So You Thought You Might Like To Go To The Show?
Just a warning: This is officially my longest post ever (yes, longer than my “Serenity” post)
I don’t really know the lodge’s opinion on all things Pink Floyd, but you’re going to get my concert review anyway....
Roger Waters @ the Key Arena 10.12.06
The last time a Pink Floyd album had Roger Waters on it was 1983’s “The Final Cut”. In the twenty some years since he’s done some solo records and occasionally touring. Last year, after Pink Floyd reunited for the Live Aid concert, Roger expressed interest in touring the “Dark Side of the Moon” album. This tour is the result.
Pink Floyd was always known for their amazing stage shows, and Waters was not one to disappoint. The stage design was done by Mark Fisher, the creator of the famous “Wall” tour. If you haven’t seen that show I HIGHLY recommend you check it out. It’s the most theatrical experience you’ll ever see in a rock concert.
In addition the show is presented in quadraphonic sound, meaning that instead of just speakers around the stage, there are also speakers set up in the rear and sides of the arena give the concert a surround sound quality that I’ve never experienced at a concert before.
The show opens up with a radio on the giant LCD screen (which was probably the clearest looking screen I’ve ever seen at a concert. HD maybe?). There’s a bottle of Johnnie Walker red, a shot glass and an ashtray full of cigarette butts. Every once in a while a hand reaches from off screen to pour another shot or change the station on the radio. Presumably this is the character of “Pink” (not feeling well & back at the hotel?). The dial changes and we hear those old WWII battle sounds before the band rips into the first song. As soon as that happens the arena magically smells very “organic”. The set list is as follows:
In The Flesh:
Pyrotechnics abound as the songs opening chords are belted out. It’s the perfect opening song. The crowd goes nuts. Spotlights swarm over the crowd as Roger calls out to get various groups “up against the wall”.
Right about this time a girl 6 rows up threw up all over the place & had to be dragged out, as she was completely unconscious. There’s a MasterCard ad in there somewhere.
Ticket: $150
T-Shirt: $40
7 shots of Tequila: $35
Puking @ Passing out 1 song into the show: Priceless
Mother
Things step down a notch. There’s a bit of a glitch technical glitch with Roger’s guitar at the very beginning, but it gets fixed quickly. The crowd sings along and lighters and cell phone lights start popping up all around. I loved the way everyone yelled “No!” after the line “Mother Should I Trust the Government”. I’d seen that moment on various concert DVD’s and I couldn’t wait for it! The portions sung by the “Mother”, which on the album are sung by David Gilmour, are instead sung by one of the female backup singers, and she’s amazing.
Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun
This was a highlight of the night for me. I used to listen to my dad’s copy of “Umagumma” on vinyl when I was a teenager, and this was probably my favorite track on it. This was the only Syd Barrett era song of the night, and it was an excellent choice.
Shine On You Crazy Diamond
This is a shaved down version of the 26 Minute, nine part song. It basically consisted of a condensed version of parts 1-5. Throughout the song the video screen played a montage of images of Syd. It was a nice tribute.
Have a Cigar
Awesome performance! This has never been one of my favorite Floyd songs (although I’ve LOVE the lyrics), but they rocked it! Killer guitar solo!
Wish You Were Here
Pink changes the station again & the audience queues their lighters. This really is one of the greatest songs ever written, and the audience (myself included) eats up every second of it. Just about everyone in the arena sings along.
Southampton Dock
The first of a pair of tracks from the “Final Cut”. Of all the Floyd records, I’m probably the least familiar with this one. A flying spaceman came floating out during this song, wandering above the crowd. Very cool.
Fletcher Memorial Home
The other “Final Cut” track. Great song, well done. This was the beginning of the political attacks on “W” through the night as his picture is shown with Osama Bin Laden, Saddam Hussein & Ronald Reagan. Some cheer, although you can see there are more than a few ex-hippies that are now very republican in their views.
Perfect Sense Part 1 & 2
This was the first solo Roger Waters song of the night, and possibly my favorite of his solo stuff. It’s a heavy anti-war song (“Can’t you see? It all makes perfect sense. Expressed in dollars & cents, pounds, shillings, & pence”) and the “W” attacks start coming at full force. There’s an entire section of the song that’s sounds like a sports broadcast, but the “sport” is actually a nuclear submarine firing missiles at a target. I always made sure to cheer anytime something negative showed up on screen. And once I noticed that there was a guy in front of me who didn’t appreciate Dubya being mocked I made sure to cheer just a little louder. Yeah...I’m an @$$hole.
