Each month, trade publication TPi (Total Production International) takes an inside look at recent and current touring productions, to reveal the details behind the staging of these - looking at how the tech teams behind each aspect sort out issues and ensure audiences get the best experience possible.

As the world of concert staging develops, some incredible technical advances keep pushing the envelope of what's possible, making truly memorable experiences. The magazine doesn't just look at the visual aspect, but at the delivery of sound too. It's thankfully rare to have poor audio at a gig these days, with equipment getting smaller, more portable on the road, and higher quality.

The September 2018 issue will be of particular interest to our readership: in it, there's a massive 16 page article looking at the current Roger Waters Us + Them tour, with additional pages of adverts from assisting companies involved in the tour. TPi: "There are few British rock legends who rose to fame in the '60s and continue to tour today, let alone with the magnitude and stamina of Roger Waters. Following an indoor arena tour which started in North America, the production then headed to Europe, via NZ And Australia, for the Lucca Summer Festival before upscaling further for Rome's Circo Massimo (Circus Maximus) and its audience of 65,000 fans.

"The outcome did not only deliver awe-inspiring technology in a juxtaposing event space but was a team effort - delivered seamlessly in 36°C heat - led by a hearty dose of calmness and clarity. Read the full in-depth tech feature in this month's TPi front cover story."

The good news for those who aren't subscribers to this magazine, is that it is available online through this direct link!

Last month, we brought you the news about the somewhat unexpected latest project from Roger Waters. It was confirmed that Roger, in conjunction with the Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival Orchestra, had been working on a new album - Igor Stravinksky's The Soldier's Tale - to be released on CD via Sony Music Classical, on October 26th, 2018.

For this new recording of this classic, Roger has rewritten the text, telling the whole of the harrowing modern fairy tale, playing not just the Soldier, the Devil and the Narrator, but all the other characters as well!

In this update, we've got the good news that on November 30th, 2018, a special, 180g heavyweight vinyl double album, housed in a gatefold sleeve, is being released. This should prove to be very popular, and with the work spread across four sides of vinyl, we suspect the sound quality will be excellent. We've also got the newly released trailer for the album, to give you a taste of things - it can be seen just below.

The track listing for this album is shown below the ordering info; longer term visitors to Brain Damage will recall that Roger performed The Soldier's Tale back in 2008 with the Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival Orchestra. It clearly made a big impression on him, resulting in this recorded collaboration with the same orchestra, which certainly sounds very intriguing.

ORDERING INFORMATION:
To secure your copy now, for despatch upon release, please use these direct links, which will also qualify for Amazon's pre-order price guarantee - they will automatically charge the lowest asking price between your order, and release:

The new issue of Germany's MINT Magazine - issue 23, cover date October 2018 - is in stores now, and as the cover images show, should be of much interest to Pink Floyd fans.

MINT is the magazine of German vinyl culture. Since 2015, it has aimed to be the voice of the vinyl community. Eight times a year, MINT specialises in large reports and background reports about the world of vinyl.

The cover story of the new issue deals extensively with the Pink Floyd Exhibition: Their Mortal Remains latest staging in Dortmund, at the Dortmunder U. In the 21 page article, titled "The Labyrinth of the Masters", they have an exclusive of Nick Mason guiding the readership through selected exhibits from this latest staging of TMR.

They also include an interview with Aubrey 'Po' Powell and a report on the Pink Floyd archivist Tracey Kraft, who was also in Dortmund for the opening. Elsewhere in the magazine, there's a 15 page look at "Pink Floyd on Vinyl - The Guide to the World of Pressings and Collectibles."

You have two choices of cover - a typical collage of Floydian elements, and the other, an interesting interpretation of the Animals cover, substituting in the Dortmunder U in place of Battersea Power Station. MINT is available in newsagents and in more than 200 record stores, hi-fi dealers. You can also order either cover (or indeed both!) mail order worldwide, through MINTmag.de. Our thanks as ever to Michael Nickel for his help with this information.

An interesting new interview with Nick Mason aired at the weekend, on the UK's BBC Radio 6 Music. To help mark National Album Day, Nick was interviewed by presenter Liz Kershaw, giving his thoughts - track by track - about Pink Floyd's 1973 epic The Dark Side Of The Moon.

During the chat with Liz, Nick also talked his new band - Nick Mason's Saucerful Of Secrets, and about the Saucers' recent 21-date European tour that took place in September, following on from the equally critically acclaimed set of four London dates in May.

The show can be heard on demand via the BBC website, for a month from broadcast - so you have until mid-November to listen to this.