Belleville\u2019s Clifton David Broadbridge has scaled The Wall before \u2013 and now he\u2019s about to work for the man behind it.<\/p>\n
Broadbridge, who this month turns 48, is preparing for a tour as lead singer Roger Waters Presents Legacy \u2013 A Pink Floyd Show. He\u2019s joined the Harry Rogers Band, with Harry\u2019s father, Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters, overseeing the project.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very surreal,\u201d Broadbridge said Thursday in an Intelligencer telephone interview. He said Pink Floyd is \u201cmy top-favourite band of all time.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe music is so important to so many people, and because Roger is presenting the show, and directing the show, and producing it, there is such a high bar to it.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course I\u2019m very happy. It\u2019s a wonderful thing to happen, but the work is really what matters.\u201d<\/p>\n
The father-son Waters team searched globally for their lead singer.<\/p>\n
\u201cHarry\u2019s band is missing one thing: the voice I had when I was young,\u201d Roger Waters said at the time.<\/p>\n
Harry Waters watched every audition recording. He narrowed the field to 40 singers, then eight \u2013 and then Broadbridge.<\/p>\n
A show press release promised \u201cexceptional musicianship, authentic sound, and a frontman chosen through an unprecedented worldwide search.\u201d<\/p>\n
Schooled in classic rock<\/p>\n
Broadbridge, who attended Belleville\u2019s Nicholson Catholic College before embarking on his career as a classic-rock-loving guitarist and singer, is now based in Nashville.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s a veteran of many Pink Floyd shows with Classic Albums Live, having performed 1960s and \u201870s rock shows with that act for more than 20 years. He\u2019ll perform this weekend at Picton\u2019s Base31 when Classic Albums presents Fleetwood Mac\u2019s Rumours album.<\/p>\n
He said he was in St. Maarten while on a spring 2026 musical cruise to perform Rumours with that act when a man approached him to compliment Broadbridge on one of his guitar solos.<\/p>\n
Robbie Wyckoff introduced himself, saying he had been Roger Waters\u2019 singer for his tour of The Wall.<\/p>\n
A few months later, Broadbridge discovered Harry Waters was looking for a singer.<\/p>\n
After sending in two video auditions, he woke up to a text message from Harry Waters.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe should talk. Give me a call,\u201d wrote Waters.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy friends are so mean,\u201d Broadbridge thought, suspecting a prank by the two people he\u2019d told about the audition.<\/p>\n
The real deal<\/p>\n
Instead, he was soon in a video interview with the younger Waters and Graham Broad, Roger Waters\u2019 longtime drummer.<\/p>\n
Harry Waters was on tour with Sean Lennon and Primus\u2019 Les Claypool on the latter\u2019s Claypool Gold tour, and wanted to meet Broadbridge.<\/p>\n
They, along with one of Waters\u2019 friends, met in Murfreesboro, Tenn., south of Nashville. Broadbridge lugged his guitar, microphone, and Pink Floyd backing tracks.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then in walked Sean Lennon, and I just basically sang for them while Harry kind of jammed along on the keyboards, giving me notes and stuff for like two-and-a-half or three hours.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen Sean and Harry helped me carry my gear back out to my car, and then I was off, on my way.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was an interesting lesson in life,\u201d said Broadbridge. \u201cWhat\u2019s meant for you will find you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Roger Waters is presenting, directing, and producing the show, Broadbridge said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s such a high bar to it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVery special\u201d music<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why, despite his hiring being \u201ca wonderful thing,\u201d Broadbridge downplays his part.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe work is really what matters.<\/p>\n
\u201cPink Floyd is very special, and unlike a lot of rock and roll, their music isn\u2019t so much about relationships and, you know, that kind of thing. Roger Waters, lyrically, goes extremely deep into the state of mankind.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very theatrical, but it also can be very nuanced. I think Dark Side of the Moon is one of the best-selling albums of all time because it just strikes a chord with people so deeply.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said he\u2019ll be singing the parts first performed by Roger Waters and singer-guitarist David Gilmour in the band\u2019s \u201cgolden era\u201d between 1971 and 1979, and from Waters\u2019 solo career.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe last thing that I want to do is go out and do an impression.\u201d<\/p>\n
Recalling his past performances of the Floyd catalogue, Broadbridge said he instead tries to match the original singers\u2019 phrasing and timing.<\/p>\n
He said he\u2019d be happy if the show lasted for several years.<\/p>\n
International tour starts Feb. 15<\/p>\n
The tour starts Feb. 15 and will reach more than 100 cities in North America and Europe. Large screens will display images inspired by Pink Floyd and visuals created by Roger Waters. Shows will last more than two hours.<\/p>\n
It will reach Ontario\u2019s Casino Rama on April 23 and Hard Rock Live Ottawa a day later.<\/p>\n
Vancouver\u2019s Aug. 31 show at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre is the only other Canadian stop scheduled to date.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese songs have meant so much to so many people for so many years, and I\u2019m excited for audiences to come together and experience them live again,\u201d Roger Waters said in a news release. \u201cHarry has assembled a terrific band, and I can\u2019t wait for fans around the world to see the special show we\u2019ve created together.\u201d<\/p>\n
Added Harry: \u201cCollaborating with Dad on this new production is such an honour, and I\u2019m so grateful to have the opportunity to bring this music to fans old and new, around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
Graham Broad will again be on drums. Also in the 10-piece band are singer and Canadian Idol winner Eva Avila, and her husband, Brit Floyd guitarist Edo Scordo.<\/p>\n
Broadbridge said while he \u201calways considered myself a guitarist that sings,\u201d he doesn\u2019t mind not having a guitarist role in this band. He, too, was quick to speak of the talent in the group.<\/p>\n
He again downplayed his part, saying he\u2019s grateful for his musical gifts and his Catholic upbringing helps him to stay grounded.<\/p>\n
Broadbridge just finished an album with Greg Bissonette, who has recorded with David Lee Roth, Steve Vai, and Santana, among others, and toured with Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band.<\/p>\n
Having the Waters\u2019 show ahead is motivating him to release more of his own work before the tour, he said.<\/p>\n
Broadbridge said he has had both success and \u201cmany, many failures\u201d and does not let his work define him.<\/p>\n
He does, however, have a lot of practising ahead of him.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not that I don\u2019t know the songs \u2026 It\u2019s that the level of expectation on myself and from everyone else is extremely high \u2013 and it should be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ticket sales started Friday, Oct. 2.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Belleville\u2019s Clifton David Broadbridge has scaled The Wall before \u2013 and now he\u2019s about to work for the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":917163,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[147143,49,48,75,341],"class_list":["post-917162","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-belleville","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-entertainment","tag-music"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/917162","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=917162"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/917162\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/917163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=917162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=917162"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=917162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}