In The Flesh 2000
Tour Reviews

From: Tom Hamilton"
I didn't want the night to end. Having been more of a fan of Roger's solo work than most of the Floyd output, I wasn't sure how the concert would turn out. I worried that the Floyd tunes he would just crank out unenthusiastically and unimaginitively and that his solo catalogue would be neglected by both Roger and the audience. I need not have worried one bit.

Even creaky tunes like Money sounded brand new and I'm still buzzing two days later over the unbelievable version of "Dogs". Bramhall was in another world on that tune and he brought the whole band along within him. I've been a fan of Gilmour for a long time as well, especially his first solo album, but in comparison I think he should be ashamed of the performance quality his touring monolith brings to the same Floyd songs. Nothing inventive, nothing original.

The highlight of the evening for me was finally getting to hearing some of "Amused to Death" performed live. I've always thought that was one of the best discs of the 90's and was bummed that Roger never toured supporting it. He made up for lost time Saturday night. "Perfect Sense" brought the audience to its frenzied feet before even the Albert voiceover and Roger's passionate vocals on "It's A Miracle" and the title cut were alone worth the price of admission.

I hope Roger gets out on the road again soon. Live shows of that quality are rare.

From: Laura The Roger Waters Virgin
This was my first Roger Waters show which in order to get tickets to I spent two days camping out in line. I planned for this concert for over a month. Everyone who I talked to about Roger Waters fueled my enthusiasm. Well, my friend and I went, sat in our seats and waited for Roger to come on stage. Finally, he did and well, I was totally overwhelmed. I have never seen anything like it in my life. How Roger responded to the crowd and the crowd responsed to him. Everything was going terrific for about 1/2 hr. Really enjoying everything about the concert, music and most importantly the talent of Roger himself.

Next thing you know....My friend and I along with three people who were sitting next to us (that we were in no way associated with, don't even know their names) were pulled out of our seats and escorted to the security area without being given any reason. Finally we were told that we are being escorted out of the show for underage drinking. Which we were not with both had id's (which we showed) and both had the yellow wrist bands on. After we made this point the security gaurds decided that we were still to be punished...I guess for proving them wrong. The next thing I know we were being told that we had to leave because we were sitting next to minors who were drinking. We were escorted out of the show and were not even allowed to purchase lawn tickets to come back in.

Needless to say, the music (What we heard) was tremendous but the rest of the day was that most horrible concert experience of my life.

I spent fifty dollars per ticket, Drove for three hours each way, Listened to maybe a total of four - five songs and then well everything went wrong. I was treated like a criminal for seating in the seats that I had paid for...I don't know that there is anything that can be done but I am writing to hopefully get the word out to Roger that his fans are being treated like savage animals (like the ones in his songs) who deserve to be caged and die.

Well this is outrageous that I spent all this time, money, energy and effort for 4 - 5 songs.

There are no other shows dates scheduled or I would try another one. Please respond and help anyway you can
Thanks,

From: Rich N

• Setlist per rest of tour
  
• I noticed previous postings about bad guitar work during DOGS. At this show, Doyle and Snowy exchanged snickers and smiles during this time. Perhaps this was in response?
  
• BRAVERY/RANGE is great addition, as has been pointed out in previous reviews.
  
• POWERS THAT BE is really missed
  
• EVERY LITTLE CANDLE is terrific and should have a place in future shows, perhaps towards end of Set One, or even a Set One closer. (I was awfully impressed with the immediate flood of lighter-flicking all over the venue. Especially for an "unknown" song, it was quite the sight.
  
• Audience response/participation for PERFECT SENSE was also very strong. I admit, that's a bit surprising considering many audience's responses to non-Floyd material.
  
• MOTHER could be ditched
  
• Roger apparently uses the "haven't felt this connection to the audience since the old Floyd days" line often enough.
  
• Overwhelming an excellent show.

Sure, a little anticlimatic after last year's over-the-top anticipation and super payoff, but still easily one of the best shows of the year. (Last week featured Jimmy Page and Black Crowes in same venue doing an almost-all Zeppelin set with three guitars. That was another show that featured the same sort of fantastic musicianship that Roger specializes in.)

From: Terry Shea"
Well, I finally get a chance on Monday morning to type up my review for the Nissan Pavillion show on the 15th. I rarely get to get on the Net during the weekend except for the odd mail check for a few minutes, so I notice there have already been a couple of people who've commented on Saturday nights festivities. I would just like to add my two cents on what has been one of the finest concert experiences I've had since... well since I saw Roger last Summer!

I originally had scored seats in Sec 101 using the brute force Ticketmaster.com method. As soon as I had purchased, I felt that there had to be a better way... where did all those Orchestra seats go in five minutes!!!???? So, I scoured Ebay and found a few choice seats available. I put down my bids and then privately contacted the sellers to convince them to cancel and deal with me direct. No one did, but someone contacted me out of the blue and said he had seen my bid and wondered, if I was that interested, did I want his tickets? He had bought them a knee-jerk reaction, thinking that this was Pink Floyd. I was tempted to give him a lecture, but the whole Rog vs. Dave thing seemed lost here, ...besides, I wanted those tickets! He was offering Orch 2, row 19 at cost! He just wanted to get rid of them! I was on my way.