Leaving Beirut
The only new song of the night. The song is about Roger hitchhiking through Beirut when he was 17, contrasted with the most un-subtle attack on Dubya you could imagine. You could see some people in the crowd weren’t pleased, but the majority of the crowd totally ate it up. Good to see Roger’s still writing.
Sheep
I love this song! And it was a great cap to the first set. The infamous Pink Floyd piggie came flying out into the crowd spray painted by Roger Waters with various messages (everything from “Vote November 7” to “Impeach Bush”)
The band leaves the stage for an intermission, and then come back and starts up with “Dark Side of the Moon”
Speak To Me/Breathe
Apparently people didn’t think to go back to their seats until after the second half of the show started, which damaged my calm to now end. The quadraphonic sound really came into force as the various sounds heard at the beginning of the album start playing in different parts of the arena. Very cool stuff.
On The Run
I was never huge into this song. It always felt more like a connector between “Breath” & “Time”. But this version was awesome! It had been rearranged and was simply entrancing. The light show that went along with it was awesome! A total mind trip, like something out of "2001".
Time
Awesome. I never realized that the ticking clock was actually Roger on bass. The drum solo in this song was a highlight. The crowd was eating it up; the best part was that he had to leap from one drum kit to another within the space of a beat to start kicking it when the rest of the band starts up. I’ll never forget that.
Great Gig in the sky
Two words: Holy S#$t! The female soloist on this song just about brought the house down. She was 100% dead on! Just listen to it on the album and you’ll hear how hard that must be to do. AMAZING!
Money
I love this baseline. Roger looks like he’s having a ball.
Us & Them
Bush gets jabbed a few more times on the video screen. I’m starting to think Roger’s not a fan. This sound quality of this song in particular really impressed me.
Any Color You Like/Brain Damage/Eclipse
These three tracks have always felt like one song to me. The bleed into each other so effortlessly...everyone sings along to “Eclipse”. It’s not even over, and this is already one of the best concerts ever!
The band goes offstage and Roger thanks the crowd. Normally, the encore feels obligatory. The crowd cheers some and then the band comes out. While, I know that they were planning on doing the encore either way, it was awesome hearing the crowd just scream and holler as loud as they could. This is the kind of crowd that encores are designed for. The encore was 5 tracks from the “Wall” which I just loved. For me, “The Wall” is my desert island Pink Floyd album. When I was in high school there were 2 albums I always had on me at all times:
1. Nine Inch Nails: The Downward Spiral
2. Pink Floyd: The Wall
Happiest Days of Our Lives/Another Brick in the Wall Pt 2
Here’s the one chorus that absolutely every single person in that arena knew, and I loved seeing everyone sing along.
Vera
It’s a fairly short song, but it’s one of my favorites from the album. Roger & co. did it justice and even extended it somewhat. Really good stuff!
Bring the Boys Back Home
There was a set of 5 fireball machines in the back of the stage that played along with this song that was awesome! The sounds of the explosions went along perfectly with that military-esque drum beat.
Comfortably Numb
The perfect song to end the show on. But if there’s one song that makes me think of David Gilmour, it’s this one. His solo work on this song is probably my all time favorite guitar solo. Roger actually uses two guitarists to create a solo that is similar, but also very different. He knows better than to try and just mimic David here. Great version. I really dug it.
And with that, some 2 hours and 40 minutes later, it was over.
Back in the day, Roger was notorious for being uncomfortable playing in front of large crowds. But now he seems to have adjusted and looked like he was having the time of his life. He was singing along to everyone’s parts the entire time, and really made an effort to connect with the fans, taking the time to connect with everyone from the people in the front row to the people in the cheap seats. This show was everything I hoped it could have been and even a little more.
I don’t really know the lodge’s opinion on all things Pink Floyd, but you’re going to get my concert review anyway....
