In The Flesh 2002
Tour Reviews

It turned out that I was not sitting in the proper area of the train however. I was escorted to the 1st class train cars and my seat in a separate compartment. Unfortunately, the air conditioning in my compartment and in fact in the entire first class cars, were not working, or hardly working. And after sitting in sweltering heat for an hour, I moved back to a wonderfully cool 2nd class car....

After arriving in Vienna, I found a couple of available lockers in which to store my luggage. My train for Paris did not leave for 4 hours, and I was not about to lug my suitcases around Vienna, nor sit for 4 hours in the sweltering heat of the train station. I walked down the boulevard, and did a bit of shopping... bought a copy of the Austrian version of The Flickering Flame CD. I walked down around the city center and took pictures of the Hapsburg palace and other historic sites. On the way back to the train station, I stopped inside a multi-story department store, which was nice because it was air-conditioned. I sat on the floor of the TV section for about an hour with a few Austrian youths who spoke a little English. We watched a Steven Segal action film on DVD that that was being played on the wide screen TV's.

When I had booked my ticket for Paris I attempted to make reservations for a sleeping car single, but there were none available. I would be forced to bunk with 3 other strangers for the over night trip. Upon arriving at my 4 person birth on the train I asked the conductor if perhaps there were any cancelations of sleeping car singles. I was informed that there was in fact ONE sleeping car single available for an extra 127 Euros. I gladly paid the extra money. I have enough trouble sleeping on planes, buses and trains... so a room to myself might enable me to get a bit of sleep. Now I would be sure not to nod off during the show in Paris, which was scheduled the next day.

I now had my own private sleeping car. I have never had this luxury before and it is well worth it indeed. In my private compartment there were 3 chairs, a fold down bed, a fold down table and a fold up and down wash-basin and many lights... though no apparent air conditioning....!!!! at least none that could feel. There were air-conditioning controls but it did not seem any worked. I spent the few hours of daylight left standing in the passageway with the windows open and the wind blowing in my face. I found however that at night, when it was cooler, their was in fact air-conditioning... though I could not tell where it came from. It was certainly not sufficient for the hot humid days of Summer.

I did get some extremely needed sleep, got a nice breakfast served in my compartment, and even washed up before my arrival in Paris. I was supposed to meet Kristin and Simon and Phil when I arrived, but they were not in their hotel. So I took a taxi to my hotel... (I did not want to take a chance getting lost on the metro subway) and relaxed a bit before I ventured out on my own in Paris.

A bit later, I had the hotel call me a taxi to get to the Paris Hard Rock Cafe where Simon and Phil had posted on their In the Flesh 2002 website, (as did REG) that there would be a meeting place at 3 PM.

(Good thing I took a taxi... it was a commuter traffic nightmare.... have you ever seen how people drive in the Paris city streets? Dude... there are NO painted lines for lanes! There is only a line down the middle of the street to divide one direction from another. Drivers "make" their own lanes...!!! it is unbelievable... real KAOS (chaos)! It is hard to believe hundreds of people are not killed or injured each day.

At least the speeds people drive in Paris is not extremely excessive, which is NOT the case in Budapest. If you take a taxi in Budapest, buckle your seat belt and pretend you are in a stunt car for a movie, or on a roller coaster bumper car... though there are lanes painted on the Budapest streets... they are virutally ignored, and at 50 to 70 miles an hour down crowded city streets... it can be harrowing!!! ...but I digress...)

When I got into the taxi for the Hard Rock Cafe, the driver said it would cost about 10 Euro's, but he already had almost 5 Euro's on his meter... By the time he took me careening through traffic to arrive at the Hard Rock Cafe, I was charged an exorbitant 16 Euro's... I really got fleeced.

Actually, I arrived at the Hard Rock Cafe at 4 PM.... I waited and waited and waited... and ate a ridiculously expensive hamburger... by 6 O'clock... still no Simon, Phil or Kristin... It was time to get to the concert venue and begin handing out REG flyers. I didn't want to take a taxi to the Bercy and get fleeced once more by the driver, so I got directions to get to the Bercy via the Metro subway. The subway system under Paris is a maze! Though the whether in Paris was much cooler than either Vienna or Budapest, the subways were sweltering... un-airconditioned and crowded. But I did finally found my destination after only getting lost and having to back track once.

The Bercy is a huge monolithic modern building. I passed out many REG flyers but felt that it would be best to leave them at each of the T-shirt stands as I had done in Budapest. So after waiting a long time for my ticket to arrive at the Will-call box office window... with the assistance of Jonathan Park (of Fisher-Park the stage set designers) who I met outside the venue, I finally got my ticket. But then was told I had to use a different entrance... so after fully circumnavigating the entire structure, I finally found the entrance for floor seating which was a bit hidden.

With my REG membership card around my neck I ventured back and forth through restricted areas. I put my REG flyers at all the t-shirt stands throughout the venue, all the while handing them out to individuals here and there. I then proceeded to find my seat. I had met Phil outside the venue. He told me they would be in the front row and to meet him there... So now inside, I found Phil, Simon Winpenny, and I also met Kristin. I also met many others who I had either corresponded with, or were current or former REG members. I also met fans who just love the REG web site. It was wonderful to finally meet everyone. Just wish it could have been before the show as was planned so that we could have had more time to share and get to know one another.