So, after some time, I manage to sell my Sec 101 seats to a gentleman on Echoes. He was gracious enough to buy them, even though he found that he could not go. It was here that the saga of the sec 101 seats would begin. After purchasing them, he asks if I know of any other buyers! So, I make a quick call and, yes, I have a friend who would love to go! He arranges to buy the 101 seats, and, Postal Service and some arranged meetings later, winds up with my original tickets back in his hand. In the meantime, my original second on all this has bailed, so I'm left with an extra seat in Orch 2. No problem, my friend who bought the 101 seats will take my extra seat, and you guessed it, SELL THEM! Well, I tell him to hold off for a while, which works out, because we manage to get a friend of his (big Roger/Syd fan we still wonder why he wasn't called at the start of all this..) to take one of the seats in exchange for being designated driver/all around chauffeur. He agrees, the date approaches and things are looking better and better. A few attempts to sell the ONE REMAINING sec 101 ticket all fall through. (one of my desperate pleas can still be seen posted to the Meet Me In The Flesh website). We decide to suck it up and try to unload the albatross at the venue.

The day approaches and I am a ball of anal-retentive nerves. I have been planning and organizing each second of this day to achieve maximum experience. My friend is mildly amused by all of this. He even had to laugh when I found his well-hidden cell number, called him at work in the middle of high-power business meeting, said one more day to Roger!!, and hung up. I have a disease and his name is Roger Waters...

It had been threatening rain all week. Wait, no, the forecasts called for lightning, thunder and oh, yes FLASH FLOODING the day of the show. Indoor venue? NO... its right out there in the middle of Gods green earth! I hold back the panic, thinking, hey.I cant control the weather... or can I? Wellthose of you who were there... you can thank me now. I make no more claims.

We arrive at the Nissan Pavillion at 5pm exactly after stocking up on beer and... well, basically beer. I am well-stocked with several Harvested releases, my REG membership card around my neck (hey, its a pink badge and it almost got me access a couple of times... before the Nissan staff went Hey! Who are you with?), and a whole stack of REG membership flyers to hand out. We park next to a couple of 16-year olds in an olive-green VW microbus (Yeah, we took this to Woodstock!..99!) and get out of the car to the strains of Roger and Co. straining the capacity of the PA with In The Flesh (they used a Steely Dan song to check the PA afterwards)

Now, I had hoped to get in earlier and try to sneak around the back to see if I could catch Roger going in and/or see the soundcheck personally, but I was happy with this. A lot of the lessons learned on Saturday, where when to just let go and let things happen. Hey... having total control over the weather system was enough, right? So, we hung out, listen to Roger Waters Rarities, Vol 1 and Animal Instincts while we met some really great people. Truly, these were some of the nicest folk I've met in quite a long time. I made a few rounds of the area, passed out REG flyers and tried to meet some of the folks I had talked to on the Net beforehand. The plan to meet at the Stone Ridge sign was blown due to the fact that it was inside the gates and I wasn't going in until 7:30. Oh, well. I also got to observe some overly harsh Security procedures. One of the local troopers even made a beeline for me while I was passing out flyers, stopped, looked my material over and moved on. Enough about them, but suffice to say that I heard one too many stories about this kind of thing Saturday. I was told that this was one of the tightest shows of the tour. Is this typical for Nissan?

We get in at 7:30 and take our seats. 19th row dead center! Perfect alignment with the PA and the quad system. I've never had better seats! Oh, and speaking of seats, the extra sec 101 seat finally went, right before I got in. Sold it to a longtime fan who drove all the way from Ohio to see the show. I'm not too sure of the circumstances, because I was in a hurry to get in, but he wanted an upgrade or something, and the elusive Sec 101 seat was what he wanted. I gave him the ticket in the original envelope which also contained my receipt stub with my name and address on it. Now, this envelope and receipt had traveled from Ticketmaster to me, from me to my original buyer (via Postal Service). From him to my friend, from my friend back to me, and now from me to this unknown Farmer in Ohio. As I walked in, I thought, well, that ends that. Not quite...

Anyway, with my great seats under me. I wait for the show. I wound up seated behind Echoes own Giles Harney, who can attest to the greatness of our seats. Hey, GilesI noticed that you and I were the only ones who were willing to sit to give those in back of us a better view. Although, I do have to say, that I was also blessed with a group around me who generally did not stand unless it was warranted (which it often was!) and was very good about sitting down. Actually, my view was unobstructed for 99% of the show. And Giles, you were partly responsible for that. Ah, the strength of Echoes.

