Wembley Arena
From: Michael Simone
After the Paris show... I decided to take a little vacation away from anything tour related, and went to
Colongne (Kóhn) Germany by train. Anyone who goes to this area of Germany must see the cathedral
here... it is truely unbelievalbe... of all the historical sites I have seen in Europe this is the
most impressive and most awe inspiring.
I took a boat down the Rhine to the small town of Rúdasheim Germany while viewing the beauty of the
Rhine valley and the many ancient castles along the way. Rúdasheim is a quaint and wonderful
little German town... I enjoyed my visit there immensely... and spent way to much money shopping for
some great stuff to bring home... (among which were polished agate rocks that caused my luggage to
weigh a ton. I packed so much stuff in one large luggage bag, I found when I got to London that the zipper had ripped and
broken).
From Rúdasheim I took a train to Frankfurt where I met up with long time freind and REG member
Michael Gerth, and had a great evening out wandering the tourist area's and eating a great German meal.
I arrived in London from Frankfurt and met with REG Member Steve Weiler (who unbelievabley gererously,
sponsored
my trip to Europe so I could see any of the shows at all!!). We took a site seeing bus around London
went to Tower Records to buy copies of The Flickering Flame.
The next day was the day of the first Wembley show... and as posted on our REG site, I got to the pre-show
meeting place at JJ Moons at 3 PM. It was great to meet up with so many fans who love the REG site
and to meet REG members I've written to for many years but never met... it's great to put faces to names.
Meeting fans and REG members in fact is almost as much fun as attending the concerts!!
I took about 600 REG flyers to the show, and after picking up my tickets at guest list box office, I
passed almost every one of them out before the show started. I hardly had any left for the T-shirt stands...
The show itself was wonderful... Chester Kamen and Harry Waters seemed especially in rare form but
the entire band seemed really excited and into it, as these were the last gigs of the entire tour!
The crowd seemed a bit older than at the other shows... but there were still a considerable amount of
young people in there teens in attendance. Wembley is a rather large venue and it was packed! Everyone
seemed psyched and excited, but it was nothing compared with the excitment that was yet to come.
As stated in a Rolling Stone Magazine interview with Roger Waters, while vacationing, Roger saw his
one time close friend and band mate Nick Mason on a beach, and thought to himself this is ridiculous
we were once very good friends.... so Roger let go of his end of the bone... and came up behind him and
began massaging his shoulders... as Nick looked up and back in astonishment to see who it was. Nick
invited Roger back to his place for dinner and Roger accepted.
Apparently from that moment an old friendship was renewed. It had been reported by a few websites that
Mason would play with Roger at the Glastonbury gig, and rumors spread from there. When attending the pre-
show party in Wembley at JJ Moons, I was told that Nick was seen coming into the arena during the band's
sound check. But it was so hard to believe, and there had been so many rumors, I'd learned to be skeptical
and didn't think anything of it.
However, during the performance, after the song 'Dogs" was finished, Graham Broad got out from under his drum
kit and left the stage. Roger then made an announcement. He said something like: "We've been all
around the world... playing over 60 gigs, and now we're back home at the last gigs of the tour...
and the Glastonbury gig... and we're going to do something a little different. I'd like to introduce
an old friend... Nick Mason."
A deafening ROAR went up from the crowd as everyone in the Wembley auditorium gave Nick a standing ovation. Roger gave nick a bear hug and Nick took Graham's place behind the drum kit and played "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" with Roger and the band. It was so appropriate that Nick play this relatively early Pink Floyd song with Roger, as video's of a much younger Roger and Nick with the rest of the Floyd were projected in the background.
It was an unbelievable experience. I was, and still am, completely awe-struck! This was the first time 21 years... since The Wall shows of 1981... that Nick and Roger have played together. I can't even explain my excitement! Half of Pink Floyd was on stage in front of us!
After the song... once again everyone stood and a ROAR rose deafeningly into the air... Roger took Nick's hand and raised it into the air above his hand... and gave him another hug and Nick left the stage. The remainder of the show was really fantastic also, and as at other shows, Roger's solo work was equally well received by the crowd. In fact, the encore, Flickering Flame seemed better recieved by this London crowd than at the other shows I attended. It is really a wonderful song and gets stuck in your head.
