In The Flesh 2000
Tour Reviews

From: Ron (Toon) Fleischer
Last night was Roger's gig at the World Theater in Tinley Park, about 20+ miles south of Chicago. One of my least favorite venues in this town (due to bad traffic, poor sound and sightlines, and a gestapo-mentality security), the old World certainly lived up to it's reputation.

The sound ranged from pretty good (if you were lucky enough to be sitting close to the center of the venue), to "muddy" (depending on how far off to the sides you were). Even the surround sound effects were pretty lame from the center sections, and I heard that they were pretty annoying in other areas.

Before the show started, we handed out REG flyers out front (and surprisingly were not hassled) and ran into several members of Echoes (John R, Eskimospy, Keith, Sean Z, Mark amongst many others....nice to see all those Harvested Ts!), REG and some old Floyd fans in general. It was also good to see that many of the veteran tapers were smiling ear to ear as everyone seemed to get thrugh security without a problem ; )

I got a tip that additional tickets were released the night before the show and was lucky enough to buy 25th row dead center seats, getting rid of the ones originally purchased (which were pretty far back). A few other people sitting next to me took advantage of this opportunity as well....right Sean?)

The show started about 15 minutes late. I've seen Rog 5 times so far during the past 2 tours and this was the first time I saw him start late. Although the show started when it was still pretty light out, the screen images showed up pretty well due to the fact that they were set back pretty far into the stage and the sides were covered with a black canvas. Even after all these shows, the projectionists still had trouble with the slide registrations and struggled througout the show to keep them alligned properly, constantly making adjustmnents. Instead of rehashing all of the details of the entire show, I'll just skim through some of the highs and lows and try to recall what has been changed.....

Roger stormed his way through the opening number, In The Flesh, with great ferocity, verbally assaulting the crowd ("Yes YOU sir!") and then went into Brick 2. Roger has become much more animated during this song as he paced to both far ends of the stage encouraging the crowd to sing along (which we all did of course) and overemphasizing his rock-star-playing-a-bass choreography as he whipped the neck high into the air to accent the right notes. He seemed to be having a great time : )

During the 99 leg, he played The Thin Ice and Brick 1, two really good songs, but they did not work well out of context of the Wall LP. In fact, they seemed to feel more like "filler" material, something that always aggrevated me, as I wanted to hear as much as a diversified set as possible. Glad you dropped 'em Rog!!!

He went right into Mother, a pretty standard rendition, with Katie picking up "Mama's" vocal section. The visuals on the 2000 leg have changed and now display the original Mother inflatable from the 1980-81 tour, floating from the distance, towards us, on a beautiful star filled night sky (which was the main backdrop used throughout the show), A shooting star (or comet) is also new, crossing the screen and passing behind "Mother."

The Final Cut numbers (Get Your Filthy Hands Off My Desert and Southampton Dock) have really improved during this leg! No longer does Roger face the crowd alone with just voice and guitar, a usual stopping point for Roger to try and settle the crowd. After the missle roars overhead and explodes, Jon carin now plays the string part from the LP (and very precisely I might add) and accomanpies him throughout the piece. Great touch!!! It's also fun to watch Doyle, at the end of the song, trying to match Roger's final guitar plucks : ) For one of the 1st times, I actually wished he played at least one more song from that LP and dropped another from this opening set (which I'll get to in a bit).

Next up was Pigs on the Wing. A new twist to this song now finds Andy Wallace accompanying Roger on organ (much like the sound of the 77 tour). A nice subtle surprise!

Dogs has always been a highlight for me and this peformance was no exception. Carin anchors this song and seems to be really getting into the vocals and guitar playing as he very passionately begins this number. The harmonizing guitars of Doyle and Snowy are some of the sweetest sounds my ears have ever heard as these guys are really in tune with each other. The band, in general, is so much better than last year. Don't forget that last year Snowy was brought in just days before the tour was about to start. This is now a well seasoned band of extremely talented musicians.

Doyle's leads during Dogs are now even more impressive. He had commented last year that this was the hardest song for him to learn. It seems that he has Gilmour's solos down pat now and has taken it a step further by injecting his own style of playing into the piece. I'd much rather see things done this way, with both guitarists learning Dave's solos, and then adding their own personal signatures to the piece, rather than trying to fill the shoes that can only be filled by one man.

During the long spacey bridge, the surround sound effects really didn't come off as well as the other venues that I have been to, and they should have, especially from the central location from where I was sitting. The rest of the boys in the band (besides Jon and Andy) retreated for a game of Trumps, and now are sitting at an offical poker table! 3 bar stools and cocktails are brought out for the girls to watch the action, and when the band returns to finish the song, I noticed that Andy F L remained to tally up the points (boy....does he look like an accountant ; )

I also noticed something in the visuals during Dogs that might be new. As the backdrop of the cityscape (that was 1st used in the 1990 Berlin show) pans across the screen, there is a section that displays a window in which you can see Roger standing in the "hotel room" that was created for the show. This song was followed by a deafening response from the crowd.