Roger Waters @ the Key Arena 10.12.06The last time a Pink Floyd album had Roger Waters on it was 1983’s “The Final Cut”. In the twenty some years since he’s done some solo records and occasionally touring. Last year, after Pink Floyd reunited for the Live Aid concert, Roger expressed interest in touring the “Dark Side of the Moon” album. This tour is the result.
Pink Floyd was always known for their amazing stage shows, and Waters was not one to disappoint. The stage design was done by Mark Fisher, the creator of the famous “Wall” tour. If you haven’t seen that show I HIGHLY recommend you check it out. It’s the most theatrical experience you’ll ever see in a rock concert.
In addition the show is presented in quadraphonic sound, meaning that instead of just speakers around the stage, there are also speakers set up in the rear and sides of the arena give the concert a surround sound quality that I’ve never experienced at a concert before.
The show opens up with a radio on the giant LCD screen (which was probably the clearest looking screen I’ve ever seen at a concert. HD maybe?). There’s a bottle of Johnnie Walker red, a shot glass and an ashtray full of cigarette butts. Every once in a while a hand reaches from off screen to pour another shot or change the station on the radio. Presumably this is the character of “Pink” (not feeling well & back at the hotel?). The dial changes and we hear those old WWII battle sounds before the band rips into the first song. As soon as that happens the arena magically smells very “organic”. The set list is as follows:
In The Flesh:
Pyrotechnics abound as the songs opening chords are belted out. It’s the perfect opening song. The crowd goes nuts. Spotlights swarm over the crowd as Roger calls out to get various groups “up against the wall”.
Right about this time a girl 6 rows up threw up all over the place & had to be dragged out, as she was completely unconscious. There’s a MasterCard ad in there somewhere.
Ticket: $150
T-Shirt: $40
7 shots of Tequila: $35
Puking @ Passing out 1 song into the show: Priceless
Mother
Things step down a notch. There’s a bit of a glitch technical glitch with Roger’s guitar at the very beginning, but it gets fixed quickly. The crowd sings along and lighters and cell phone lights start popping up all around. I loved the way everyone yelled “No!” after the line “Mother Should I Trust the Government”. I’d seen that moment on various concert DVD’s and I couldn’t wait for it! The portions sung by the “Mother”, which on the album are sung by David Gilmour, are instead sung by one of the female backup singers, and she’s amazing.
Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun
This was a highlight of the night for me. I used to listen to my dad’s copy of “Umagumma” on vinyl when I was a teenager, and this was probably my favorite track on it. This was the only Syd Barrett era song of the night, and it was an excellent choice.
Shine On You Crazy Diamond
This is a shaved down version of the 26 Minute, nine part song. It basically consisted of a condensed version of parts 1-5. Throughout the song the video screen played a montage of images of Syd. It was a nice tribute.
Have a Cigar
Awesome performance! This has never been one of my favorite Floyd songs (although I’ve LOVE the lyrics), but they rocked it! Killer guitar solo!
Wish You Were Here
Pink changes the station again & the audience queues their lighters. This really is one of the greatest songs ever written, and the audience (myself included) eats up every second of it. Just about everyone in the arena sings along.
Southampton DockThe first of a pair of tracks from the “Final Cut”. Of all the Floyd records, I’m probably the least familiar with this one. A flying spaceman came floating out during this song, wandering above the crowd. Very cool.
Fletcher Memorial Home
The other “Final Cut” track. Great song, well done. This was the beginning of the political attacks on “W” through the night as his picture is shown with Osama Bin Laden, Saddam Hussein & Ronald Reagan. Some cheer, although you can see there are more than a few ex-hippies that are now very republican in their views.
Perfect Sense Part 1 & 2
This was the first solo Roger Waters song of the night, and possibly my favorite of his solo stuff. It’s a heavy anti-war song (“Can’t you see? It all makes perfect sense. Expressed in dollars & cents, pounds, shillings, & pence”) and the “W” attacks start coming at full force. There’s an entire section of the song that’s sounds like a sports broadcast, but the “sport” is actually a nuclear submarine firing missiles at a target. I always made sure to cheer anytime something negative showed up on screen. And once I noticed that there was a guy in front of me who didn’t appreciate Dubya being mocked I made sure to cheer just a little louder. Yeah...I’m an @$$hole.