IN THE FLESH/HDooL/ABITW pt2
Now, I will just state here that this, like all other performances was a mix of In the Flesh?/In the Flesh! With the mix of lyrics from both. I took notes for each song, but I have none for In the Flesh or the next three. The Wall material was covered as well as ever. I spent the time just sucking it all in, marveling over my seats and waiting for it to get louder. My biggest complaint about the last time that I saw Rog was that In the Flesh started too quietly and I felt that this did as well. The mix improved as the song went on and was perfect towards the end of Another Brick in the Wall pt 2. I was in a sweet spot sound wise, so I got a brain-shattering onslaught of music from all sides. The feedback that plagued the 2nd set was definitely there, but I think that it gave the performance an edge that served to take the clinical polish off of things. My opinion. So, we all sang along with the Islington Green kids at Rogers prompt and a good time was had by all. The solo in Mother was very nice! Punched me right in the sternum. Right at the end of it, Doyle either broke a string or had some other difficulty, because the place filled with a great BuuuuuuuuzZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!! At the end of the last phrase. Did Doyle panic? No, he barely moved, but he's never been accused of moving too quickly anyway. He just raised an eyebrow, squelched the volume and moved on.

GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF MY DESERT/SOUTHAMPTON DOCK
Feedback dominated the opening here, but hardly garnered any notice as Rog led the most beautiful rendition of these two songs I have ever heard. I wrote ...stately ...beautiful in my notes. I need a recording of this show for this moment if nothing else. Wonderfully arranged, beautifully sung. I had a tear when the poppies filled the screen. Perfect.

PIGS ON THE WING pt 1/DOGS
The ladies sat on the couch and swayed as Rog kept the momentum going for Pigs On the Wing. Gorgeous Hammond-like fills from Andy Wallace punctuated this one and, once again. Stately. Dogs was 17 minutes that could have been 2 hours. So much happened! Now, my notes are a blur at places, but I noted that even though Rog doesnt sing until later, he does mouth most of the lyrics along with John/Doyle. It made me realize, watching him sing along to ...all alone, and dying of cancerUHAAAAAHHHHH!!! with the rest of us, that he's a fan, too! Rog was just one of us for a while, grooving along and enjoying this incredible epic that he knows had as much to do with the guitars as it did the lyrics.

And guitars there were. Aside from Jon Carins anchor (if you look at just Roger, imagine that it's Dave singing during their one-shot reunion.yeah, like you didnt try it!) there was Snowy and Doyle. During the first duet, I was writing how incredible it sounded when I noticed - the dancing! Rog had a little dance routine for the solos that Andy would join in with later. The two of them, two-stepping together upstage like Status Quo in the retirement home. Very amusing! The third guitar break was brilliant! The quad was perfect, swirling around in a perfect circle while the card game commenced. Andy dealt the deck and practically ran over to the table to get the cards ready. Everyone had been sitting and jumped up to see the game. The ladies were served brown-ish drinks and it looks like Snowy won the game... well, someone stood up, but I know Rog just had this oh, well... expression on his face, so I know he didn't win.

Anyway, the whole song was incredible. I cannot say enough about it... on to;

WELCOME TO THE MACHINE
Does anyone think that the sphere at the beginning of the slides looks like the Geffen logo is taking over the world? This sounded brilliant, another one where I just focused on the slides and Rog, and imagined I was back in 1975. And, in the Rog/Andy dance section, they came together like robots at the end and nodded together for the final beat. Someone's played this song one too many times, methinks!

WISH YOU WERE HERE
Rog tuned up in back while Doyle took the intro on the electric, much like all other versions on this tour. The obligatory sing-along, Rog stressed the 'have' in 'what have we found?', which I like a lot. Doyles solo was very Texas blues, very individual. Overall, I agree with those who have said that Snowy and Doyle have found their own voice on this tour... all of their stuff was tasteful, individual and not the Dave Gilmour cover crew.

SHINE ON.
As my neighbor always says to me: Now 'thats' what I'm talkin about! Just incredible... beautiful quad, excellent work from Jon the one-man band. My only note (because I was too transfixed on the slide show. Thor! ...to look away) was: Snowy's beautiful, long sustain... The man has just relaxed and breathed into these things! And you know, when he has his head down and you use your imagination, he looks a bit like a young Gilmour with short hair. Useful for those moments of imagination... It closed in the usual way with the giant hubcap making an appearance..doh! I saw the wires! Illusion blown... actually, as cheesy as the ball is, I still found it rather cool.

INTERMISSION

This was when I wandered over at met Echoes own (and Lenos playtoy), Dai Willey. I said my name, and he reaches in his pocket and pulls something out... it's a picture of me from the Echoes gallery! I said, nice to meet you and backed away slowly to find a security guard... no, actually it was nice to meet Dai and I was really just in a rush to snoop around the sound board and see what I could see before they all came back... always good to meet the Echoes folks, albeit briefly..

SET THE CONTROLS FOR THE HEART OF THE SUN
Even better than it was when I heard it in '84, unless thats just because I havent heard it since '84. The slide show was almost heartbreaking. The sax player (was that a tenor sax?) was really very good, but at times, the solo ventured into Kenny G territory... disturbing, but its good to feel a little off-kilter during this piece. Rog turned around and played to the back wall at one point and I got visions of him circa 1969. Spooky!! Graham just pounded away on the drums, although I wish they were a little louder. Overall, though, this was a major highlight. I was thinking, this whole evening has been absolutely perfect, nobodys even in my way... the four seats in front of me are empty. Then, a little black rain cloud on my sunshine.... Frat Boy!