Next up is Welcome to the Machine. This is the only song that I would like to see dropped from the 1st set. Roger has already done this on his previous tours and so has the Floyd. It doesn't gain anything in it's live incarnation and actually does not hold up to the sonically superior original version. I am also not a big fan of the way this song concludes as it just seems to peeter out.

Wish You Were Here was a great crowd pleaser as everyone sang along.

Shine On has really developed well with this band and seems to have a life of it's own. It's especially impresive to watch Doyle and Snowy recreate Dave's guitar parts on this one. One thing that caught my attention was how they played off each other during part 2. This is when Snowy plays Dave's famous 4 notes and Doyle chimes in with his "accent" chords. I noticed that the way Doyle accomplished this gutier sound was by strumming the chord a beat before it should be heard, and then quickly twisting up the volume knob, softening the attack of these chords.

After Jon's slide guitar solo ends (following the vocal section) the guitarists get to open up and jam out a bit here. This is always a great part of the show, but I've seen them do a better job in the past. The song ends with Carin echoing some of the opening keyboards from Part 1 of the song, something I never really understood (why doesn't Roger have him play some of the original FINAL keyboard section to close this one?). Regardless, the crowd showered them with the loudest and LONGEST ovation that I have heard so far. In fact, Roger seemed to be genuinely moved by this response, and decided to give up on his "thank yous" and instead just hugged his chest soaking in the applause. Even those who were way back on the lawn could see his sincere facial expression on the giant screens that flanked the venue. It really looked like he was pretty choked up as the applause literally went on for minutes on end. He finally announced that, "That, of course, was for Syd," and that the band would return after a brief intermission.

The 2nd set now opens with Set The Controls... I like this version much better then the one performed on his previous tours! It stays a bit truer to the original and is not "jazzed up" as much. I especially like Graham's touch in the beginning as he uses his padded drum sticks to create that "tympani-like" sound. The local woodwind player did an admirable job playing soprano sax, but nothing comes close to the WPB gig so far. The song REALLY heats up with a great solo from Snowy which follows.

The visuals for this song are a real treat. Still frames from the original Arnold Layne and Scarecrow videos are projected onto the backdrop and I especially liked the shots of a young Roger falling back onto a field of tall grass. Some new visuals have also been added to this song on this tour as there are now images of some Marvel Comics super heroes like Silver Surfer and Thor (shades of Dr Strange, hmmm?). These are also accompanied by the returning lquid slide show which is superimposed over these images. I also noticed the shot of the 4 band members that is seen on the cover of ASOS, but the REAL surpise was the final image used. This image was from the cover of the 1974 comic book tour program, and I wonder how many people actually caught this gem?

The DSOTM set follows. Breathe and Time are great songs, but these are the numbers the suffer the most from Gilmour's absence. The new highlight for me though was Graham's drumming intro. No longer is this a laid back recreation of Nick's original, but is now a solo that builds to a furious climax, as Broad hammers away like a man possessed.

Surprisingly, Dave's absence was much less missed on Money. Andy wins the "best-non-Gilmourain-guitar-contribution" to this song ever as he slices through a guitar solo that could cut glass! This man attacks his guitar with an intense passion that I have not seen before.

Every Stranger's Eyes is my favorite song from the Pros and Cons LP, and I'm glad that Roger still plays it, dispite the one verse that is lip synced. This used to be a distraction, but I've finally been able to put that behind me and enjoy the song for the great piece it is.

The Powers That Be was dropped from this leg of the tour (THANK YOU!), but unfortunately there was no song played to represent KAOS at all : (

What God Wants was also dropped (I can live with that decision too), and the ATD set now starts off with Perfect Sense Pt 1. Some people have had a problem with this segue, but it seems to work fine by me.

Roger once again has a lot of fun with this song, especially during Pt 2 where he mimes being the submarine captain looking through the periscope and later urging on the crowd, arms spread wide.

The Bravery Of being Out Of Range was added to the 2000 leg of the tour. I always loved this song, great verses, great lyrics, but the middle instrumental bridge always seemed to lack something (a sax solo?). The same is true of the new live version as the slow paced bridge and underplayed solo by Snowy just seem to slow the momentum of this number down. A few bursts of inspiration by Graham (one of the most underrated members of this band), brought this bridge section up a few notches. I'm still glad that this song was added to the set, which feartures projections of guys sitting in a bar watching the TV sets (which later on into the song shows images from the Gulf War).

