In The Flesh
Tour Reviews

Roger Waters has long been my favorite rock artist and lyricist of all time. I was lucky enough to see him live in Berlin at "The Wall" show in 1990, as well as on his "Pros and Cons of Hitchiking" and "Radio K.A.O.S" tours in 1984 and 1987, respectively. I had extremely high expectations for his "In The Flesh" tour. They were all greatly exceeded.

Although the highlights of the show were many, among the songs that stood out were "Dogs", "Perfect Sense", "Mother", "Every Strangers' Eyes", "Amused to Death", "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" and "Southampton Dock." I couldn't get over how well Roger sounded, played and looked, nor the fact that he was obviously having a great time. His vocals, bass and acoustic guitar have never sounded better. His band was phenomenal, and at no point were Gilmour, Mason or Wright sorely missed. P. P. Arnold brought the house down with her solo in "Perfect Sense."

Among were favorite moments within songs were:

Roger's snarling vocals during the line, &quot... as you claw the thin ice"

The closing stanza of "Dogs", with pulverizing chords, perfectly-timed lighting and unbelievable Waters vocals during the "Who was born in a house full of pain" crescendo. The entire house was on its feet with arms in the air by the time he got to, "Who was found dead on the phone? Who was dragged down by the stone?" I still get goose bumps thinking about the power of that song. "Dogs" is unquestionably one of the top three songs I have ever seen performed live.

I also lost it on Waters' vocals during the line in "Every Strangers' Eyes" where he cries, "And now... FROM WHERE I STAND!" Absolutely incredible.

At various moments during the show, Roger walked to each side of the stage to salute those sitting off to the sides. Each time, he was met with a thunderous response of Waters worshipers standing up with forearms crossed and thrusting in unison. It was an extremely knowledgable and respectful audience, much more so than the "fans" who attended the couple of Pink Fraud shows I've seen.

At the end of the show, Waters said, "It's not every night that an artist feels he has made a true connection with his audience. But tonight, there is no doubt that all of us have connected, and I thank you for it." (followed by shouts from the crowd of, "Thank YOU!")

I am still on a high from the show three days later, and I only wish I was seeing him again in the immediate future. He showed once again why he is the greatest wordsmith and performer in rock history, and my life is immeasurably enriched for having had the honor of seeing his "In The Flesh" tour. Long live Roger Waters and all of his legions of worshipers.

by Brian McAllister
It is a shame that most lists of the top concerts of the summer of 1999 are devoid of any mention of Mr. Waters. For he (and his excellent band) is putting on one of the best concerts/performances/rockshows that has been seen in recent years! Don't go expecting the lasers and other distractions of a Floyd concert. It is not there.

Roger Waters is a true conceptual artist. He invites you into his living room (complete with couches, coffee tables, and lamps) for a show that lasts nearly three hours. The set helped emphasize and enhance the small, high school gym-like venue known as the Baltimore Arena. The stage was so intimate, that during some of the synthesizer jams, Waters and his fellow guitar mates, wandered back to the sectional couch at the rear of the stage and enjoyed a cold drink and a friendly hand of cards.

I am sure someone else will share the entire set list (which doesn't seem to have changed much so far), but I will share a few brief highlights. Right out of the gates, 'In the Flesh' was made for a solo Waters tour, and Waters knows it. His voice strong and his inflection dead on. He tells us that Pink wasn't well, he stayed back at the hotel. 'Pigs on the Wing' and 'Dogs' were my personnel favorites. The acoustic guitar jam and the subsequent interlude left myself and many other fans in a pleasant daze. The songs from Amused to Death were a true treat for those of us who have worn out this CD over the past few years. He sang them all with a strong voice atop beautiful music (from ambient to heavy rock and back again). During SoYCD, Waters seemed to be saying that if he can not reach an accord with Gilmour and his other former band mates, then he would love to invite his old friend, Syd, to join him for a chance to rock once again. Then they'll bring the buggers to their knees!!

The band is incredible. They face the very serious challenge of living up to some of the greatest guitar solos and synthesizer jams of all time. They nail each solo with accuracy as not to disappoint, but they also add just a little something extra to help call each jam their own. You also have to mention the ladies, the back-up female singers are magical. You will love it all because the sound system rocks!!!!

