Olimpiski Arena
From: Erik Dean DePoy
Holding
my relatively expensive ($150) VIP ticket, I had little trouble entering
the venue on a beautiful spring day. Security was abundant, replete with
metal detectors and plenty of interior ministry personnel. After grabbing a
lemon-flavored drink, I sat down and checked out the scene. The show was
well-attended, as I saw few empty spaces. There was a general admission
area directly in front of the stage, but my section was located right
behind and, more importantly, it had seats. This was key, as I would not
have been able to stand for long. I am still battling a nasty cold, and
even had to stay home from work just two days earlier. But nothing, and I
mean NOTHING, was going to keep me from seeing this show. After all, I had
originally planned on seeing Roger at Jones Beach in 1999, but
unfortunately had to give up my tickets to return to my wife and young
daughter in Moscow. So when I heard Roger would be coming to Russia, I
couldn't believe my good luck. Thanks for giving me a second chance Roger!
I'd rather not dwell on the setlist (standard), or the music
(sublime), as others have done more than an adequate job. But certain parts
of the visual show undoubtedly had a particular resonance for members of
the audience. The first occurred as a photo from Roger's 1990 Wall show in
Berlin was shown on the background curtain. It read "BRING THE BOYS BACK
HOME" projected on the huge wall at Potzdammer Platz (ah yes...those photos
brought back some vivid memories of being at that show - was it really
twelve years ago?). In light of the ongoing war in Chechnya and the
thousands of dead and wounded Russian soldiers, this phrase surely had
special meaning for many. The second special moment was at the beginning of
Southampton Dock, when Roger sang "Brezhnev took Afghanistan....". The
third moment occurred during the beginning of Perfect Sense, when a huge
submarine is shown on the screen. Many of you may remember the tragedy of
the Kursk, a Russian nuclear sub that sank in the Barents Sea back in
August 2000 after a faulty torpedo test. Incidentally, I noted that Roger's
launch of a torpedo (actually two) was successful, and that the oil
drilling rig took direct hits and was destroyed.
Last night I attended Roger's second show in Russia on the In the
Flesh 2002 tour at Olympisky Stadium here in Moscow. Olympisky is a huge
indoor sports arena, although it was divided in half for the show.
The sound from where I was sitting was just superb, couldn't have been any better. Some of the best sound I've ever experienced at a concert in fact. The surround effects were wonderful, and the soundscape during the intermission had people looking all around the arena for birds, bees, dogs and other creatures (not to mention a tractor and a lawn mower). By the way, was this the same soundscape heard during the 1994 Floyd tour? In any event, the background projections were fantastic, and they seemed to complement the music perfectly. The pictures and short film clips of Syd and the early Floyd were a particular treat.
The crowd was one of the most mature I have ever been around - it seemed that 75% of the people there were 30-50 years old. Not that I object mind you, as they were very well behaved. It was merely a change of pace from the usual raucus party scene you usually encounter at a "rock" concert. Or maybe I'm just used to attending concerts in the U.S. Anyway, I'm sure many in the crowd had never had a chance to see Roger or Pink Floyd for that matter, as the last year either performed in Russia was 1989.
In sum, this show was very special for myself as well as many in the
audience. There were several moments when I was chilled to the core by the
wonderful music and the realization that I was in the presence of one of my
all-time musical heroes. I hope the band enjoyed their visit to Moscow as
much as we enjoyed watching and listening to them.
Erik in Moscow
In 1989 I attended the "Delicate sound of thunder" concert by Pink Floyd. And Roger Waters was only member of the old Pink Floyd I haven't seen "In the Flesh".
My wife and 7 year old daughter were with me, and all of us liked this show very much. All the songs were familiar to us because of I have all the CD's by Roger Waters and Pink Floyd, and this music sounds very often playing in my home.
Unfortunately my English is not
very good enough to describe all my feelings.
There are a lot of fans of Roger Waters and Pink Floyd in Russia and we send our
Best Wishes to all the other fans in other countries.
Best regards,
Pavel Samorukov
Moscow