During an after show gathering back stage, I mingled and chatted with the members of the band and I learned from sax-man Norbert Stachel that Nick would play again at the second Wembley gig as well. When most of the band had left to be shuttled back to the 150 year old villa they were staying in, I turned around and who appeared at standing at a table directly behind me but Nick Mason. He graciously signed a few autographs for me and I gave him a copy of the latest issue of the REG magazine which he took with him.
Some idiot not on the guest list, carrying bags of 30 or 40 record albums had gotten back stage by back stage pass swapping. He incredibly badgered Nick for autographs time and again, totally irritating and inconveniencing him as he sifted through his bags of albums for one after another record to sign. But after signing more than a few of them, I guess he had had enough of this inconsiderate self centered asshole, as he abruptly left the party that was swiftly breaking up anyway. The autograph hound was obviously not one of the guests and stood out like a sore thumb. Perhaps security should be a little tighter to keep this kind of thing from happening.
But this did not dampen my spirits at having seen Roger and Nick play together again, nor of finally meeting Nick himself. I was in Pink Floyd heaven!
Anyway, the major news is that last night Roger announced they would be doing, "something a little bit different tonight". We assumed a different song. Imagine the crowd's surprise when he then followed with, "I'd like to introduce an old friend, Nick Mason!".
Nick played just the one track - Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun - but it was absolutely wonderful to see them playing together again. No-one was sure what would happen at the end but there was delight from the audience when Nick came around the front and gave Rog a hug!
One of the most memorable nights of my life. I just hope it's a sign of things to come. I'm sure most Floyd fans would agree that, while we appreciate they probably shouldn't try to be in a band together again, some kind of reunion of the Floyd at a personal level is something we'd all like to see.
Who knows what this second Wembley gig will bring, but I for one am
glad I made the journey yesterday.
All the best,
Matt
And I was sitting in the centre seat of the front row (Block: A3 Row:1 Seat:
30) to witness a small bit of rock history. Need I say more!!!
Andy
Roger said that his world tour was almost at an end, doing over 60 gigs andhow pleased he was to be home!
The setlist was as per the album apart from Flickering Flame instead of Each Small Candle. And it was superb, the band were perfect. I could hear nothingwrong with any of the notes, andChester was 1st class on his Guitar, as was Harry on the keyboard.
We were treated to a very nice surprise for "Set the Controls" with an appearance by Nick Mason, who took over the drums for this song! Thecrowd went berserk after Roger introduced him... as His dear old Friend...
What a night and what an experience. I am lucky enough to be going againtonight for the last show of the tour.
I would like to thank REG and the members who have reported on this tour.I have read
every single report.
Gerry
In the flesh
Happiest days of our lives
Another Brick in the wall
Mother
Get your filthy hands off my desert
Southampton Dock
Pigs on the Wing
Dogs
SET THE CONTROLS - W/SPECIAL GUEST!!!
Shine on first half
Welcome to the Machine
Wish you were here
Shine on second half
INTERVAL
Breathe
Time
Money
Every stranger's eyes
Perfect Sense
Bravery of being out of range
It's a miracle
Amused to Death
Eclipse
Brain Damage
Introduction to the band
Comfortably Numb
Flickering Flame
Our seats were in the upstairs part to the left but very much overlooking the stage. All the instruments were neatly arranged ready and the Pink Pig logo glared across from the central projection screen as well as close-up screens on either side.
In The Flesh - Roger looked composed and the show got off to his usual bombastic start. No complaints but no surprises either. He's looking his 58 years facially, but soon the jacket came off and he displayed very muscled and sinewy arms obviously, dragging himself round the world has dictated that a personal trainer came too!
Happiest Days/Another Brick - played rather fast and Chester Kamen found the Gilmour soloing hard going. He agonised over it but eased up when Snowy took over. Snowy has been accused of coasting of late, but he's obviously done some work to put some bite back into his playing. It's sad to say, but I think we've all heard 'Brick' too often, so the impact will never equal how it hit to begin with. Still, it would have seemed strange Not to hear it! There's no pleasing some people!
