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From: Owen Ayre
Roger Waters in Shanghai, China - Review by Owen Ayre
The show started with "In The Flesh" which was very appropriate since the crowd
didn't have to wish to go to a show tonight, we were at THE SHOW! "Mother"
followed nicely leading into "Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun" which
had a dark presence to it and a nice sax solo by Ian Ritchie. The Syd Barrett
Tribute followed with choice selections from "Wish You Were Here". "Shine On You
Crazy Diamond", "Have A Cigar" and "Wish You Were Here" were played beautifully
and the crowd enjoyed the latter song the best as they sang every last refrain
with Roger. The next selections were a fantastic surprise as they came from the
rare "The Final Cut". Both "Southampton Dock" and "The Fletcher Memorial Home"
sounded great. Kudos on the guitar solo to David Kilminster for "The Fletcher
Memorial Home" which is truly a David Gilmour staple. Pairing "Perfect Sense"
with the new tune "Leaving Beirut" worked great together as the message of those
songs was not missed. A ferocious "Sheep" rounded out the set as all three
guitarists got to stretch out. Roger's bass notes were the driving force in this
song and he had something to say this night showcased throughout the show and it
was loud and clear.
The "Dark Side of the Moon" set I will put simply as perfection. The highlights
were the sampling he used in "On The Run" which really blew the crowd away in
conjuntion with the imagery that depicts Roger's talent for filmmaking. Carol
Kenyon sent chills up my spine during "The Great Gig In The Sky" and I loved the
monochromatic backdrop he used until "Any Colour You Like" when the prism of
colours entered the picture. Very simple and very effective with magical results,
a true representation of Roger's skills as a bon vivant.
The encore consisted of selections from "The Wall". This is my personal favorite
and Andy Fairweather Low, Snowy White and Dave Kilminster delivered as this part
of the show is heavily laden with Gilmour solos. They mixed it up and you could
see Roger was thoroughly enjoying his trip to Shanghai and the response he was
eliciting from the crowd. Thanking the audience in Chinese, he whipped the crowd
into a frenzy from the opening chords of "Another Brick In The Wall" all the way
through to an epic "Comfortably Numb". Roger, come back soon so we can celebrate
another New Year with a different animal!
Roger Waters celebrated the Year of the Pig last night in Shanghai! His
performance was one for the ages as Shanghai was provided a lesson in rock
theatrics 101. The crowd was inspired and was a nice mix of Chinese and
Westerners united by their affinity for Pink Floyd and the songbook of Roger
Waters. Looking fit and in great voice, Roger delivered on some gems while
sharing the stage with a crack team of musicians who helped deliver the "Dark
Side of the Moon" to the Far East masses.
The show took the security and comfort of listening to classics at home, to an unbelievable depth of thought provoking art.
Graphics, camera work, music, and the hallmark sculptures all synchronized to include the audience in a 2 hour music video...thank god I wasn't stoned.
Truly fantastic.
Politics (if it is that... maybe just a personal opinion) honestly and powerfully expressed and in a fairly dodgy politically controlled environment... Brilliant!
Down Side. - Concessions stall ran out of everything... apart from "MILK"? No merchandising... not thatÊI care, but some blokeÊI spoke to came all the way from Jakarta and could get no momento. .
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