BREATHE/TIME/BREATHE(reprise)
Frat Boy appeared right during the heartbeat tape, and drunkenly marveled at the four empty seats in 18th row center. I did the obligatory, time-honored concert tradition of catching him before he could pitch over into my row and let him bob and weave in front of me. He stood there, not screaming, but conducting the band and generally being in the way of about 500 people at once. It was almost funny and I dont know if this section seemed ordinary because of him or because of the band, its a toss-up. Carin played slide and did the first vocal, while Doyle handled the second vocal for Breathe... Nice. Time? Nice as well. Nothing spectacular... just nice.

MONEY
This got Frat Boy moving as people had returned to their seats. Giles was back with some food and Frat Boy was being squeezed down in between a young couple who did not have the courage to confront him. Anyway, this one was a little more spirited. I never noticed before how the record in the slide starts off playing the right track for Money or it could just be that this is the first song of side two, so the odds were pretty good. (thats an album reference for the kids there...) Andys solo was as upstaging as everyone said. Not technically amazing, but showy and fun. Whoever called it a parody was right on the... well, you know what I mean. The sax player returned on top of the wall... oddly enough, and did very well... although he looked scared beyond belief. When he finished, he looked amazingly relieved, sort of tiptoed off and looked at Andy and Jon as he left as if to say, I did it! Oh, boy give me a drink.

5:06 AM (EVERY STRANGERS EYES)
Andy Fairweater Low fatfingered the first chord on this one. He was playing a vintage model guitar, the name of which escapes me. Sort of Les Paul-shaped in body, but I know its not that. Rog has monitor problems as he fiddles with his receiver pack. Either that or he hurt his hip falling in the tub Saturday morning. :-) Anyway, this song had everyone settling down and Frat Boy finds himself still standing alone. hundreds of people sitting around him and he's still sort of trying to groove, but he's losing momentum. Now this restores my faith in Roger's audiences no one shouts, no one yells at him. We all just watch as he slowly realizes he's an asshole, hangs his head and slinks away. Brilliant!

Now, the song continues and here comes the notorious lip-synch moment. It happens, the girls are singing, Rog is crooning and then, myself, in every strangers eyes comes out of just the front PA, not the sides. Now all of the vocals had been coming out of the sides as well before this point, so this was obviously low and the sound booth fixed this on the next line, 'it's oh, so easy now.' So, I wonder if, in addition to the ladies voices and a tape boost, Roger is still singing along with limited reinforcement. If he were to croak on 'From where I stand...' or 'recogniiiiiiiize,' then it would be noticeable if his vocals were kept up front. But, with a judicious blend, it all sounds pure. So, my feeling is that he's not lip-synching as much as he's singing along, just like the rest of us.

PERFECT SENSE
Resounding, fantastic. Not as many people singing as you would think, though.

THE BRAVERY OF BEING OUT OF RANGE
Nice to hear this one! Roger doing a little Strat work. The slides were great. I liked Reagan on the TV. Snowys solo!!!! Holy mother of God!! This was out of nowhere and sounded eerily Gilmour-esque a la Run Like Hell or Sheep.

ITS A MIRACLE
A nice bit of vaudeville by Rog, well sung and played. I wrote something about adds, but I dont remember now. I think there were some fills that fleshed out the tune. This was also another time that the quad worked so well, that I actually thought the voices were people next to me chattering away. I kept turning to quit them when I realized it was on tape. Far out, man... Snowys ending solo gave new meaning to the word sustain... You could go out and get a bite to eat and when you come back it's still be like ahhhhhhhhhhhh)

AMUSED TO DEATH
Katie Kissoon did a beautiful job adding vocals on this stunning performance. Andy pulled out another vintage guitar and gave his best performance of the night. The feedback was all around as everyone fiddled with their monitor levels and just knocked the place over! I love this song.

BRAIN DAMAGE/ECLIPSE
Andy was brilliant again! Feedback! Everyone sang along and Rog laughed knowingly on '...and if the band youre in starts playing different tunes...'

COMFORTABLY NUMB
Rog gave the usual speech Thanks for coming. Thanks for listening to all of the stuff we've done. 'Lets party.' Really. He said that. I'm not making this up. Dai? Giles?

The duet was just awe-inspiring. Enough said. Reason number 117 to have a tape of this show.

EACH SMALL CANDLE
The audience knew this was coming. The lighters were out in force. Most in front of me left and my view was 100% unobscured. I think this sounds like a Steely Dan song now! Its like Steely Dan meets Shine on You crazy Diamond... Bizarre. I liked it a lot, but I couldnt help thinking that, well, they'll do more work on it. Still, it was a powerful way to end the show... very 'Biko.'

So, thats it. I have scattered notes on how it looks to see a sea of lighters behind you in the dark. This was not during Each Small Candle, but some other song. I dont remember which, though. Very beautiful. Made me want to hear, 'Tide Is Turning.'

