction of a giant wall across the stage, built brick by brick until it completely separated the band from the audience, symbolizing the thematic barrier in the album’s narrative.

1981 Wall Live in Dortmund Germany [Pic: Hans Greven]
1981 Wall Live in Dortmund Germany [Pic: Hans Greven]

The tour was limited to a few cities, including Los Angeles, New York, London, and Dortmund, due to the complex logistics and costs associated with the elaborate stage production. The setlist included most of the songs from “The Wall,” performed in sequence with the album, maintaining its narrative structure. Innovative stage production techniques featured large inflatable puppets, elaborate light shows, projections of animated sequences created by Gerald Scarfe, and complex sound engineering, setting new standards for live rock performances.

1981 Pink Floyd Wall Tour Backstage Pass
1981 Pink Floyd Wall Tour Backstage Pass

Themes of “The Wall,” including alienation, war, and the trials of the rock star lifestyle, resonated deeply with audiences. The shows were critically acclaimed for their artistic depth and technical innovation, pushing the boundaries of live music performances and influencing subsequent generations of musicians and stage designers. The tour also reflected the internal dynamics of Pink Floyd, particularly Roger Waters’ dominant creative influence and the growing tensions within the band, which eventually led to Waters’ departure.

“The Wall” Tour remains one of the most iconic and revolutionary tours in the history of rock music, remembered for its musical significance and contributions to the art of live performances, setting new standards in scale, complexity, and narrative integration.

The Concept of The Wall – The Spitting Incident

Roger Waters came up with the concept of building a great wall across the front of the stage following a concert Pink Floyd performed in Canada. There was a “spitting incident” which had an enormous impact on Roger. The Roger Waters spitting incident occurred on July 6, 1977, during the final show of Pink Floyd’s “In the Flesh” tour at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium. Frustrated by the rowdy behaviour of the audience, Waters spat at a fan who was reportedly trying to climb onto the stage. This incident had a profound impact on Waters, leading him to reflect on the relationship between rock stars and their audience. This introspection inspired the concept for Pink Floyd’s next album, “The Wall”.

On the day of the Spitting Incident at Montreal, Canada 1977
On the day of the Spitting Incident at Montreal, Canada 1977. Roger Waters and Nick Mason.

The Surrogate Band Life Masks

Given the lack of connection Roger Waters was now feeling with his audiences, he had the idea of sending a “Surrogate Band” out to perform instead of the actual Pink Floyd members. Although the band were considered “faceless” anyway, nobody would notice that it wasn’t even Pink Floyd because they were more interested in drink and other substances and anything but the music. The Surrogate Band performed wearing “life masks” which looked like their respective member of the band from a distance.

1980 Pink Floyd Life Masks for The Wall
1980 Pink Floyd Life Masks for The Wall

The Wall Tour Photos

Here is a small selection of photos from The Wall tour. They depict the manifestation of Mark Fisher’s architectural drawings that he created with Pink Floyd for the live showing of The Wall album.

The Wall Tour Concert Dates

The Wall Tour 1980 in USA

1980-02-07 Pink Floyd The Wall Poster Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California
1980-02-07 Pink Floyd The Wall Poster Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California

1980-02-07 : Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California, USA
1980-02-08 : Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California, USA
1980-02-09 : Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California, USA
1980-02-10 : Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California, USA
1980-02-11 : Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California, USA
1980-02-12 : Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California, USA
1980-02-13 : Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California, USA

1980-02-27 Pink Floyd The Wall Nassau Coliseum, New York
1980-02-27 Pink Floyd The Wall Nassau Coliseum, New York

1980-02-24 : Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Long Island, New York, USA
1980-02-25 : Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Long Island, New York, USA
1980-02-26 : Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Long Island, New York, USA
1980-02-27 : Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Long Island, New York, USA
1980-02-28 : Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Long Island, New York, USA

The Wall Tour 1980 in the UK

1980-08-04 : Earls Court Exhibition Hall, London, England
1980-08-05 : Earls Court Exhibition Hall, London, England
1980-08-06 : Earls Court Exhibition Hall, London, England
1980-08-07 : Earls Court Exhibition Hall, London, England
1980-08-08 : Earls Court Exhibition Hall, London, England
1980-08-09 : Earls Court Exhibition Hall, London, England

The Wall Tour 1981 Germany/Europe

1981 Wall Live in Dortmund Germany [Pic: Hans Greven]
1981 Wall Live in Dortmund Germany [Pic: Hans Greven]

1981-02-13 : Westfalenhalle, Dortmund, Germany
1981-02-14 : Westfalenhalle, Dortmund, Germany
1981-02-15 : Westfalenhalle, Dortmund, Germany
1981-02-16 : Westfalenhalle, Dortmund, Germany
1981-02-17 : Westfalenhalle, Dortmund, Germany
1981-02-18 : Westfalenhalle, Dortmund, Germany
1981-02-19 : Westfalenhalle, Dortmund, Germany
1981-02-20 : Westfalenhalle, Dortmund, Germany

1981 Pink Floyd Wall Tour Ticket Scan
1981 Pink Floyd Wall Tour Ticket Scan

The Wall Tour 1981 UK

1981-06-13 Pink Floyd perform The Wall Earls Court [Pic: Guy Horsley]
1981-06-13 Pink Floyd perform The Wall Earls Court [Pic: Guy Horsley]

1981-06-13 : Earls Court Exhibition Hall, London, England
1981-06-14 : Earls Court Exhibition Hall, London, England
1981-06-15 : Earls Court Exhibition Hall, London, England
1981-06-16 : Earls Court Exhibition Hall, London, England
1981-06-17 : Earls Court Exhibition Hall, London, England

Pink Floyd The Wall Live Video

Watch a video clip of The Happiest Days of our Lives performed at Earls Court, London.

1980 Pink Floyd The Happiest Days of our Lives live at Earls Court London

Explore The Wall Tour Further

Take a look at these resources. These include Pink Floyd The Wall Tour book and programmes. I have also included The Wall Movie books and resources.

Mark Fisher’s Wall Stage Designs

Mark Fisher (1947-2013) was a renowned British architect best known for his innovative stage designs for rock concerts. He graduated from the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London and later founded entertainment architects firm Stufish, his own design studio. Mark Fisher is most famous for his work on Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” tour (1980-1981). He collaborated with Roger Waters and artist Gerald Scarfe to create the iconic stage set, which included a massive wall built and torn down during the performance, along with inflatables, pyrotechnics, and other large-scale props. Fisher also worked on several other Pink Floyd projects, including: “In the Flesh Tour” (1977) and “The Division Bell Tour” (1994). His contributions to these tours helped establish Pink Floyd as pioneers of the modern rock concert experience, creating some of the most memorable and impactful iconography of modern music and art.

As part of his design process, when it came to sharing his ideas from his imagination with his clients, Mark would draw out his architectural sketches to share his inner visions with the outside world. Here are some of the images be drew for the concept of The Wall live shows, which were used to build the massive wall across the indoor spaces Pink Floyd performed The Wall in on their limited and very expensive tour.

Mark Fisher legacy page