The ATD set closes once again with It's A Miracle (sans handshake), and the title track. 2 great songs in which I especially love Snowy and Doyle's contributions to the endings of each.

Roger didn't miss a beat last night and went directly into Brain Damage. There was hardly any applause after ATD concluded, and this is what might have prompted this hastey start. Usually Roger pauses to thank the crowd, but I guess there was nothing to thank them for last night. At least Brain Damage/Eclipse seemed to wake them up.

Roger gave the usual "magic is back" speech and went right into Comfortable Numb. The solos by Doyle and Snowy have really come far since opening night last year as these two seem to be playing more in tune with each other (rather than one upsmanship). I especially love the conclusion of their dueling solos where they duet in harmony to conclude the piece! I miss Gilmour, but not that much, and that's a big surprise for me, especially on this number!

For the encore, Roger now plays Each Small Candle, which he debuted at the end of the last tour. This song has really blossomed and has now extended into opus proportions. Roger does a very smart thing by projecting the lyrics to this song on the screen so people will instantly become familiar with unfamiliar material. I am still torn between whether Roger should end the show with this song (which haunts you long after the show is over...which might be his intention) or end with Comfortably Numb (with ESC being played BEFORE it) on a higher note.

In any case, it was a great time! The crowd was ill behaved, but not as bad as usual. We had to stand for almost the entire time, and it looked like the place was pretty filled up. Even the lawn section was pretty packed and I noticed that most people had taken their seats before the show started. I can't wait for the DVD and CDs to come out from this tour. I sure hope that they don't cut anything out! I have a feeling that the video from this tour will get a lot more replay than the one's released by Roger's "former band," as he used to put it. Oh yeah...that reminds me of something. In shows past, Roger has always refered to Pink Floyd this way when giving his "the magic is back" speech...as his "former band." During last night's show he uttered THE name....PINK FLOYD for the 1st time in all the shows that I have seen and heard from this tour and last.

Ah....the tide is turning : )

From: Mike Feeney
Per Ron's Review above: "The sound ranged from pretty good (if you were lucky enough to be sitting close to the center of the venue), to "muddy" (depending on how far off to the sides you were). Even the surround sound effects were pretty lame from the center sections, and I heard that they were pretty annoying in other areas."

Interestingly... a friend of mine saw the Floyd show in Indianapolis in '94 (as did I, but from different seats). he was seated directly above the rear bank of speakers, at the back of the Dome. In other words, very CLOSE to that bank of speakers. He said that the sound of the cash register door closing was so painfully loud that he still cringes when he hears those sound effects... so depending on where you're sitting, the quad effects are either really cool or really annoying... =)

   ___,_          http://mikefeeney.cjb.net
@/    -Oo_
(  )__( ,_@,    .\\_i k e             Acoustic
 }/   }\          |- e e n e y           Whatnot
 ""   ""                                  Downstairs
 

From: eugenics@webtv.net
This was definitely the best concert I have ever or will hope to ever see. It was put together very well, and included a nice mix of floyd and solo stuff.

The only complaints I have are with the crowd. First of all I seemed to be the only person who actually wanted to listen to everything. Most of the people seemed to be there to get high and make noise. Also there was some jerks shining laser-pens at the stage and Roger and Doyle were starting to get pissed off. I hope he doesn't skip Chicago next time, but I wouldn't blame him if he did.

From: Scott A. Weinstein
Having seen Roger five times in the past, this show didn't lose a beat. The crowd was incredibly enthusiastic, especially during Perfect Sense. Roger was very touched by the enthusiastic ovation he received at the end of the first set and thanked the crowd. The band was just fantastic and we all know "which one is Pink!!" As people before have noted, the sound quality was better than any concert I have ever been to. Thank you Roger for touring again and re-connecting with your fans!

From: Vic Grig (Grigaliunas)
A very entertaining show, beautiful sound quality (my wife and I were in row 4 just right of center) the surround sound during "dogs" and during rog's solo stuff was as if I was in my living room. I vastly underrated the turnout. The pavillion was sold out and the lawn area was 80% full. (Which would put the very enthusiastic crowd at over 20,000!).

I would however love to thank the 2 people behind us for yelling yeaaaaaa!!!! And whooooo!!!! At every possible chance they could to try and destroy the ambiance that Roger was trying to create.(Much to the dismay of the couple next to them who apparently paid 600.00 For their 2 seats). Set list was the same as previous shows-the opening barrage of in the flesh?,Another brick, and mother put the crowd into a frenzy. The 2nd set of mostly soloRog put the crowd (the true fans, anyway) into a very intimate setting as if Roger was in a 900-seat theatre. By Roger's body and facial expressions the old stuff seemed a little more stale and harder for Roger to get up for, but his solo material was played with eyes closed and emotion from the heart.

