Roger Waters This Is Not A Drill – Live From Prague
Written by Kahmel Farahani on July 20, 2025
Words: Kahmel Farahani
Recorded in Prague in 2023 on his stupendous “This Is Not A Drill” tour, this tour was billed as Roger Waters’ “first farewell tour”. A career encompassing, multi media spectacular brought to life on stage and now on the big screen.
The film opens with a chilling, minimalist reworking of Comfortably Numb. Set against a decaying, dystopian skyline, it looks and feels like a Philip K. Dick novel come to life. The rest of the setlist is a made up of classics that everyone knows, like Wish You Were Here, to new and as yet unreleased songs, such as The Bar. It’s a damn near perfect blend of new and old in a way that flows pleasingly and still manages to surprise.
Waters’ staging and band are nothing short of flawless. A special mention has to be made for guitarist Dave Kilminster whose playing is staggering. The last third of the movie is dedicated to a medley of Dark Side Of The Moon songs. It’s moving and beautiful to watch, as Waters and co go through Money, Us and Them, Any Colour You Like, Brain Damage and finally Eclipse.
The Bravery Of Being Out Of Range is another standout track. The original song, from Water’s superb Amused to Death album, was a furious hammer blow of a song railing against the first Gulf War. The updated version here is sounds deceptively mellow in comparison. Preceded by Ronald Reagan’s speech on “The America Miracle”, the song is gorgeous and sad at the same time, with Waters stating wearily that, 30 years later, we are still “No closer to peace than the man in the moon“. It’s a very poignant sentiment, and one that in some ways runs through the entire movie. With that said, the miracle of This Is Not A Drill is that it never feels hopeless or nihilistic.
On the contrary, above all else, This Is Not A Drill is a cry begging for simple empathy in an increasingly divided world. Empathy for the person across from you, whether it’s in a warzone or at a bar. It’s a testament to one of the greatest songwriters of a generation and a timeless catalogue of music that has transcended time and place like few other have, or ever will. Do yourself a favour and go see it on a big screen while you have the chance.
This Is Not A Drill is in cinemas July 23rd and July 27th. See the website below for all info as well as tickets.
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