Zurich Hallenstadion
From: Federico Miravent
The gestures of Roger at the end of the
concert didn't give me the impression that he didn't enjoy this gig either! The whole crowd
went crazy after PP Arnold's solo in Perfect Sense, and again with cheers after
Comfortably Numb!
Anyway, thank you very much Roger for giving the Swiss
people the opportunity to see and hear you and your great songs! We surely
won't forget this experience of a lifetime!!!
What a fantastic concert this was, unbelievable! Everyone enjoyed nearly 3
hours of Roger's marvellous sound, and every single member of the band was
doing a great job! 12'000 people were there, and I wasn't the only one with
tears in my eyes during the opening song. It seemed to me that everybody was
enjoying this great show, at least in my vicinity everyone was just listening and enjoying
every single minute of the show.
At the back of the Hallenstadium I met three fans who were waiting for Roger's arrival for the soundcheck. The first fan I asked: Yes! he had a spare ticket! Wow! We saw Roger arrive in a white small transporter van but were very disappointed in him becuse he did not stop at the gate. I guess because we were only a group of five people! In a second van the rest of the group arrived with the three backing vocal girls. We spoke to Andy Wallace who kindly opened the door, as the van had to wait before the gate. But no luck in trying to get Roger back out of the venue for some autograph signing...oh well.
Later I realised this was the best "Pink Floyd" concert I ever saw. Memories of teenage years coming back remembering the "Wish You Were Here" Tour and the "Animals" show... concerts too!
After a long trip through Germany and Switzerland, and an enormous trouble at customs because I forgot my identity card (!!!!), Gerard and I arrived at the Hallenstadion during "Set the Controls For the Heart of the Sun." We had a nice place on the left of the stage, not so far like at Magny Cours last year, and not so expensive (166 EUR for a seat last year, and 69 EUR this year)! It was my fourth (but not last) Roger Waters show, after seeing shows in 1984, 2002 and 2006 and all these shows with my father Gerard, the greatest Roger Waters French fan!
It was a classical show for this first 2007 European concert, and very similar to the show in 2006. There were a few criticisms, in my opinion: no change in the set list, the same speech before the songs and especially before "Leaving Beirut" and a static or sleeping audience (swiss spirit?). There were lots of positives however: the entire band is excellent, the playback on few songs were not as catastrophic as they were last year, the videos were different, though the prism and light show are terrible, and the merchandising is better than in 2006, etc... Roger seems always happy to be on stage. At the end of the show, Roger said it was a special night because it was their first European show of the 2007 tour.
For me "Sheep" is always the best and "rock n'rolliest" song from the first part of this show and "Perfect Sense" is very impressive too. I really think "Leaving Beirut" is not the best song of Roger's career and could be changed in the setlist by a KAOS song!
The entire second half was much better played than in 2006, particularly Graham Broad on "Time." I definitely think Dave Kilminster is really a better guitarist (and singer) than Chester Kamen who toured Europe with Roger on the In The Flesh tour.
Well, in few days I will be at Bercy (with Gerard of course) for the Paris' show, in the FIRST row, so it will be a special night...
My 2006 review http://www.rogerwaters.org/tour/2006Erev/neversrev.html
Benoit Nayrac
