2006 Europe
Tour Reviews

I was in the Hyde Park at 11:00 am, just to secure a place for me and my wife and a friend in the queue which I successfully managed to be the second one in a long queue. The doors opened at 2:00 pm, and the weather was awful, hot and humid. Once the doors opened we ran quickly towards the main stage and managed to get a place in the first row close to the barrier that separates the stage from the people. Then, we had to wait for another five hours until Roger's performance started.

The "support" bands were less than ordinary bands, and we managed to survive the rising heat and dehydration until Roger and band walked out on stage at 7:45 pm. And, IT WAS AMAZING. The sound quality was absolutely great, the music was solid and superb. Roger's performance was astounding.

They started with 'In the Flesh and 'Mother' from 'The Wall,' then played 'Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun,' then 'Shine On...,' 'Have A Cigar,' and 'Wish You Were Here.' They also performed 'Southhampton Dock,' 'Fletcher's Memorial Home' and 'Sheep.' He also did 'Perfect Sense, which unfortunately, was the only song played from his solo works.

The guitar solos by Snowy White and Dave Kilminster were awesome. Leaving Beirut, only released online as a single, showed Andy Fairwether-Lowe in one of his best performances of the show. This version was slightly different from the one you find online. It was much better actually. The light effects throughout the first set were surprising, and Roger's voice was as great as ever.

It was already dark when they started the second set, a complete 'Dark Side of the Moon,' with Nick Mason on Drums playing on this set. It seemed nearly a complete Floyd Line up. Kilminster was a very good replacement for Gilmour's warm feminine voice and talented guitar playing. The light show was even better here than in the first set because it was completely dark.

The encores afterwards were three songs from The Wall, Another Brick in the Wall, Vera and the unforgettable Comfortably Numb.

I got back home by 12:00 midnight, and for the next two days I was really physically as well as emotionally exhausted. But, days after my dream came true, I am still in a state of shock, so delighted that I have actually been to a Roger Waters concert, and stood just a few meters from him as he was playing on the stage.

As a seasoned concert/festival goer I always head to the mixing desk to seek a suitable spot to view the show. Three reasons, its the best place for the sound (as the sound mixers are right behind you), you have something to lean against rather than being pushed about from behind (starting to show my age) and it is an easy place to find when you need to go to the toilet or get another beer (the facilities at Hyde Park were excellent by the way). At the Hyde Park concert there were three mixing desks, as the centre one was already crammed with people we headed over to the one Stage Right, grabbed our spot and roasted away in the hot sun.

The support acts and entertainment were ok, but obviously everyone was there to see the main man. My Dad ducked over to the second stage which was in a tent to see Suzanne Vega who he said was really good. England were beaten on penalties by Portugal on a big screen at the back of the "venue", there didn't seem to be a huge amount of interest in it from the fans.

The "venue" filled up really quickly an hour before Roger came on. Rumours are that there were 40,000 people at the concert, not exactly sure if this is correct, but there were a hell of a lot of people.

So onto the show... and what a show.

Roger has a huge amount of stage presence and really tries to interact with the crowd. The audience were really receptive to the performers. I won't bother going through the set list as it has been stated elsewhere, my stand out tracks were Perfect Sense, Leaving Beirut, DSOTM and Comfortably Numb. In France, they would call it a "son et lumiere" a sound and light show - it really is a visual experience to enjoy. The sound is the best I have ever heard at an outdoor show. It's emotional and political. Whatever your thoughts are on Iraq, the Bush and Blair administrations, you do stop and think about the world in general.

What is fantastic as well is the length of the show. At 62, Roger and the band show younger bands what audiences expect. With ticket prices going through the roof, you do expect value for money and Roger delivers in spades - a 2hr 30min show. Most bands play for 1hr 30min and an encore, Roger did this and stuck the whole of DSOTM in the middle. Having Nick play drums was a nice touch, he really seemed to enjoy himself. I do feel a bit sorry for Graham Broad as he gets sidelined for this part of the show. Snowy, Andy and Dave were awesome, with Ian Richie absolutely brilliant on sax. The "girls" shone throughout, particularly PP during Perfect Sense (when doesn't she).

The show drew to a close at about 10.15, but which time it was pitch black and the cannons made a hell of an impact both visually and in terms of heat. I was about 30m from the stage and could really feel it, might also have been the slight sunburn.

When the show finally came to an end, everyone headed home, one final beer in Victoria Station then a train journey out of London.

A fantastic day, probably one of the best concerts I have over been to. I still felt emotionally drained two days after it. Thanks Roger.