Also, at either the speech before Comfortably Numb or Each Small Candle, Rog started crying! He got all choked up and had to stop. His throat clogged up and he went back to the table up center to get a handkerchief which he put in his pocket. Fake? I dont know.

After the show, we immediately tried to suss out where the band was leaving from. Security told us that he was gone, but every story I got was different. I met another Echoesian whose name escapes me. He says he's in permanent lurk mode, though. He had been to five shows, having come from Tampa. We tried to play the waiting game, but after about 40 minutes, it seems that they had gone after all.

The final event of the night would bring it all full circle. As I left, I look down and see my own name and address starring up at me. The receipt stub from my spare Sec 101 ticket had been dropped on the ground by the guy who bought it, and here it was now. Fully intact and hundreds of yards away from where that seat was. As my friend said, Dont think too hard about it... lets go home..

Thanks for taking time to read this
Peace,

From: Phil Suarez (SOUL)
This show was perfect absolutely perfect. There was as much excitement in the audience for Roger's solo work as the Floyd work. This is contradicts all the review which said otherwise i have seen on this site. The musicians were flawless, the sound was crystal clear. I took two audiophile friends of mine and they said it was the best show they have ever seen. All the staff and security at Nissan were very nice as well....even the Vendors!! So congrats to Roger Waters and Nissan Pavillion, i will never forget that evening.

From: will myers"
Holy Cow!
Just saw Roger at Nissan Pavilion in BRISTOW, VA!

I have seen The Grateful Dead at Alpine Valley and at Hampton VA playing as The Warlocks! I have seen Phish at Hampton VA. BB King at the Warner Theatre. "Pink Floyd" (you know what I mean) at Madison Square Garden, RFK and The Capitol Center. The Rolling Stones at RFK. Bob Dylan at Merriweather Post. Neil Young at the capitol center and at a smaller university venue. Red Hot Chili Peppers at the 9:30 club. Beasties and George Clinton at lolapalooza! PFunk at the 9:30 club. Marcus Miller at Merriweather. Blue Floyd at the Birchmere. ICONs from different genres.

None of them came CLOSE! I wept 4 times! Truly Roger Waters IS Pink Floyd.

The thought that I might have missed this show fills me with mortal terror. Words cannot express the emotion i felt. The crowd chanted along with lyrics to Amused to Death! I believe Roger got choked up at the end and I thought he said that he has played this tour all over the nation and nowhere else did he connect with the crowd this way Maybe this is just my wishful thinking, hope to hear more later to find out if maybe its true. Ironic that he would come to the heart of the US Military Industrial Complex and connect so powerfully with his audience. I saw a young child in the monitor singing along with his lyrics.

He encored with a new song about a Serbian Samaritan. Roger is the Highest Priest in my Temple.

From: Rachel McConnell Age 22
My life is complete...
For nearly two months, I worried myself into a stupor that something would happen to me before I experienced Roger Waters in the flesh. Even as an amateur listener to Pink Floyd, I quickly discovered that the true talent behind the band's success is and always will be Mr. Waters. His performance at the Nissan Pavillion at Stone Ridge probably spawned cathartic experiences for nearly everyone in the audience.

Roger expressed a more than genuine appreciation for his fans throughout the entire concert and sang all the songs with such passion that any passer-by would probably assume that this was his very first performance! Roger continues to display his fastidious taste for musical talent through the selection of such outstanding band members. The back up singers, guitarists, keyboarder, and drummer meshed so nicely with Roger's incredible voice, proving once again that Mr. Waters is indeed Pink Floyd.

From: Steve Hyland (Abdabs)
I was lucky enough to witness Roger's July 15, 2000 show at the Nissan Pavillion in Bristow, Virginia on July 15, 2000. I don't think that it needs to be repeated that Roger continues to deliver on some of the best music and lyrics in the business, but I am still amazed at his enthusiasm and positive response to an audience that at times was a little louder than he typically perfers. He must be mellowing.

After attending two shows last year (Clarkston, MI and Baltimore, MD), I was happy to see that he rearranged the set to include "Set the Controls", "The Bravery of Being Out of Range" and "Each Small Candle". My heart does go out to those who didn't get to see last years show that began with side one of "The Wall" (he left out "The Thin Ice" and "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 1)") and "What God Wants (Part 1)". The sound quality was outstanding and the band was as tight as ever and Doyle Bramhall struck a frightening resemblance to a young Syd Barrett.

It was also a pleasure in meeting so many younger fans, who appreciated Roger for more than just "The Wall"; a great song writer and lyrist that has had profound influence on many of their current music heros. Shine On.

From: Michael W. Martin
I am a huge Roger Waters fan... I absolutely love his past work with PF and his recent solo work. There is no other artist that can fuse lyrics and sound the way Roger does! His music reaches me like no other... he's a genius!

I saw Roger last summer twice -- Darien Lake, NY and Baltimore, MD... both shows were awesome! I wasn't going to see him this summer until I started reading some of the reviews here. Then I got psyched and got my plans together 3 days before the show... man am I glad I did! What really got me interested was the inclusion of Set the Controls and Bravery.