Mother - Katie Kissoon's warm vocal for Hush now baby was a real eye-opener. Beautiful counterpoint to Roger's croak. Passionate.
Get Your Filthy Hands Off.../Southampton Dock - Sung with passion. Obviously still a heartfelt pairing for Roger to perform. The projection of poppies at the end was moving as was the Bring the Boys Back Home display.
Pigs On the Wing/Dogs - Suddenly Chester and Snowy really woke up for a dual in Dogs. Harry Waters was then required to show his chops whilst he concentrated on his noodling, the now notorious card-game got underway. Chester dealt (I think) and Roger has clearly grown fond of this escapade, smiling on the far left of the octagonal table, but I distinctly saw Andy win a couple of hands! No cocktails for the ladies, they just relaxed and towelled off on what looked like folding fishing chairs. Maybe Roger picked those up from the banks of the Test! We weren't treated to much of the jazzy talent that Harry is reputed to have, but nevertheless he acquitted himself very well here. More was to come.
Set the Controls - then there was an eruption of delight, for Roger announced 'I have a surprise for you..an old friend is waiting back here.' The white door at the back of the stage opened and Nick Mason stepped through. We sprung to our feet in disbelief as we watched Roger and Nick smile and embrace. Nick sat at Graham Broad's kit and proceeded to play his guts out. This was the undoubted highlight of the evening. Beautiful, psychodelic shows and the 'Arnold Layne' and 'Scarecrow' promo stills were used again. Brilliant and worth the price of admission and merchandise alone. Thanks Roger and Nick. Obviously the surprise on the Island of Mustique meant more than just a massage and a near heart attack!!!!
Shine On (1st half) - emotional and rapturous, everyone finally singing along. We had thought up to this point that the majority of the floor crowd were asleep. But everyone voiced their shared affection for Barrett as his image filled the screen and Roger sang passionately to him. It is clear he still loves and misses Barrett. Wonder how Nick was feeling by this point. Harry held down the chords and Chester played the haunted riffs damn near perfectly. Not too agonised, thank heavens!
Welcome to the Machine - the original projection from 1975 (slug and rat race grid) was played out here. Plenty of work from Harry. I think he understands just how much drama needs to be brought out for this work. He was definitely well warmed up.
Wish You Were Here - thank goodness Roger didn't string this out too long and make it too much of a sing-along. It was perfectly judged emotional and sung with genuine feeling. Thank you, Roger, that's still my favourite Waters lyric.
Shine On (2nd half) - Harry was particularly effective here. He knew not to make too much of the final emergence into the major key. Well played. During this part we were treated to Roger's own strobe feature, the silvery flower rising up through a hole in the back podium he had entered for 'Flesh'. The flower didn't look too impressive or stable as it appeared to be attached to a slab of chipboard. No matter for when it began to rotate, huge strobes smothered us all in glimmering light. Looking away from the stage at the hall itself, you could imagine that we were all captured in some weird galaxy. The flower lowered and we all were left with the super-troupers and a vivid image in our minds! Barrett would definitely have been surprised by that trick!
INTERVAL
2nd half
Breathe/Time - Were as expected. Waters demonstrated his bass trickery, creating
the 'tick tock' percussion by damping the fingerboard with his palm and knocking
the two lower strings. He kept this up quite a while! Snowy and Chester shared
the treasured solos and Katie, PP and Carol sang beautifully. No, no Great Gig
teaser.
Money - this was Andy's cue to show off, after Chester and Snowy had played the game. Andy's punky jagged riffery finally provided a reason for his attempt to grow a bum-fluff moustache and goatee it had to figure somewhere! Still, he brought plenty of oomph. Norbert Statchel provided extra interest with his sax and, at other points in the evening, he demonstrated prowess on an electronic sax-keyboard (hard to describe it, imagine a miniature concord with a mouthpiece looking almost like the nose! very weird, but he brought some real music out of that thing)
Every Stranger's Eyes - Roger did not Lip-Sync. He sang the lot, the high notes were there. Obviously he's been practicing. Good to see he was not going to bottle out.
