In The Flesh 2002
Tour Reviews

The above quote is quite appropriate after the events in Rome. Rearrange the words "a brewery organize in a couldn't pissup" into a well-known phrase!!! It certainly wasn't an event-free two days in The Eternal City and things could have definitely gone smoother, but even still I think that everyone had a great time. I think that the ice cream on it's own might have been enough to satisfy Si after spending 16 hours on a train to get here!!!

Took the day off work on the Wednesday and started off by watching the worst game of the World Cup so far, England vs Nigeria. Being from north of Hadrian's Wall, I obviously had my Nigerian flag out, but alas the boring 0-0 was enough for the English to scrape through. Got ready and drove down to the metro station to head into the city center. On the way I got pulled over by the Carabinieri (the "not to be messed with" Italian police) for going through a red light, but pleaded that I was foreign and couldn't speak Italian, and managed to get away with it. I was thinking about arguing that it was compulsory to jump red lights in Rome, but I didn't want to push my luck.

Got into town and met up with the infamous Mr. Winpenny in a pub. Had a couple of drinks and had a good chat about the tour and stuff. He said he knew which hotel the band was staying in so we could go and meet them before they went to the venue. Well only if you twist my arm!!! I realized that the only thing I was carrying on me for the band to sign was a metro ticket, so I managed to find a CD shop on the way and bought a couple of copies of Flickering Flame. Got to the band's hotel at about 4.20pm and Si tried to call Norbert's room a few times, but there was no answer. According to Si they normally left between four and half past to go for the soundcheck, but that was for gigs which started at 8pm and tonight's show was due to start at 9pm, so we should still be able to catch them. We sat in reception for a while and then retired to the bar for a beer and a large plate of olives. There was no show of anybody though, and by 6pm we decided that we'd missed them :-( Si sai! d we could try the hotel again after the show, so off we set off for the venue.

Managed to bump into a few people from my work outside a cafe next to the stadium and had a few more beers. Si nipped off to meet Kevin Bootleg for half an hour so we had just one more beer. Si came back and confirmed that he'd spoken to Kevin and the show did start at 9pm. So just before 8 we decided to cross the road and head into the venue. I reckoned we would be able to get reasonably close to the stage if we arrived an hour early. Just as we arrived we heard a roar from the crowd inside the stadium, immediately followed by " Eine, Zwei, Drei... I looked at my phone, it was 8.02pm and the concert had just started. Aaaaaaggghhh!!!! Panic, disaster, catastrophe, I'd been looking forward to this night for months and we were an hour late. Apparently as well as changing the venue they had also moved the start time forward by an hour. Judging by the amount of people still outside the venue and the chaos of people trying to get through the gates, we were definitely not the only ones who hadn't found out about the time change. The security guys seemed to panic, they opened more gates and everybody just pushed through. By the time we got on to the rugby pitch Another Brick had just started. All of the seats in the stands seemed to be almost full, but the standing area on the field was more than half empty, me and Si managed to get straight down to a point in front of the mixing desk. When we left the show the rugby pitch looked like it was almost full, so there must have been thousands of people who missed the start. I just wonder how many people had arrived at the Olympic Stadium for a 9pm start, at least we got the venue right. As I said at the start, brewery couldn't pissup organize!!

OK, thoughts on the show, my initial impressions were not great. For a start it was still light, the sun didn't set until the end of the first set, so all of the screen projections were invisible until about Set the Controls. I'd read a lot of reviews about the show being loud and the sound quality being excellent, but I can't say I agreed. The longer the show went on the better the quality became and the louder it got, but at first I wasn't impressed. Add to this the initial despair and shock about missing the start and it was probably not until Dogs started that I really started enjoying myself. Fortunately by the end of the show any bad memories had been erased. I'm still not keen on Snowy's first guitar solo at the start of Shine On, and ditto the start of WYWH, it can't be that hard to play it on a 12-string. But apart from that the end of the first set was excellent. I can't specify what they've done to Welcome To The Machine but i! t sounds ten times better than the Live CD/DVD, the film footage really adds to it too. Shine On 6-9 is a great addition to the set, Chester does some great slide guitar work on it and Harry continued to prove that he joined the band on merit alone. Managed to move a bit closer to the stage during the interval, by stepping over lots of Italians who had either sat down for a rest or simply had too much to drink to be able to stand. One strange thing that we noticed during the first set was the amount of people who were standing with their mobile phones in the air for ages. I must admit that I did phone my mate in London to give him a minute of one song, and Si borrowed my phone to do the same, but I can't see the point of doing it for 10 or 15 minutes. Wouldn't it just be cheaper to buy a ticket and go to the show!!