Overall the show will not disappoint, but there were a couple of minor bummers. Waters changes the rhythm and melody of "The Powers that Be" and transforms it into an almost rap-like song, a very ho-hum version of a good song. And the vocals of his guitarist are not as solid as one would hope. Although strong, they seem to accompany Waters instead of act in contradiction to him. It really makes you appreciate the way Waters and Gilmour bounced off of each other vocally.

At the end of the show Waters commented (in a very raspy voice) that he felt a real connection with the crowd, and he that he thought that it felt real good tonight. This may be something he is saying at every show, but I get the feeling it isn't. Everyone agreed wholeheartedly. The entire crowd stayed for the entire show, and his two encore songs lasted well over 20 minutes.

The artist, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, rocker, and performer put on a great show. The cult went away from their prophet with a true feeling of satisfaction. He did indeed keep the Loonies on their path!

Catch this show, or your friends will tell you about it and you will be upset that you missed out on the 'experience'.

Thanks to Roger Waters...we look forward to a new album very soon.
See you on the Dark Side of the Moon....

by peteshee
Wow!!!! What a show.  I apologize for not having the words to describe it, but I'm only 15 and I'm fairly new to Roger and Pink Floyd and I really didn't have any idea what in the world to expect. The show opened with In The Flesh and ran through the standard setlist. Everything was on target and perfect except for the part when Snowy missed his cue for his part of the bridge solo on Comfortably Numb, But Doyle got the rest of it and carried it beautifully. I was also amazed by the wonderful movies on the giant screen.

Perhaps the only thing I was dissapointed in was the outrageous prices for fan memorabillia. Nobody should charge $15 for a program even if you are the greatest songwriter who has ever lived, if anything they should be free.

In closing I would like to say that it was the greatest concert I have ever been to and I hope I'll get to see him again.

by Sean O'Neill Arlington, VA
I attended the 8/20 show at the Baltimore Arena. First off, this a great venue for a concert. It's a small arena, holding 11,000 for concerts and the Waters show was sold out. Everyone had a great view of the stage, since it was an open stage with minimal lighting and no large props to obstruct the view.

The set list was not surprisingly identical to all the previous shows. The crowd was, for the most part, great and really into it. Not surprisingly most happy with all the Floyd standards that Roger played.

Highlights of the night were a great full version of Dogs, Perfect Sense and Time. I was most happy that Roger didn't opt for shortened versions of songs, as he did on the KAOS tour (I guess to keep with the "radio show" format). Dogs was a highlight because of this, and also because I think the band did the best job of recreating the Floyd sound on this song. Good vocal and acoustic guitar by Jon Carin, with the electric guitar solos closest to Gilmour's on that song. Unfortunately, this was not the case on most of the other numbers. The lead guitarist, the one who worked with Stevie Ray Vaughn, sounded like a blues player on Shine On and this simply didn't fit. Snowy White had the tough task of trying to match Jeff Beck's great work on the AtD songs. He didn't fare too well. He particularly had trouble on What God Wants, the beginning of which he seemed to just give up on.

Perfect Sense was definitely the liveliest song of the night. He really had the crowd going crazy during itwith the Global Anthem. It was a shame he didn't play more from the album. There were plenty of people really into hearing the album.

Time was a surprise because I figured he would have let the guitarist or Jon Carin sing it. It was great to hear Roger sing it, and sing it well. His voice, as most people have been commenting, is surprisingly strong (considering his age and the intensity of his past vocal work). He nailed Every Strangers Eyes perfectly.

All in all, a great show despite my knowing the entire set list from checking in daily to this web site. It would have been nice to see the visuals in motion instead of just stills. But the low-key stage show really added to the performance, keeping focus entirely on Roger. Of course, there's always going to be other songs we wish he'd play, but for this tour I think after the brief AtD set, you're left reallywishing he would have played the whole album. Of course, there are those who get annoyed when Waters strays from the classic Floyd for too long. Believe me, there was plenty of annoying foot traffic during the solo material. I'm still amazed that there are people who will pay $44 or more for a ticket and then spend half the time in line to buy nachos.