I was a bit miffed at Simon and Phil for posting a meeting place in Paris and not even making it there. People went out of their way to meet there and then no one showed up. But they explained that the tour they were on, which was supposed to last one hour, turned out to be 3 hours. I can definitely understand how that can happen... because of communications problems in not speaking the language. So that forgotten we made plans to meet after the show.

Oh... the show... yeah that's right... that's why you've been reading this long diatribe... sorry! The show was my first 2002 tour date at an indoor venue. The Bercy is huge and the stage set was likewise huge. The stage and background screen seemed to be almost twice as big as that of the two outdoor shows I had attended in Vienna and Budapest. I had some pretty good seats... ahhhh seats!! After standing for 3 hours in the stifling heat of the Budapest KissStadion I gratefully welcomed the chance to sit and watch the show. I was told that the band liked concerts with no seating as it makes for a more responsive or stimulated audience. However what the band may not be taking into consideration is that it also ads to a lot of discomfort for the fans. After paying high ticket prices for rock concerts these days... the last thing a fan wants to do is have to stand in the heat in the enclosed surroundings of thousands of hot sweaty bodies for 3 hours!!!

In addition to having good seats, near the stage at least.... there was even air-conditioning...!! And the show began... eins, swei, drei, acka.... the crowd went wild. A gigantic roar reverberated off the auditorium walls. This was seconded by an even bigger roar at the beginning of Another Brick In the Wall Part 2. You could tell the fans in Paris were extremely enthusiastic. However they seemed also very well behaved. The age of the crowd seemed mixed from the young... I guess about 14 or 15 to the old... in there 60's, the average age was probably 30 or so. But there were so many teenagers there, it was great to see that the music of Roger Waters continues to transcend generation after generation.

As I've stated in previous reviews, I enjoy watching the faces of the fans as they witness the songs they have grown up listening to, finally played live by their author. You can see the awe in their faces, and the excitement. But body language is another thing. In the US it is common to see some fans dancing in the isles, and at least in most cases bodily moving to the music, swaying left, right, back, or forward... tapping their feet or moving their whole torso in their seat. Though I did see many Parisians doing just this... most seemed either transfixed or comatose, just sitting unmoving in their seats. It was a bit strange. As the show progressed though the excitement never waned. A large percentage of the crowd knew the words to many of the songs and sang along, even if they couldn't speak the language! Such is the power of the words and music of Roger Waters. Sooo... So you think you can tell... heaven from hell... blue skies from pain...

I was originally to have come to the shows I'm seeing with a friend, but it turned out he will be attending only the Wembley shows with me. So I had an extra ticket. I was in such a hurry to get the REG flyers put out and find my seat before the beginning of the show, I had not time to give the ticket away to some deserving less fortunate fan... (and I was unsure which were not scalpers, who were abundant. So, during half time (intermission), I wandered outside the auditorium and found some guy's, I think from Russia, who it seemed were getting scalped. And I had one of them, a younger guy about 25 or so... follow me back into the auditorium, gave the security guy my extra ticket and had him follow me to the seat I had for him... just rows before the stage. He was dumbstruck... astonished... and thanked me profusely. I figure why waste tickets when someone less fortunate could have a dream come true. A new found friend, Kevin had found a closer seat for me and I took it and enjoyed the rest of the show.

The second half of the show was a little quieter. It seemed that many had not ever heard much of Roger's solo work. However, all the solo work was extremely well received by these Pink Floyd fans because they understand that anything by Roger Waters is Floydian by rote, and therefore worthy of their consideration. The mood of the entire show changed however when Comfortably Numb was played.... Security...? what security... isles between the rows of seats...? what isles! It was as if the entire auditorium surged forward towards the stage... like lemmings... compelled by the instinctive urge to advance forth... to become closer to the creator of their favorite songs. Amid the chaotic midst, however it became harder to see the show not easier... so I bodily forced myself against the on rushing streams of people and stood along the sides of the floor area, where my view was still pretty good.

The mass of people which crowded the floor were in a total frenzy.... where before there seemed polite statue like non-participation... there was now an ecstatic throng waving, shouting... jumping up and down en masse with an almost electric energy. After the song was over and the band left the stage... the roar was deafening... the band came right back though, after only one or two minutes... (to save my ears), and played Flickering Flame. Roger introduced the song, and tried to speak a little French... but flubbed it and gave up...

I feared the energy which had been raised to such a heights after Comfortably Numb, would collapse with dejection and disappointment as the slow and wordy song was played. But once again... anything written by Roger... the crowd loved it. And again a roar of applause rose up and continued in a fruitless attempt to chide the band out to play yet another song... Knowing this just wasn't going to happen, I walked up to get whatever REG flyers were left at the t-shirt stands and then, as agreed, to go meet the guys at the pub. Unlike at the US shows... nobody was leaving their seats anywhere... everyone remained still applauding, still hoping for another song... so the stairwells were clear for me to pass. Then the lights came on... and everyone knew that it was over. By this time I was almost through to where the t-shirt stand areas were. I went to each and got what little REG flyers remained, then proceeded to pass them out again on my way out.