Leaving Beirut
The only new song of the night. The song is about Roger hitchhiking through Beirut when he was 17, contrasted with the most un-subtle attack on Dubya you could imagine. You could see some people in the crowd weren’t pleased, but the majority of the crowd totally ate it up. Good to see Roger’s still writing.
SheepI love this song! And it was a great cap to the first set. The infamous Pink Floyd piggie came flying out into the crowd spray painted by Roger Waters with various messages (everything from “Vote November 7” to “Impeach Bush”)
The band leaves the stage for an intermission, and then come back and starts up with “Dark Side of the Moon”
Speak To Me/Breathe
Apparently people didn’t think to go back to their seats until after the second half of the show started, which damaged my calm to now end. The quadraphonic sound really came into force as the various sounds heard at the beginning of the album start playing in different parts of the arena. Very cool stuff.
On The Run
I was never huge into this song. It always felt more like a connector between “Breath” & “Time”. But this version was awesome! It had been rearranged and was simply entrancing. The light show that went along with it was awesome! A total mind trip, like something out of "2001".
Time
Awesome. I never realized that the ticking clock was actually Roger on bass. The drum solo in this song was a highlight. The crowd was eating it up; the best part was that he had to leap from one drum kit to another within the space of a beat to start kicking it when the rest of the band starts up. I’ll never forget that.
Great Gig in the sky
Two words: Holy S#$t! The female soloist on this song just about brought the house down. She was 100% dead on! Just listen to it on the album and you’ll hear how hard that must be to do. AMAZING!
MoneyI love this baseline. Roger looks like he’s having a ball.
Us & Them
Bush gets jabbed a few more times on the video screen. I’m starting to think Roger’s not a fan. This sound quality of this song in particular really impressed me.
Any Color You Like/Brain Damage/Eclipse
These three tracks have always felt like one song to me. The bleed into each other so effortlessly...everyone sings along to “Eclipse”. It’s not even over, and this is already one of the best concerts ever!
The band goes offstage and Roger thanks the crowd. Normally, the encore feels obligatory. The crowd cheers some and then the band comes out. While, I know that they were planning on doing the encore either way, it was awesome hearing the crowd just scream and holler as loud as they could. This is the kind of crowd that encores are designed for. The encore was 5 tracks from the “Wall” which I just loved. For me, “The Wall” is my desert island Pink Floyd album. When I was in high school there were 2 albums I always had on me at all times:
1. Nine Inch Nails: The Downward Spiral
2. Pink Floyd: The Wall
Happiest Days of Our Lives/Another Brick in the Wall Pt 2Here’s the one chorus that absolutely every single person in that arena knew, and I loved seeing everyone sing along.
Vera
It’s a fairly short song, but it’s one of my favorites from the album. Roger & co. did it justice and even extended it somewhat. Really good stuff!
Bring the Boys Back Home
There was a set of 5 fireball machines in the back of the stage that played along with this song that was awesome! The sounds of the explosions went along perfectly with that military-esque drum beat.
Comfortably Numb
The perfect song to end the show on. But if there’s one song that makes me think of David Gilmour, it’s this one. His solo work on this song is probably my all time favorite guitar solo. Roger actually uses two guitarists to create a solo that is similar, but also very different. He knows better than to try and just mimic David here. Great version. I really dug it.
And with that, some 2 hours and 40 minutes later, it was over.
Back in the day, Roger was notorious for being uncomfortable playing in front of large crowds. But now he seems to have adjusted and looked like he was having the time of his life. He was singing along to everyone’s parts the entire time, and really made an effort to connect with the fans, taking the time to connect with everyone from the people in the front row to the people in the cheap seats. This show was everything I hoped it could have been and even a little more.
posted by Casey at 12:42 PM
3 Comments:
Good review MCP. I'm kicking myself for missing it.
I second that good review...and I'm glad you're a fan of Umagumma...it's a hidden treasure...especially Astronomy Domine and one of my favorite titles of all-time: Careful with that Axe Eugen...
Sounds like you and I had similar experiences with Floyd from our HS days...I got to see "The Other Pink Floyd" in '93 or '94 w/o Roger...that was awesome...in the Superdome no less...talk about a band made to play really large venues...
Waaay longer than your Serenity post... and about 100 times more sane and entertaining. Great post. Wish I was there... seriously, my favorite song and a true sentiment from the 2.0.
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