The Wall, Pink Floyd’s 1979 conceptual masterpiece is celebrating its 40th Anniversary in 2019.  French-Canadian rock band, The Wall Live Extravaganza will help celebrate the 40th Anniversary by not only performing the album musically in its entirety, but they will also be acting it out on stage as well.  The Hard Rock Rocksino will be the place to be on January 18th to witness this spectacle.

 

We had the opportunity to talk with band leader and founding member of The Wall Live Extravaganza, Sebastien Lacombe to get some insight on his career and to talk about his upcoming appearance at The Hard Rock.

 

Greg Drugan:  Hi Sebastien, Happy New Year!

 

Sebastien Lacombe:  Happy New Year to you too!

 

GD:  I just wanted to say that I got the opportunity to see you guys two years ago when you played the Hard Rock here in Cleveland.  I didn’t know what to expect, and I was totally blown away by your performance.

 

SL:  Oh great! We’re coming back and that’s great for us!

 

GD:  What made you decide to put this show together and then take it on the road?

 

SL:  Mostly it’s our collective love for Pink Floyd and also our collective love for The Wall the album.  For us, The Wall is such a masterpiece, it’s like playing a Mozart concerto in a rock way. We wanted to make the songs like the album as much as we can.  We’re just fans that want to make the best show possible.

 

GD:  How many people are involved with the production?

 

SL:  There are two main singers, three chorus (background singers), there are ten people total on stage.  We have projections, we have a big light show and we have costumes. It’s actually like part theater and part rock show.  We really bring the audience into The Wall movie, for people who know the movie. 

 

GD:  Has anyone in Pink Floyd seen your show?

 

SL:  We did a show in December in Montreal where we played with a symphony orchestra and I think there were members of the band there, or at least Roger Waters managers were there.  I heard that they were there, but I’m not sure.

 

GD:  That would be great.  How long have you been performing The Wall?

 

SL:  We had auditions three years ago.  We are based in Montreal and there was a wide range of singers (who auditioned).  We first started playing in Montreal and now we have played about one hundred fifty shows.  So,I kinda know the lyrics now. (laughs)

 

GD:  Right! What is your favorite song to perform live?

 

SL:  It depends on where you play the songs.  Specially when we go to the States, when I play “Mother” people tend to react a lot to that song.  For me as a singer, when I sing political stuff, people tend to react to that and I love that! I think “Mother” is my favorite song, that and “Nobody Home.”  

 

GD:  Excellent choices!  I love both of those songs.  Besides Pink Floyd, who are some of your other musical influences?

 

SL:  Led Zeppelin, I love Black Sabbath. I love Radiohead.  For me OK Computer was one of the greatest albums ever made.  I was eighteen in the ‘90s so all the grunge stuff, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Nirvana, I’m a big fan of those.  Plus some French artists that you may not know of, but Pink Floyd would be in my top five.

 

GD:  When did you first start playing music and how many instruments do you play?

 

SL: I have two older brothers so they bought some guitars and bass and we had some drums in the basement.  We were all singers also. In my family, there was always music. I play piano, I play guitar, I play bass, and I play harmonica.  I’ve been making music since I was eight years old. I’m a good acoustic guitar player, but average at everything else.

 

GD: Well, you’ve got me beat!  Who was the first artist you saw in concert and how did that impact you?

 

SL:  That’s a great question!  You have me thinking back in my memories.  I went with my two brothers to see The Cult, they were doing the Electric tour and they were playing a smaller venue in Montreal and the opening act was Guns N’ Roses.  I was a big fan of The Cult and we saw Guns N’ Roses and we didn’t think that they were that good. I remember booing Guns N’ Roses, I was very young. Then when they released Appetite For Destruction, I became a fan!  That was the first time I saw a big rock show and it made me want to get more and more into rock music.

 

GD:  Have you ever seen Pink Floyd or Roger Waters in concert?

 

SL:  Yes, I saw Pink Floyd a couple of times and one show of Roger Waters, it was the Radio K.A.O.S.  tour.

 

GD:  Very good.  So you will be coming back to Cleveland in a couple of weeks, what can fans expect from the show?

 

SL:  The two main singers are the same and most of the band is the same but we’ve added some great female vocal talent.  We are making The Wall. The projections are better and the light show is better and we are adding some surprises at the end.  I don’t want to spoil the show. You have to come and see it!
 

GD:  For sure! Sebastien, thank you so much for your time and I am looking forward to seeing you at The Hard Rock.  Have a great New Year!

 

SL:  Yes, Happy New Year everyone!  May 2019 be the best one!

 

Be sure to catch The Wall Live Extravaganza on January 18th at the Hard Rock Rocksino.  You will not be disappointed. Tickets start at $27.00 and can be purchased here.