It was absolutely pouring rain from Rochester, NY just before getting into MD/VA. Then the sky was getting clearer, the sun was out, and it was DRY AND WARM! Wooohooo! I was SO excitied! Last year on the way to the Darien Lake show it was pouring. As soon as we pulled into the parking lot and got in line, the sky opened up and showed us the most beautiful, full 180 degree rainbow I've have ever seen! Everyone was screaming and cheering... it was awesome! Here we were lucky to have good weather again, yay! Got to admit... the security guards in the parking lot were jerks. They actually wrote up these people for "drinking in the commonwealth" which carried a $50 fine. What a bunch of crap!

I had seats in section 103, 5th row. They were awesome... I think I was about 30-40 yards from the stage! The place was PACKED! All you could see was a sea of people there and ready to take it all in! Overall, the show was absolutely fantastic! I loved seeing the up-close drum solo in the beginning of TIME... very nice! Set the Control was AWESOME! I really REALLY dug it and was SOOO excited to hear something from so far back (although quite an upbeat version)! Money had some wonderful twists... I really enjoyed it! They put a little spice into it so it wasn't the same old played out rendition (don't get me wrong, I LOVE this song!) Perfect Sense had everyone up and many singing (how could you not with Rog running around, waving everyone up!).

Right before Each Small Candle (which I knew was coming, and apparently did many others), a bag of candles was being passed around! Fabulous! Roger says, "Here's a new one... It's not all that jolly, but it's from the heart..." I swear it sounded like he was crying and really choked up! That song is really beautiful, another example of Roger's brilliance in bringing to light issues of humanity and emotion! I turned around to check out the scene behind me and there were a lot of candles and lighters up... it was great! I also think it was awesome to display the lyrics on the screen...

Ok, I really need someone to tell me something. What is the problem with STANDING up at these shows?! I REALLY don't get it! I read a lot of these reviews with people complaining about those who stand. I love the feeling of standing, moving, feeling the music flow through me, and being INVOLVED in the show. When I'm sitting in the chair I feel so passive, confined to a chair, like I'm a zombie. The first part of the first set was a bit upsetting because of the "sit down you (insert expletive here)!" I look back to see this guy yell at these two teens who were standing and say, "Hey sit the f*ck down you skinheads!" You have got to be kidding me, did he really just say that?! So really, I need to know... what is the deal? I think everyone should be standing! Is it that people are too old? That sitting in the car for the drive to the show wasn't enough sitting for one day? That the music and Roger Waters really isn't good enough to bring people to their feet? Perhaps they haven't drank enough yet to lose their inhibitions? Seriously, someone who is part of the "let's all sit down now and enjoy the show" crowd please email me and share with me your side of the story. (BTW- I'm in no way trying to declare a war here, I honestly am just curious how others "experience" a show such as this). I understand sitting during Each Small Candle or the like... but ABitW? Machine? How can you stay seated?

During most of the second set there are significantly more people standing (including the stuck-in-the-80's-guy-all-teens-today-are-skinheads) ... and the energy is so much more prevalent! Does the second set have better music? Or does it just take a set to finally get into it? Or wasn't everyone high/drunk enough to stand earlier in the show? One last point before many take me the wrong way -- there was this girl and guy next to me that were probably in there late 20's/early 30's. The chick, although very nice, was FLAILING her body everwhere... very drunk. I spoke with her and am convinced that she really was involved and moved by the music regardless of her drunken state --- that's great -- but this kind of movement WAS excessive, annoying, and distracting. Along with her SCREAMING of the lyrics. She did happen to smoke a, uh, cigarette right before Shine On, and it really toned her down quite a bit for the rest of the show. Thank god.

Anyway, the show was awesome! I think there was a great combination of Floyd and solo stuff! I would definitely have liked to hear What God Wants, Euguene (how awesome would that be! Obviously have to be some voiceover), ANYTHING pre-DSotM, Great Gig in the Sky (PP, KK, ?? would be awesome!). *PLEASE* someone who can tell me where I can get a video or tape of this show... email me PLEASE! I really really want a recording of Set the Controls!

Roger, thank you once again.

From: Lacy MacAuley
Hi. I recently attended the "In the Flesh" show at Nissan Pavilion in the vicinity of Washington D.C.

I enjoyed the show a great deal. It was an experience for me because I have never gone to a show of a person whose music I really cared about. I do not have a long history of concert-going. But the show really put me in touch with the music. It was great.

I guess Roger Waters covered only about four of his solo songs, and he had a lot of other people take the singing responsibility, etc. The rest was from Pink Floyd. I guess he realizes that is what the crowd really wants. I hate to say it, but I almost liked the singing of the guitarist and keyboard-player better than Roger's singing on the Pink Floyd stuff. But of course that is because Roger has sung all of the old stuff thousands of times and the meaning may have worn off by now. His voice on his new songs had that same electric, impassioned charge that he has on the albums. And of course his bass was awesome.

