Roger Waters-genius behind Pink Floyd - a trip report w/pics+vids

[Lonhro]

So I'm someone you'd consider to have a very broad taste in music, much like most of OOT. Although I do like some new stuff that is floating around, my real love for music would have to lie in the older stuff - late 60's, 70's, 80's of course. I have always loved stuff like Dire Straits, The Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, The Beatles. Although I know basically all of Pink Floyd's 'commercialised' songs, I don't actually know some of their songs that weren't released as singles etc. So when I was asked by my friend Chris if I wanted to go to a Roger Waters concert, I was a bit aprehensive - probably the main reason for this was the ticket price which, at the time, let's just say I was running dry.



Chris bought me a ticket without my knowledge - he tends to do this a lot. Last week was the first time since he bought it that I remembered the concert was actually on this week when I stumbled across a write-up in the local music newspaper. So I start to get pretty pumped at going, listening to a lot of Pink Floyd's stuff on the few days leading up to the concert. The concert was at 8pm, and we both live about 20mi from the Arena, so we set off at 6:30pm. I decide to drive, which obviously means I limit myself to only a couple of drinks.

We stop to park about a mile away from the Arena itself - the "Big Day Out" festival was on only a stones throw away from where Roger is playing, so there are heavy parking restriction for quite a while away from the area. As we walk to the Arena, we stop for a couple of minutes and listen to Muse blasting "Butterflies and Hurricanes" out to the 50,000 strong crowd who just finished watching The Killers, Jet, Violent Femmes, and a host of other sick bands. Tool were yet to come on stage, but (obviously) were the headline act. We finally get through the front ticket-reading machines where the foyer is PACKED with people. The line for merchandise did not look like fun to be in. Similarly it took a little more than 20 minutes to get a couple of beers. The warning alarm started to go just as we were being served drinks, and then we run to our door - which just happens to be the ONLY one with a line - all other doors are completely free of traffic. Still though, everyone in the line - people ranging in age from (guesstimate) 16's all the way through to people in their 70's are all making air guitar movements every time a note is played on the bass - the opening song was "In The Flesh". We just got past the final door in time to see some pyrotechnics go off just behind the stage on the final note, and it was awesome.





Our seats were further away than I expected. They were still good nonetheless, although uncomfortable because of the stage position. I thought the stage setup was awesome - the huge screen behind the main stage was a constant kaleidoscope of shapes, colours, pictures - absolutely amazing. The amount of time and effort that has gone into the choreographing of the whole show is just mind-boggling. One particular song Roger did, called "Leaving Beirut", involved the whole song's lyrics being put on the screen by means of speech bubbles that would appear above whereever Roger was standing at that particular moment. When some other members of the band sang, they too also had speech bubbles appear above them. The whole song was set out with comic pictures in the background, and is a new song by Waters about a time when he went to the Middle East when he was 17 and his car broke down. He hitchhiked all the way back to England but before he did, he was taken in by a Lebanese couple whom he describes as the most hospitable people he has ever met. He was fed food while the woman did not eat. The song is also targeted at what Roger beleives to be unneccessary military action in the middle east by the United States. Quite a bit of the big screen has this overtone to it throughout the show, however it wasn't overwhelming, and Roger didn't once use any of his time to preach anything political like you see Bono do these days.





I'm not sure what song it was, but there was a 30-40ft inflatible spacesuit that was released from the roof and flown around the entire arena by remote control - this was pretty cool and the crowd loved it. Later on, the famous 'pig' was released from the front right of the stage, and towards the end of the song had a malfunction and slowly but surely floated down to the front 5 or so rows and onto the people there. They looked like they were having fun with it until security came along and whisked it away. A few political messages were on the pig, notably "Impeach Bush Now" in captials on the back side of the pig, and "Free David Hicks" on the right hand side of the pig. This (I suspect) drew the most applause from the crowd. For those that don't know, David Hicks is an Australian who has been held in Guantanamo Bay now for 5 years without charge. Today is Australia Day over here, so it was a very poignant message.







There was an intermission for 15 minutes and it started with a very small moon in the centre of the main screen. As the clock went by, the moon got bigger and bigger until finally it nearly took up the whole screen, started changing colours and Roger and the band came back on. All the greats were played, just to name a few: Wish You Were Here , Us And Them , Money, Breathe , Sheep , Another Brick In The Wall (Pt II) (here's the ending) , Shine On You Crazy Diamond, and the finale was Comfortably Numb - and pretty much that's the best way to finish off the concert.

I've seen quite a few concerts in my 25 years, but this was the biggest crowd I have seen in a single concert (not festival), with the most diverse age groups, and the most amazing crowd response. If it wasn't the best concert I've seen, then it's a close second. I'm praying that he comes back as he's getting on now, but if any of you ever have the chance to see him in the future, don't miss it - you won't regret it. As Roger said on stage, he was humbled from the response from the crowd. I am humbled to have been there.

[Slow Play Ray]

not to stir the interforum waters, but this would be an excellent lounge thread...

great write-up, by the way.

[renodoc]

damn. i really should have gone to lengths to see this tour when he was in the bay area. Gilmour put on quite a show last spring in Oakland, but he had no flying pig.

Btw, I thought David was guardian of said pig anyway-- how did Roger get it?

While we are talking about pigs, best use of it for me was in 87 when it emerged at the beginning of the second set during "One of these days" I never really envisioned the farmer talking to the piggie like that before.

[miajag]

Nice post. I saw him in Pittsburgh back in September, pretty good show but the political stuff gets a bit tiresome. Just [censored] play your music, no one cares what you think of GWB.

[ChipWrecked]

$199.90.


JFC, I am [censored] OLD.

I saw Kansas with Loverboy opening for like eight bucks.


Got backstage passes for Floyd in Atlanta in '87 or '88. Gilmour is really short. Saw pig.

[josh_x]

Awesome write up, i didn't even know he was playing, or i might've gone see him. Sounded like it was a great show. I'm seeing the chili peppers at that place in april.

[Willeh]

I saw him play in the Netherlands last june, it was really cool, even worth enduring Def Leppard as the opening band for(it was an all-day festival, with comedy acts such as DIO and Def Leppard playing as well)...Did he have the quadraphonic sound system with him in Australia as well? I thought that was a real cool touch, during the intro of Sheep you heard sheep all around you, seagulls during Southampton Docks, etc. etc.

Anyway, I'm seeing him again in May, Can't wait!

For the people who have seen Gilmour on his last tour as well, what did you think? I liked Roger's show way better, even though he didn't play any of his solo material and David did (it was the tour for his new album after all). Gilmour's playing the song Echoes was pure magic, however..one of the best performances ever imho.

[adsman]

Nice write-up.

I saw Floyd in Perth in 1987. The ticket cost $40 and we were right in front. I can't believe that ticket price.

[burningyen]

I haven't seen the Waters show, but Gilmour rocked at Radio City Music Hall last April. I even liked his new material without ever having heard it before (whereas I'm not a big fan of post-Waters Floyd).

Slight hijack: if anyone in NYC wants to check out my Pink Floyd tribute band tonight, PM me.

[Peter Harris]

lol @ "habeus".

£35 in the UK, Birmingham arena in 2002. Wicked show. Saw him 2 weeks later @ Glastonbury too.

The whooping and cheering THROUGHOUT the video for WYWH makes me glad to be in a country which sits in relative silence during the songs and claps at the end. If i had someone yahooooooooing through each song i'd probably want to punch them in the jaw 3 tracks in.