So on to the second set, and talk about a game of two halves, it was pitch black, the sound quality was superb and the crowd was amazing. I even enjoyed the version of Money, which was not normally one of my favorites on the DVD. And then the solo stuff, definitely the highlight of the show. I have to admit I had to wipe away a tear from my eye at the end of Every Strangers Eyes, I must have got some dust in it :-) The ATD set was awesome, PP was outstanding in Perfect Sense. I read a review which said that you should watch Chester at the start of Bravery, and it's true. He definitely loves that song!! The crowd was incredible during Comfy Numb, you could just about hear Roger singing, but Chester might have well been miming, the crazy Romans just blew him away. Roger introduced the band and wished the crowd good luck for tomorrow. He got no reaction, so either the Italians had forgotten they were playing in the World Cup the next day or they did't understand him.

He did get a great cheer when he told them they had been " mol to gentile " (very kind) though. And then it was Flickering Flame, a great version compared to the demo on the CD, and that was it. The stadium lights didn't come on straight away so I was hoping for a second encore, but Si pointed across to the right of the stage and you could see the brake lights on the van waiting to zoom the band out of the gig. And sure enough the van left and the lights came up. I know that Si had not originally intended making the enormous journey all the way down to Rome for just the one gig, but after seeing the Milan show he decided that he couldn't miss it. And I don't think that he was disappointed, the crowd was really up for the show and you could see that the band really appreciated the reception they'd got. The Romans may not be the best drivers in the world but I don't know if you'll ever find a better audience.

Left the stadium and met Kevin Bootleg outside, maybe that should be Kevin TOIO (T-shirts Of Illegitimate Origin). He wasn't having much success with trade but there was a lot of competition and he was selling Division Bell tour T-shirts. Plus everybody either didn't like the color or the style or the size. What do you people want, a pink XXL Kylie T-shirt??? We had a few beers with Kev and then headed back to the hotel to see if we could catch the band.

Walked back to the hotel next to Piazza del Popolo and the two white mini-buses were there, but would the band be there?? At first it looked like I might be out of luck again but then we checked in the outside patio bar where we'd been before and there was a large table at the other end with the band sitting having a meal. We grabbed a table and obviously had one more beer while we waited to get a chance to grab them as they left. Andrew, the tour manager, came up and talked to Si a couple of times and mentioned that the band had really enjoyed the crowd and the show. He also mentioned that they had spent a lot of money to try to advertise the change of venue AND change of time. They got the first point across but I'm not sure about the second.

Snowy was the first one to leave, he recognized Si and popped over for a chat, so he was the first signature on my CDs. Graham Broad then left so I managed to grab him, he seemed very friendly. Norbert and his wife then left and came over for a chat with Si so I got his autograph. This was cool, everybody was heading to bed one by one, but then the chaos started. While Norbert was still talking to Si, Chester Andy W and Harry all left the table. Chester was the first to pass so asked him if I could bother him for an autograph or two. His response was rather arrogant, "Autograph, you want me autograph mate", said in his finest Cockney accent. If I'd been a bit sharper, I might have just replied "Actually no it doesn't matter, you're nowhere near as good a guitarist as Doyle, just bugger off to bed, you stuck up little twat". But I let him sign them anyway. Andy and Harry who had followed Chester out were patiently waiting next in line, it seemed like a bit of a novelty for them that somebody wanted their autograph. They took the CDs from me and started looking at them eagerly, seeing who had already signed them. Harry spotted Graham's autograph and turned to Andy and said " Look there's Graham's signature, write is a cock after it." I am still laughing about that days later, it must go down as one of the best quotes of the tour. Obviously they'd had a glass or two of the local vino, and thinking back about it I wish he had written it, the CD would have been priceless!!! This was where the panic started again, as the over keen keyboard players were signing away the other Mr Waters sneaked out of the bar behind me, apparently attached at the hip to his rather stunning girlfriend. When I got my CDs back I turned to Si and probably gave him a look of horror, where's Rog gone!!!! I managed to rush back into the hotel and catch him at the lift. I thought at first it would be difficult for him be unglued from his absolutely gorgeous twenty-something year old American blonde babe, but he managed to keep his hands off her for long enough to give me a couple of signatures. I thanked him for a great show and off they went, staggering hopelessly together towards the lift. Wow, I'd just met Rog, AMAZING!!!!!