As I left the venue, I was accosted by 5 or 6 girls handing me flyers... I refused them nd pushed through...saying "thats not Roger Waters." But when I looked I immediately turned around for I saw that the flyers did indeed have picture of Roger Waters on them. I grabbed 1 then 2 then 3 then 4 and 5 of their flyers as souvenirs. They laughed at me having a minute earlier refused them. So I said OK... we'll trade... so I handed them each a REG flyer... they smiled and giggled and I walked out of the venue.

Suddenly I was being pelted by large drops of water falling from the sky... RAIN??? At first I sought shelter as my flyers were getting wet. Then I realized the surprise rain was not heavy, and rather very refreshing. Unfortunately, the rain soon stopped. I found my friends at the pub and enjoyed their company... I finally met Glenn Povey, founder and former editor (when it was being published in England) of Brain Damage, the famous Pink Floyd magazine. He is such a great guy. I again thanked him profusely for his help when in 1990, he had offered to help me when my ticket for the Berlin show had not arrived in time... (at the time I had not yet started REG, and was just someone he knew from correspondence. He went to a lot of trouble to go to buy me a ticket... and sent it to me with out payment before hand... I mean he didn't even know me....! and he trusted I would pay him... I was awe struck by his kindness and genuine good nature and will forever be in his debt.) Anyway... it was great meeting him finally and meeting everyone else and helping that young Russian get a great seat at the show.

I play blues harmonica... been playing for 25 years, so I'm not bad if I do say so myself. When I was in a restaurant in Budapest I played a blues song with some traditional Hungarian musicians and the restaurant patrons were so impressed they thought I was someone famous. I had planned on jamming with a guitarist friend of Simon's, but alas... by the time we got back to their hotel everyone was too tired, so I will have to wait for a time at the London gig.

The next day I played tourist in Paris, and indeed there is so much to see and do, you really need more than just 2 days in Paris. That night, coming back to my hotel via the Metro after dinner, I heard two French guitarists jamming in the tube station and asked if they played the blues... only one could speak English, but you know music is the universal language. We began jamming, and several people sat all around us and missed their trains to listen... in fact one song that was written by one of the guitarists... was really great and we really sounded great... I was having a blast... and we got into this groove with a lot of soul... and when the song ended... Everyone, and I mean everyone on both sides of the tube station were standing in applause... there must have been about 75 people.. many had missed their trains to listen... I was extremely happy and proud that so many people enjoyed hearing me play.

Well now it's time for some vacationing down the Rhine from Cologne (Kohn) Germany and then on to Frankfurt to take a plane to Londonfor the Wembly shows.

The whole show was astonishing! Astonishing by the way "it all made perfect sense!!" An amazing show all together... the music, the lyrics, and images shown on the screen... was complete harmony... A completion, a harmonic completion, opening gates, etheric gates. Yeah, Roger Waters is opening gates for us by his words, music and aura. I feel so blessed, it feels wonderful. And what's amazing is that it is so long lasting. Flowing love!! Thank you ever so much Roger Waters for all that you give.
Anis

From: gbirglen@free.fr
As it was the first Roger Waters concert I would see, and as there were no media reports about previous shows to diffuse anything, I really did not know what to expect. I only knew the play list according to several web sites.

There was no problem to get tickets for the show at Bercy. I was surprised that it was not a sold out concert especially since it is Roger's only date in France, and Bercy is not as huge as other places where the master played. Though I was a bit disappointed when I realized that my seat was at the back of the hall, but fortunately, it is not a stadium :o)

A bit after half past eight, the lights went off and the show started. A good usage is made of the quadriphonic sound system. It seemed to me, and to other people staying near me, that the sound quality was not as good as expected. Discussing this with others sitting closer in the center confirmed that it was much better there.

The first part of the concert was completely filled with Pink Floyd song's and all were very well played by Roger and his band. The videos projected behind the band added power to the music even if it was not really necessary. The big surprise was the new version of "Set the controls", if only Nick Mason could have been there to play on this song like he did at Wembley...

After a short break, three DSOTM songs began the best part of the show, i.e. his solo songs. Roger looked like he was very happy to play his music. The songs of Amused to Death were perfect, and PP Arnold's voice was really nice on Perfect Sense.

The encore song was Flickering Flame. I would have prefered Each Small Candle, but it does not matter. What is really important is that Waters is back and in great form. Having seen "Pink Floyd" in 94 in Strasbourg, I can make a comparison between the two concerts. The show in 94 was nice, splendid lightening, good sound system, The band was playing well but Gilmour's voice is not as good as Roger's. Roger is definitely more convincing and sincere. There is more meaning in Rogers songs than in the new PF and on their last albums. You really can feel that something is missing in Gilmour's band.

I am now hoping that Roger will come back one day to France (and not only to Paris) for another tour, maybe to present his new opera "Ca Ira".
Guillaume