by dmfloyd
WOW! What a show. Roger really seemed to enjoy himself. Before the show I was lucky enough to see him arrive. He was gracious enough to sign autographs for about 20 of us who were waiting outside near the tour buses. I was so surprised at how lucky we were I couldnt think of what to say to him. I simply thanked him for touring and in response got a warm smile, with an eyebrow raised, and nice "you're welcome". I think he liked my simple comment. Here is a picture of him signing autographs for us, and one of the autographs I got. Also, after the show talked with Jon Carin and got an autograph for my tour book.

by Ed Fulginiti
Allow yourself plenty of time to get to get to the show. Traffic in Baltimore (normal Friday eve along the lovely Inner Harbor PLUS Orioles baseball nearly across the street) forced the show's organizers to begin (thankfully!) 15 minutes late, at 8:15pm. My group did dinner at ESPN Zone, got into a "party" frame of mind and the evening got better and better from there.

IN THE FLESH is everything and more than I expected. Roger is truly a musical, creative genius. I had never seen him play before in person; only once on tape. He offered a genuine sense of a man satisfied with who he was, what he had musically accomplished in life and was delighted to share for all of us to enjoy.

Set 1 was excellent with Pigs on The Wing and Dogs being a highlight for me; I recalled during the Floyd tour of '94 that I would probably never see these songs done—and now, here they were! Fantastic!! Set 2 was even better with Perfect Sense just knocking me out. Roger played so well to the audience, drawing everyone out in song, "Can't you see? It all makes perfect sense...". The crowd was simply blown away. It was in the 2nd set that the rest of the singers and musicians were at their best, too. Katie Kissoon has a marvelous voice! The finale was Comfortably Numb and trust me, you will not be disappointed. Yeah, Dave on guitar and vocals would have been over the top but... the dueling guitar show was a kick in the teeth!

The crowd was the typical eclectic mix of young and old who LOVE this music. All were very well behaved and happiness seemed to grow exponentially on the good vibes as the evening went along.

At one point close to the end, Roger hugged himself as if to depress the goose bumps he was getting from the roaring, clapping crowd. He appeared to struggle for the right words—and I believe what he said was close to: "I want to say how much this all means. I wondered about my return to live performing before crowds and tonight, you've authenticated that. I thank you."

If Roger and Dave ever agree to set aside whatever tensions brought them to this point, well, it would be a true wonder to see them up there together again with Nick and Richard. But I am forever happy to say that at least I've seen Floyd AND Roger in concert. The legacy of their music (collective and apart) is quite overwhelming.

by Chris Monroe Annandale, VA
Hey, I was at the show. All I can say is that from the first note I had chills up my spine. Unfortunately I got my tickets from a professional scalper as they sold out in 2 hours. Then they changed venues but oh well... I went to the show by myself because no one I know really likes Floyd. I drove 2 hours in rush hour traffic from Northern Virginia. I had my tickets on will call and was a bit stressed because 1 hour before the show they still weren't available. Anyway... the crowd was a good mix but mostly consisted of burned out hippies, young college looking frat boys and some really young kids. I've always considered myself a bit of a punk so the crowd seemed a bit strange and funny to me.

My seats were pretty good—on the floor about 15 rows back. The stage looked unspectacular (little did I know)... The show began a bit late due to severe rain and traffic delays. The crowd booed when they announced the show would be starting at 8:15. I think it was nice of them to wait actually. So the show begins, Roger walks out with the opening of "In the Flesh." He's standing on this huge platform illuminated by several white spot lights. The background screen showed a burned out city scene which I thought was cool given Roger's stance on the state of the modern world. As I said before—chills from the first note. The setlist was the same as the first few shows. I was very impressed that Roger played full versions of Dogs, Shine On, etc. without cutting them in half (like 3 other musicians did when I saw them back in 1987!). I was deeple moved when Roger put up the hazy image of Syd during "Shine" and "Wish You Were Here". No one in the crowd knew who he was it seemed.

I was very impressed when Roger announced "OK we're going to take a break and we'll be back to do another set." Being usued to the typical BS arena shows (this is the first I've gone to in years) I was thinking "well, show's over." The second set was as good as they first becuase I finally got to hear stuff off of "Amused to Death". The audience of course sat down during everything but the greatest hits but I was deeply moved by "What God Wants" "It's a Miracle" "Perfect Sense" and others. I was also happy to here from "Billy" but wished more songs were played from Radio KAOS. I saw that tour when I was 15 and have some wonderful memories associated with that record.