The images which showed on the huge screen behind the band were amazing. A lot of times they put images up to give the song greater relevance. For example, during the song Shine on You Crazy Diamond, images of Roger ten or twenty years ago were shown. (Later during the song they were showing comic book characters, which I didn't get.) When the audience cheered for an encore, he did a song which I had never heard, with the verse "Each candle lights a corner of the dawn." I guess it was a new song. Right at the end of the song, they showed the Amnesty International symbol, which is a candle. Just before he did the encore, he said that he used to have trouble feeling a connection with the audience, but he felt that connection tonight. I hear that he does that every show.

From: Dave from PA
The Nissan Pavilion concert on July 15, 2000 was great etc.

Please someone - Is there anybody out there? - explain this: Why do people pay $50-70 a ticket to go to an arena and stand in the pee and beer lines all night???? People around me may have actually seen/heard 1/2 of 1 song! What an annoying bunch of people.

Roger your lyrics will endure....

From: Lisa Danley
This concert was my first one Ii have ever been to, and being a huge music fan, my favorite group being Pink Floyd... but now Roger Waters is the only Pink Floyd there is in my EyEs.

It sounds shocking me being 27, and this my first Concert ever, but it was the most wonderful time I have ever had. I can't even explain it in words. It is just too much. Roger & his Group just looks so beautiful up on stage. I wish I could thank him personally for the best time of my life.

From: Ira Philpot
We left Gainesville, Florida at 6:00 p.m. on Friday evening. The King was accompanied by Shell, our roommate, and Tommy. Neither had been to a Roger/PF show before except for Tommy--he saw Roger perform the Wall in Berlin back in 1990, but isn't a dedicated fan.

We made off with an unfortunate 30-minute delay to fix my brake lights and thus began my 8 1/2 hours in the driver's seat. I drove until I could drive no more, but being dosed with caffeine (an irregular substance to my system) and being so eager for the show, found it almost impossible to sleep as Tommy took over driving--especially being concerned for him being able to stay awake and praying that he would drive safely.

I awoke at about 7:00 a.m. as we were driving through a rainstorm just south of Richmond. We made our way through the city and stopped for breakfast. My nap had helped to dissipate my excitement, but it soon returned as I got up.

Oh, man!!! Here we were only two hours away from Nissan Pavilion and in 12 hours the show would begin. I took over driving after breakfast and stopped at a Food Lion to pick up a couple of boxes of candles for the final song. By this point, any and everyone took full notice of me and those who inquired for told to abandon any plans they may have and take up after me to see Roger Waters in his second to last performance. Of course, nobody took on my offer.

We arrived at Nissan Pavilion at 10:30 a.m. We were obviously the first there but we noticed at least 20 cars parked near employee entrance and made our way over to find it to be just employee cars. We scouted out the rest of the barren lot and made our way to the VIP parking lot and the back entrance. A security guard sat at the gate and I inquired about the parking situation and possibly Roger before the show. He informed us that no one from the band would be there until at least 5:00 p.m. and that the parking lot wouldn't be open until about 4:00 p.m. This left us with almost six hours to do whatever.

I drove the van up to a large shade tree next to some big rocks at the far end of the lot. The weather was absolutely beautiful and the setting was quite perfect. We opened the van doors and we just hung out, playing guitar/flutes/banjo while listening to ATD. I watched as every 10 minutes or so a car would pull up to the box office and then drive away. I figured those were just some of the others who were not quite sure as to where to go or what to do before the show.

We hung out by the rocks and tree until about 1:00 p.m. and then went to get some lunch. When we came back, we parked as close as possible to the box office and were soon joined by a couple of other cars. An older gentleman was selling six tickets (center orchestra, Row 9) at face value. What a steal! A family of four took the man up on four of them.

I told Tommy that he should be on the lookout for a great deal like that since he didn't have a ticket. He later found an Orchestra 3 row 7 seat for $50!! That certainly beat my section 101 row D seats, but oh well.

I watched a group of four guys walk around to the back entrance of the ampitheater and I figured I should follow suit. It was only 2:30 p.m., but I didn't want to miss a chance at meeting Roger. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my Shine On book from the box set, but I had my ITAOT book for him to sign.

I walked around to meet three guys. One guy from New York had been to several shows and was not very talkative and the other two were from Germany and Austria and had flown over just to see Roger perform--and I thought I'd come a long way!

Soon about a dozen more people showed up and I struck up a conversation with a couple from northern Georgia. He had seen Roger on the Radio KAOS tour and said he has something like 120 different bootleg PF shows that he downloaded for free off of the internet.

We sat and talked for a couple of hours until I realized that I had forgotten to bring my video camera over from the van. I told Tommy to go and get the camera before Roger came and just before he got back to limousine vans sped through the security gate to the backstage area. Just like that! Man, they didn't even stop! Everyone just kinda stood there and thought, "oh, well." After a minute we heard the barking track from DOGS and about five minutes later one of the vans pulls back up.

We made our way over to the security gate and the side door of the van opened to reveal Roger's manager who instructed everyone to get into a single file line and to have only one item per person for Roger to sign. Holy shit!!! Here it was. The moment of history where greatness meets royalty!!