Perfect Sense - PP Arnold deserves a medal, she's beautiful and passionate. This was her moment and there's no disappointment. As she took off, we were treated to some more fabulous strobe displays. Roger also did his 'Up Periscope' playacting and the exploding oil-rig added some poignant power. The Global Anthem was sung with considerable gusto by the audience. Another surprising highlight. But it was PP Arnold's triumph.
Bravery of Being Out of Range - in comparison with what we had just had, this was pedestrian. But no complaint about everyone mucking in. It's just that after the drama and beauty of hearing and seeing PP take off, whatever came next would pall! Still, she gave us more in the last verse and we were once more on our feet!
It's a Miracle - Norbert gave us some more of his haunting playing here, although the song was dragged out somewhat. Still, Roger had the presence of mind to invent another little acting vignette. The 'Cowering in our shelter' section called up a caricature of an old codger vainly protecting himself against both Armaggeddon and Andrew Lloyd Webber Roger clearly loves acting the 'Piano lid ..fingers' episode and it drew plenty of cheers.
Amused to Death - now it was a chance for Katie Kissoon to be shown off. Her sweet tones matched Rita Coolidge, but I wish she could have been mic'd louder. She has a gorgeous mellow mezzo sound, and so blends well with PP's impassioned Soprano. Roger's taste couldn't be better for vocalists. Pity the track went on rather long. I noticed rather a lot of seat shifting in our area.
Brain Damage/Eclipse - no surprises for the delight this drew from all the faithful. These are the classics again. Katie, PP and Carol took off for the harmonies and the projection effectively accompanied them.
Introduction to the band Huge applause for everyone, particularly PP and Andy.
Comfortably Numb - predictably this was enormous in every respect. Snowy first on the wall and then Chester joined him for a dual and they swapped riffs as well as attention under the spotlight. The whole hall sang along of course.
Flickering Flame - this was introduced as 'a song about love and freedom'. Roger expressed his thanks to us 'we've done 60 gigs and it's good to be back home' Some people started leaving during this song somehow not surprising as 1) it did go on rather long and 2) there was continuing concern about disrupted train travel. Still, plenty of lighters were held aloft and one couple near us had their arms round each-other, standing up and swaying. As they left the stage a tiny inflatable pig was thrown onto the stage. Roger picked it up and waved it with a grin. He left as promptly as he'd arrived.
Unfortunately, the muddy sound of Wembley Arena spoilt the impact of the guitar duals so that a lot of Chester's efforts became cacophonous. PP Arnold has never sounded so impassioned and vibrant. She's the finest singer we have around and it's a pleasure to know Roger thinks so highly of her. If he can't get PP, he gets no one. It was a massive surprise to see that Nick Mason could still drum. His appearance brought the house down. Set the controls has never sounded so apocalyptic and wondrous. In a couple of the extended Guitar duals, Andy and Roger formed almost a Status Quo/Flanagan and Allen line-dancing pairing, Andy bopping splay-legged behind Roger. A very funny sight, it has to be said. And if Roger isn't wearing a corset, he's got a lovely ass. Well toned limbs...
All in all, I'm glad I was at this historic evening. Thanks Roger, you've earned
your retirement now!!!!
Felicia
I was pleased the audience knew his later stuff. I enjoyed the 2nd half more (Amused To Death etc.). I couldn't beleive Nick Mason turned up. The crowd went wild, I thought what if Dave Gilmour turns up for Comfortably Numb...
Roger seemed to really enjoy himself - his son did really well, he looked like he had a great time.
I think he should have finished with Comfortably Numb - it really brought the house down!!
In conclusion: A fantastic night!!! I hope Roger realises he has a strong fan
base and the way the world is going, we are crying out for a new album!!
Thought that Shine On was brilliant. Loved the shiney flower thingy. Dogs was excellent. Mother - superb. I dont know the new stuff too well, so prefered the Floyd numbers.
As I write this, Im watching Glastonbury on BBC Choice. Daughter refusing to go
to bed until she has seen Roger, so why only 1 number when little no-bodies taped
numbers from earlier are played.
Julie.