Roger is truly the real thing. He's a living legend and I hope he keeps working in the future. I know he's doing the opera now. I hope his fans can grow with him and not expect to have everything sound like The Wall. Thanks for giving me a chance to share my memories. I usually wouldn't take this much time to write about a show but as I said, it was beyond moving. Thanks

by Steve Hyland
Great show!!! I have already attended the Clarkston, MI show and the band was by far tighter this time around. I arrived at the Baltimore Arena about 5:00pm, retrieved my tickets and wandered over to converse with a crowd that had gathered outside the Administrative entrance. I met a really nice and interesting bunch of people and we all re-lived our memories from past Waters and Floyd (w/ Waters) shows. Within an hour, the backstage loading doors opened and Roger actually came out and signed items for people. If you have this opportunity, a couple of pieces of constructive advice:

1. DO NOT and I mean DO NOT wear those "other" Pink Floyd shirts, and then try and get Roger to sign them when the chance presents itself. How stupid can you be?
2. Don't try and get Roger to sign 6 or 7 different things. You only piss him off and ruin it for the rest of those waiting. One or two things are sufficient. BE CONSIDERATE.

Well, my day and night was already made. I actually got to meet Roger. Actually a very pleasant sort. I also met a couple of guys from Holland that have their own rock magazine. They were covering the Waters' tour and Roger actually granted them an interview. The magazine actually sounds interesting and I believe is in English. If anyone is interested, the website address is:

www.music-minded.demon.nl
Once the gates opened, we all made our way inside, purchased the necessary concessions and proceeded to our seats. Unfortunately, the group of us outside were all over the arena. Well I won't go into detail about the show (since my review for Clarkston stands with extra marks), accept to say that the music was great. Unfortunately, our section was the victim of two assholes that wouldn't sit down, even when no one was standing in front of them. These pinheads (they were in Section 114 Row E Seats 1, 2 and 3 stood for the entire show, blocking the line of sight of everyone behind them. When asked, and I mean politely by both the men and women behind to please sit down, they refused with, should I say, a strong NO and FUCK YOU. Next time guys, stay home and listen to records. Those of us who appreciate Roger and his work would like to enjoy the show without dealing with complete assholes as yourselves.

Also, kids (those of you who think that "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2" is greatest Pink Floyd song ever written), and some generally stupid adults that find it necessary to scream, yell and whistle throughout the show, please stay home too. This is the same crap that sent Roger over the edge in the first place. Maybe some sort of test for entrance would help.

All in all, a great show musically. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control, the visuals were difficult to follow. Roger is the true architect. Catch this tour, but be curteous to those around you trying to enjoy the show.

by Justin G. Bel Air, MD
The Roger Waters show at the Baltimore Arena was amazing. It started 15 minutes late due to traffic with the first 6 songs off of The Wall. Then a few acoustic songs and then an amazing version of Dogs. After a few songs off of Wish You Were Here he played what i thought was the best song of the 1st set—Shine On You Crazy Diamond.  This was absolutely amazing and it sounded killer. There was a 15 minute intermission and then he came back on and played Breathe and Time and other songs off of Dark side. He then played about 6 of his solo songs which i thought he did excellent on. 75% of the crowd proably didnt know the songs but Roger built up the energy of the crowd to a point where everyone was singing "Perfect Sense". He ended his solo set and then ended with brain damage/eclipse.  He came back on for an INCREDIBLE encore of Comfortably Numb which was the best of the second set with an amazing solo.  Roger left and the lights came back on. The show was amazing. Well worth the wait and the cost. I'm glad he changed venues—otherwise i probaly wouldn't have gotten to see him.

by Ellen Payne
The Roger Waters show was awesome.  I got chills durings the opening songs from The Wall.  The band was awesome, too.  Everyone around us was so into the show!  On their feet almost the whole time.  It was so impressive!  I wish the tour would add some East Coast dates so I could go again.  It was excellent, excellent, excellent.  I think I enjoyed it as much as the Pink Floyd stadium tour a few summers ago!