Got back to the bar and sat down with Si, now a very happy and satisfied customer. I then realized one rather disappointing thing, I had been drinking since just after lunchtime but our hero Mr. Waters was even more drunk than I was!! What can I say, sad, southern, shandy-drinking blouses, absolutely no stamina :-) I think that in celebration I forced Si to try the famous Italian liqueur, Limoncello, obviously washed down by another beer. At least it gave us the chance to use the famous quote, "Hey bartender over here, two more shots and two more beers "!! I'm not sure Mr. Wimp was over-impressed by the frozen delights of the fluorescent lemon thing in front of him, but he downed it anyway. After leaving the hotel I think that I tried to persuade Si that he had to see the Trevi fountain and possibly have one more beer, but it was after 2am and he hailed a taxi and we called it a day. It must have been about 4am before I eventually got to bed. After I got home I decided to have a glass or two of my own home-made Limoncello while staring at the two signed CDs in my hands, with a big grin on my face. WHAT A DAY!!!

Managed to get out of bed the next morning and head back into town. My work was on strike in the morning so I decided to come out in sympathy with them and take the whole day off. Met up with Si and Kev, had some breakfast and got on a bus tour of the city. Before we got off for the first time, the bus seemed to stop in the middle of the road for ages, too long for it to be just traffic lights. Apparently somebody had decided a visit to the loo was required or they needed to buy some cigarettes so they just parked their car in the middle of the road while going about their business. This would be considered strange in other countries but in Italy it's a perfectly acceptable thing to do. So we sat in the bus for 5 or 10 minutes, not moving anywhere, which would have normally been an inconvenience, but it gave us the chance to have a great look at an amazingly beautiful Italian girl who was working in a stationary shop outside the bus. A pair of jeans have never been put to better use than by this girl, and she obliged by bending over the counter a few time too, what a view. I hope the camera was in focus Si!!!!

We got off at Piazza Cavour, a bit of a shock leaving an air-conditioned bus into the heat of the day, and walked up to St. Peter's Square and the Vatican. Just as we approached the square Si called on me a couple of times. As I turned round he just pointed and said look, and would you believe it most of the band were standing 15 yards in front of us, getting a guided tour of the Vatican. In a city the size of Rome what were the chances. Rog wasn't with them but most of the rest of them were there. After this we experienced some more of the chaos of Italy, we were allowed through security checks but because Si and Mr TOIO had shorts on we weren't allowed to get inside the building, why let us past in the first place then?? At one door we did manage to sneak past security and get inside St Peter's Basilica, a very impressive place. We then tried to find the way up to the top of the dome, but ended up going down a set of stairs which was considered an exit, and rather than let us in again we had to go all the way round. Got through security again but this time there was no chance of getting in, the short-arsed Italian bouncers on the door had spotted us and although we tried several times they would not let us in. Si did even try the blatant walk straight though but the stubborn little doorman was having none of it and ran after him. So we had to cheer ourselves up with a beer and an ice cream and got back on the bus.

We had planned to eventually find a pizzeria before the guys got the overnight train up to Vienna, but they had all shut for lunch. We did find one, but the waiter was even more obnoxious than Chester had been and apparently they had no ham left. Trust us to find the only cafˇ in Rome with no ham!!! So we left and eventually went back to the same cafˇ we'd been in for breakfast for some pasta. Sorry Si, you must be the only guy who's spent 3 days in Italy and not eaten a pizza :-( That's what you get for having a drunken Scotsman as your tour guide. At least your missing VISA card arrived, a long and stressful saga, which highlighted the ever efficient and helpful staff at the hotel. Another ice cream was sneaked in and I saw the guys off at the train station. Hope you had a good sleep on the way to Vienna guys. I went home and watched the DVD, the only proper way to finish the previous two days.

Can't wait until the Wembley shows now, especially the last night where I'll be in the third row. I must remember to phone the venue and check that the time hasn't changed, I don't want to miss the start of the show again. Looking forward to having a beer in JJ Moons, see ya soon.

But let's start form the beginning..... I'm from Turin, one of the biggest towns in the North of Italy, quite near Milan where Roger played live in May... unfortunately when I tryed to get tickets for his gig, the event was sold out. I was so sad that day... Roger, the man who wrote most of the songs which are the soundtrack of my life, was playing 100 kilometers from my home and I was without that small piece of paper which would have made my dream come true.