I was about the eighth person in line and Tommy came over with the camera for instructions on how to operate it. I nervously showed him how to hold it and control the focus while trying to remain calm in spite of the line drawing shorter. I made sure Tommy had the camera going and I displayed my gift to Roger for the camera: An autographed picture of the King and Queen that read: "To Roger Waters: You are truly a genius and an inspiration. Hopefully, one day I'll be performing for you!" And I wrote on it the "royal seal of approval."

As the line drew shorter I also pondered my words to him and tried to balance my pen inside my book so that he could just take it and sign. Roger sat on the front bench seat inside the back of the van and the two doors opened so that each person could come up and be face to face with him as his manager stood beside.

Then it was my turn. I made my way up to him, handed him the book and stumbled over my words. I tried to correct myself but it sounded something like this: "Hi Roger. Thanks for remembering your friends... remembering your fans... because your fans remember you." As he signed, Best wishes, Roger Waters, I took the book and handed him the picture and said, "This is for you." He said, "Thank you," and looked at it with somewhat of a smirk on his face and placed it on the seat to his left.

I then turned and climbed over the bench behind me to get to the camera and show everyone my treasure. I was so elated and nervous--my hands were shaking. The couple I had talked to all during the wait were about as overwhelmed. We sat there and watched as Roger met with about 20 different fans and I realized that I cold have Shell get him to sign the tickets that were in the van.

I quickly got them out and Shell got in line only to wait for a couple of minutes before the manager announced that Roger had to "get to work." I yelled, "Thank you, Roger" as everyone waved and we gave our new couple friends a ride back to their car.

When Tommy had gone to get the camera he had pulled the van around at the insistence of the parking lot staff who made all of the cars clear out and wait until exactly 4:30 or so before they let anyone in.

We left the lot for the store down the road at which I attempted to phone my friend in New Hampshire to whom I tried to convince into coming, but he wasn't home. We then made our way back to the line of cars waiting to enter the lot and it quickly began to fill up after the gates were opened.

We immediately got out and began walking down the various rows of parked vehicles, drawing much attention to myself and meeting a lot of great people!! Unfortunately, I never did find a couple of people I had talked to on the internet. It seems that everyone there was looking for hallucinogenics, however nobody had any. I thought about it the next day and I am in no way whatsoever advocating this idea (I think it would really be a scumbag thing to do) but somebody could have got really rich by just selling some small scraps of paper.

After "making the rounds" to the best of our ability, we made our final mental preparation for the show and joined in with the massive herd at the front gates. I must say that I enjoyed the "thorough" body search given by the staff to everyone--it was kinda like a hug--how nice! I then made my way around the huge structure to my row where I was enthralled by the view!! I hadn't been this close before, so this was my best seat ever, though we later saw Tommy enter to his side of the stage on the floor and what a great seat he had!

Five minutes after finding our seats the ladies walked out on stage and I stood up to cheer the beginning of my final show. I remained standing and cheering until after the first few strains of "In the Flesh?" at which point a guy two rows behind me asked me to sit down. I thought for a second, "No, I'm trying to show Roger my respect by standing," but I then considered my previous show on the lawn at West Palm Beach and how the assholes in front of me wouldn't sit down. I complied with the guy's request--I guess it was for the best and it really didn't spoil how much I loved the show.

Of course, Roger kept with the same set for this show as with the rest. I was hoping maybe he'd change it around just for the last show or two, but I guess not. Nonetheless, it was a fantastic show and just before "Each Small Candle" I passed out all of my boxes of candles and instructed everyone to take one and pass it down. I then lit my candle and passed along the flame to everyone in my row. Unfortunately, the wind blew most everyone's out, but it was a nice effect from the stage, I'm sure.

I then watched as Roger exited the stage as the lights remained low and everyone pounded on their seatbacks to try and get the band to come back for one more, but not this night.

That was that. That was my last show. Just a memory now.

As we made our way out to the front exit I wanted to buy a program, but the booth was closed. I was then overtaken by a swarm of at least eight different people who wanted to take a picture with me. I then made my way back to the van and soon came along Tommy with the couple from Georgia we had met earlier (Chris and Kelly).

We sat and talked out in my van until the parking lot had cleared and the staff had come by to each car to ask everyone to leave. Chris and Kelly had decided after that night's show that they were thinking about driving up to Providence for the final show.

We said goodbye to our new friends and I tried to find my way back to I-95 only to go by some convoluted route. When we got to the interstate we stopped at a Waffle House. I climbed into the back and went to sleep. We all awoke at about 7:00 a.m. the next morning and Shell took over with his share of the driving back to Florida.

The rest of the ride home I periodically glanced down at my CD book and thought, "Roger fucking Waters!!" It was too much! I called my wife and told her the news and then called my buddy in New Hampshire: "Hey, Fuckface!" I told him (our pet name for each other), "You missed out BIG TIME!! King Ira got to meet Roger Waters and Roger Waters got to meet King Ira yesterday!! I got his autograph on my ITAOT CD book!!"

"No way!" was his response.

Yes way!!" I replied. He then rambled on about how he would have gone but... yada yada. Yes, Fuckface truly missed out and King Ira, above and beyond his expectation, had the time of his life!!!

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