We arrived at the pub about 4.15pm and were pleasantly surprised by the number of fans already there. We managed to find ourselves a table in the sunny beer garden and generally soaked up the atmosphere. It was really good to be around people of a like mind, talking about gigs they'd seen and people they knew. I had to take a trip to the gents after a while and, whilst doing what had to be done, heard some really great harmonica playing! It could only be one person - Michael Simone. I said hi and introduced myself and had a really good chat. After discussing the changes to the band since the American tour, I returned to my friends in the garden. It was great to meet Michael in person - thanks for your time, friend - I know you were very busy. It was also good to talk to some of the other fans there - I found someone who had come all of the way over from Athens! My friends and I took off shortly after for something to eat before the short walk up to Wembley Arena.
We arrived at the venue fairly early, because we wanted to buy some merchandise. It was reasonably priced and of good quality. We all changed into our newly acquired t-shirts and ventured in to find our seats.
Our seats were quite a distance from the stage but as we were seated on gently rising rows, we still had a good (if distant) view of the stage. It all seemed very familiar (I have watched the DVD dozens of times!). We got to know a few of the people around our seat and the atmosphere was really good. Lights went down .... the expected "Eins, Zwei, Drei ... and BANG!
I won't list all the songs again - we all know the set backwards- but the standard of musicianship, singing and presentation were exemplary. I was a little concerned that there was no John Carin, but Harry was amazingly good and Chester filled in beautifully on slide. Everyone seemed in good spirits and enjoying the show. Highlights for me were "Dogs", the whole "Wish You Were Here" segment (played in the correct order, of course), "Set The Controls" (I think the whole crowd were stunned by Mr Mason's appearance), "Every Stranger's Eyes" was quite magnificent, with Roger on stunning form, and "Perfect Sense 1 and 2" (PP Arnold was unbelievable). Oh, and a special mention for "Comfortably Numb" - Chester and Snowy were really on fire - Snowy especially (stick to the Les Paul, man!)
The concert was over in a blink of an eye and it just didn't seem to be three hours! It was one of the finest concerts I have seen - right up there with "The Wall" at Earl's Court.
If there were any doubts as to who Pink Floyd were - they were blown away at
Wembley that night. Waters really MEANS it, if you know what I mean. He still
sings with that attitude and anger, and he is unsurpassed as a songwriter and
lyricist. I sincerely hope this tour was not his last. I will be there next time
he steps on stage, and hopefully it will be to promote the next album. Please
don't leave it so long, next time Roger...
Steve Williams
I was a bit disapointed with the seats we had as we were on one of the side tiers, quite a way from the stage. I phoned for tickets on the day they came out and got straight through, could you tell me how one can get really decent seats, as I would have paid over the odds to have been near the front?
I would have liked to have seen him do some of Radio KAOS and more of Amused to Death, which I think is one of his best works.
This is the first time ive hit your site keep up the good work.
From a fellow floyd fan - DAVE
I just missed the opening show in Cape Town, South Africa by a week or two. That was gut renching, but I got a call from my brother who attended the gig and filled me in, so sort of experienced it there in that way.
I have had the Cd's, the T-shirts, the video's and everything else to do with Pink Floyd and Roger Waters, but nothing could have prepaired me for what i experienced at the Arena on that night.
Its pretty pointless listing the setlist, as its been pretty much the same all over the world - except, we got Nick Mason (heard the rumour but didnt believe it, didn't want to be dissapointed, but there he was - on stage with Roger), the magic was still there and they played a blistering version of set the controls. The band were great and credit must go out to them as well as to Roger for making those hours of my life unforgetable, something I'll take to the grave with me.
The entire show was a Highlight! But if I had to pull out a few, I'd go with Wish You Were Here, Perfect Sence, and Time. This is just a thank-you to Roger and the band for such a great show, great effort, and for making music that has changed, not only my life, but millions of lives around the world.
Also, thanks for touring South Africa, not many people do, and to get the likes Mr
Roger Waters... it's just stunning. Thanks for thinking of us down South. May we be
blessed with many more songs from this great person. I wish him health,
and cant wait for new material.
Cheers
Gary
