“Azuay and Guayas are the provinces that will bring the most people to the Roger Waters concert in Quito”: Discover all the details of this show

It is a show that took more than a year to prepare and marks the end of an era for the artist. That is why he has great expectations from both his followers and the organizers. The anticipated concert of Roger Waters, co-founder of the legendary band Pink Floyd, will finally arrive on Saturday, December 9 in Ecuador. The luxury show will take place in Quito, at the Atahualpa Olympic Stadium, as part of the celebration of the capital’s founding festivities.

The show on Ecuadorian soil concludes the musicians’ tour called ‘This is not a drill’, which started in July 2022 in Pittsburgh (USA), and is also known as the farewell tour of Waters, 80.

“The artist wants to go to places he has not been before. For example, he has already been to Lima and does not repeat that city, but is looking for a new stage, like ours in Quito, which has also chosen to end his tour, and the last time a stage will be staged, taking into account his age,” explains Juan Carlos Castillo, director of Sight Group, an organization that brings the artist to Ecuador. Castillo is the spokesperson for the show.

“It is without a doubt the most important rock and music event that will be presented in our country. The fact that this has been included as part of the Quito festivities is also super important for the city, because this mega concert concludes a cycle of festivities in the capital.”

Castillo expects that 33,000 people will be present, the capacity that the sports venue offers. At the time of this interview (Monday, November 20), and three weeks before the recital, 92% of tickets have already been sold

“With the opening of this new city, called Zona Quito, at the request of the mayor (Pabel Muñoz) to the artist, with a very comfortable entrance for the people of Quito, it is selling very well.” The location costs $35, which the mayor of Quito considers very affordable to enjoy the repertoire of the famous artist, he emphasizes in a press release.

The other available seats (all numbered) to enjoy the show are Zona The Wall, $300; I Wish You Were Here, $250; Dark Side of the Moon, $200; Box, $170; Grandstand, $125; Preferred, $85; Box, $70; and General, $55. All for sale on the Buen Plan site.

According to Castillo, more than 5,000 tickets were purchased in Azuay, and more than 4,500 in Guayas. “They are two provinces that will bring the most people to the show. With them we would add at least 10,000 people, a third of the capacity of the stadium.”

Editing of the highly anticipated concert will take at least 10 days, the spokesperson said, including 200 square meters of giant screens to enjoy the recital from any location and ensuring the installation of surround sound equipment.

As for the security issue, it will be guaranteed by the police and the security of the municipality of Quito, Castillo said. “And taking advantage of the fact that the concert is on Saturday, we have set up a gastronomic fair in the stadium so that people can go early, avoid long lines and enjoy, eat something, hydrate and enjoy themselves while waiting. before the start of the concert. Show”.

Roger Waters’ demands for his concert in Quito

One of the aspects that has attracted attention in the preparation of the concert is the sobriety that Roger Waters applies behind the scenes, in contrast to those “old rock divas who asked you for white towels or a carpet in the dressing room”, the spokesperson jokes .

“The demands he has made during the tour are that the technical issue of sound is preserved and respected, which is the most important thing for him. Yes, work has been done with the sound engineer, with all the people who certify and guarantee the infrastructure on which Roger Waters’ band will be built, which is material that comes from outside Colombia and that they bring with them.”

But as for the artist’s special requirements, none. “He’s quite austere. All he asked for was the normal requirements of any artist, namely hydration in his dressing room and food, the basics to feel comfortable,” says Castillo.

The activism of Roger Waters

Last week, Roger Waters reported that he had been denied hotel stays in Argentina and Uruguay over allegations of alleged anti-Semitism. AFP. The musician has been very active on his social networks in favor of the Palestinian people regarding the latest conflict that has arisen in the Middle East.

Is this something that could happen to the singer in Ecuador that worries the singer? “It could be worrying,” replies Juan Carlos Castillo. “Because of all the political moment that is being experienced, but the concert has been in the making for over a year, no one expected what is happening in the Middle East, politics and geopolitics are moving like that. But Roger Waters isn’t too concerned about that, and in the specific case of the housing issue, no one has told us they won’t get it. On the contrary, everything develops in a very calm and very comfortable way.”

Castillo also doesn’t believe Waters’ activism has jeopardized the appeal for his concert, given the percentage of tickets sold. “Not at all, look at all of Roger Waters’ concerts since he started his Latin American tour, they were a success: in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay. And we also hope that from the Quito concert, and especially that he can end his tour with this phrase that says ‘with a flourish’. May it end well in Quito, in Ecuador, and may you leave with the best impressions of what we Ecuadorians are like and how much we love very high quality shows.