I knew Roger would play live also in Rome, but the chance to go there is quite rare for me because I work in Turin and I have not so much free days off work. But during a 5 days vacation during which my girlfriend Elisabetta and me went to Umbria, one of the most beautiful Italian regions, I met my old friend Alessio there (the guy who was with me in the first row at the 1994 Pink Floyd gig in Turin). We both understood there and then that this would be our best chance to see Roger live. I was so enthusiastic I forgot my work and my money... we got the tickets for the gig on the net, I booked a flight from Turin to Rome and the cheapest Roman hotel.

The Day finally arrived: after an endless morning at work I took a first bus at 12 o'clock from my office to the train station where I took a second bus to the airport. The flight was on time and I landed in the Roma-Fiumicino airport at 5.10 p.m. I took a train to Rome and I went to the hotel where I had a shower.

My friend Alessio and two friends of his where already in the stadium waiting for me. I took the underground to Piazzale Flaminio and then a bus to the stadium. The bus was full of guys wearing Pink Floyd T-shirts... I understood I was on the right path!

I arrived at the stadium at 7.40 p.m. Alessio was waiting for me with my ticket; there were two long long queues, but I was able to get the tickets from my friend through the gate avoiding to loose too much time....eheheheh. It was 7.50 when I took my place in the stand on the left of the stage and a voice announced the show would begin in about ten minutes... suddenly all the guys seated on the grass of the rugby field stood up running to the stage. All the guys in the two queues outside the stadium, listening to the message, began pushing the gates and the policemen were not able to stop them.

All this mess because the show was planned at the Olympic Stadium at 9.00 p.m.; only few days before the gig the organization changed time and location... unbelievable!!!

But let's talk about the show now... 8.00 o'clock... Eine, Zwei, Drei... fantastic: Roger was on the stage with his bass guitar, his music, his poetry!!! The show began and also with pictures on the giant background screen behind the stage... unfortunately nobody of the organization remembered the sun in June in Rome is at a high latitude in the sky till 9.00 pm... so the first hour of the show was performed under the light of day, and it was quite difficult to see which images were projected on the screen. But when darkness fell and the music of "Set the Controls" began resounding around the stadium, I closed my eyes trying to imagine I was in the Pompeii Roman Anphitheatre....

Roger was very active, running from left to right of the stage, answering his audience, talking in Italian... fantastic! The time when he used to spit on the audience is very very far and the wall between him and his fan is completely down! I've seen father and son singing together, young people coming from every part of Italy: it was not only a gig, but a kind of meeting for all the fans.

The first half of the show was completely Pink Floyd stuff: ABITW part 3, Pigs on the Wing, Dogs... in my wildest dreams I would have never imagined to listen to it live!!! Then the complete "Wish You Were Here" album (exc. Have a Cigar) and tunes from The Wall, The Dark Side of the Moon and The Final Cut.

The second half began with some other Floyd tunes, then the atmosphere changed as soon as Roger started playing works from his solo career. If Roger reads this revew, I'd like him to know a girl who was sitting near me began crying during Every Stranger Eyes: I asked her if everything was OK and she told me that the words and the music of that song made her feel part of a big community, the community of man and the ones who love Roger's poetry and who understand what he wants to comunicate. I don't know if I will be able to explain my feelings but what I'd like Roger to know is that the audience I saw in Rome is not that kind of unthinking fans who only scream and shout, but it's a big community who thinks, communicates, (thanks to the internet) and who understands the messages Roger puts in his songs. It wasn't only a show, for me it has been a life experience: I have seen how a man with his music can join people from everywhere, and from every class of our society. I have seen young guys with long air, rings, chains side by side with managers just out from their offices with ties and bags. Roger played only one encore: his new song "Flickering Flame"... then the lights of the stadium turned on and thousands and thousands of dreaming people joined the Roman nite traffic.

It was quite difficult to reach my hotel also because it's not so easy to drive in Rome if you are not a Roman. My friends and I had something to drink in a small bar near Termini Train Station then I went to bed. The day after I had to fly back to Turin to be back at office at 1 p.m.

The show is now only a memory, but what is really cool is that I've met a lot of guys who were at the venue and we are chatting everyday about it. We are exchanging pics, gadgets and opinions.

Ok, only one more thing: I'd like to thank the keyboard players because they have been able to reproduce a perfect Floydian atmosphere. Thanks Roger, I'd like to meet you one day...I'd have a lot of things to say... shine on, eduss.

eduss' Trip on Mars - Pink Floyd Site http://web.tiscali.it/eduss