Casual floyd fans will get their share of hits especially in set 1. The true Roger Waters fans, and true music fans will be mesmerized by his 2nd set of music that put the rowdies into their seats and shut the drunken loudmouths up.

From: Latehometonight@aol.com
Hi all,
First of all, thanks to all who support Reg. Great website. I'm a bit late in my review for Chicago, but was Late Home Tonight once again.

Excellent show. Our seats sucked, though! Had about 30th row, but they were so far off to stage right that we couldn't see but 1/2 the stage. Waited in line for 2 hrs, only to be kicked in the butt by the Ticketmaster lottery :(

Anyway, we moved to the front center of the lawn for the first set. Got all the good visuals and the sound was very good for the lawn. It helped that there was a rear channel set up at the top of the lawn.

Start of 2nd set, went to my seat and used all the confusion of people rushing to their seats after the break to get down front. Got within 10th row for the 2nd set. Big apology to all that I spilled beer on. Had to do some jukin' and jivin' to get past all the gestapo!

Setlist was the same as the previous shows on this leg. I saw Roger twice last year, in Chicago and in Grand Rapids. I think the sound was best in Chicago '99, stage show was better in Grand Rapids, but overall, everything was much tighter this year. "Dogs" was again the highlight of the show for me, followed very closely by "Amused to Death". "Set the Controls" was a much better 'Get your ass back in your space' start of the 2nd set than last years 'Breathe'.

Roger looked to be enjoying the response, but did look a bit overwhelmed when he tried to speak and had to stop due to the applause. The morons with the laser pointers on the back drop didn't help! This was probably due to the abundance of youngsters there who weren't even born when Roger left the Floyd. I really didn't mind all the kids though. It's good to see that not all of them are into the usual "pop" crap, but are carrying the torch to the next generation.

From: Mike
It is the year 2000. Roger Waters plays both Pink Floyd tunes and his solo stuff with an emphasis on Amused to Death. Good Stuff, especially the back-up chick singers, particularly the black chick in the middle on the solo stuff -- can't feel more soul than what she had to offer.

I dig the way Roger and company simulate a poker game complete with Johnny Walker Red while the same back-up chick singers take their place on a beat sofa, stage front.

Roger is mad, you know. No, not mad nuts, you know. But mad genius. I'm convinced of it. He's a good dude. But mad just the same.

The most disappointing thing about this whole show was the crowd. Sitting in dead center 7th row, I felt compelled to stand and shout through the entire show.

I felt like a sheep when everyone around me felt obligated to sit down and fold their hands and be quiet like good little school kids. This cat in back of me insisted I sit down. He won the battle only because EVERY ONE was seated. Because of him, I lost my beer buzz and the slight pot-buzz for at least the next four tunes after that. What I could not understand and still can't -- is how can anyone can SIT with seats in the seventh row! Everyone was sitting from the front row back -- and, I'm sorry, but this makes no sense to me -- I think fans ought to stand through out the whole show, especially when they're in they 20th row or closer!!! How can you not groove to Pink Floyd guitar ensembles?

Roger Water's tribute tune to the political prisoner in Albania hit home. As a founding member of Amnesty International in Syracuse, NY, I feel compelled to groove on AI now that I'm living in Chigagoland, especially because the Death Penalty has become so predominant in the media these days.

Fuck all that we've got to get over these....

From: Peter Eckhoff
After seeing the show in Minneapolis on Thursday - I flew down to Chicago with great anticipation. Fortunately I had 15th row very center - after hearing that the effects were troublesome elsewhere. I must agree with other reviewers, that this croud was much lamer than the croud in Minneapolis, or even Milwaulkee last year. I stood for the entire show, but was surrounded by a sea of spaced out mellow fans during the ATD portions of the show, as well as during Every Strangers Eyes - What the %$#@. Oh well - I guess I was surrounded by many who had no clue about Rogers solo career.

From: Neil Pitman
I most definitely got my money's worth at this show!!! Being a fairly young fan, this was my first chance to see Waters and he did not let me down in the least.

From where my friends and I sat (sec. 203) the sound was pretty decent, although it was hard to hear Roger when he was speaking, as many others have noted. The surround sound was not as effective as I had hoped, sometimes even harsh and annoying. This venue is not a prime place to see a concert IMO, especially if you are paying to see someone truly amazing like Waters.

The crowd was pretty bad, I know some of you can echo the sentiments that some of these lame concert goers did not deserve to be at that show. One guy in our row went for a beer and bathroom break during "Comfortably Numb", practically missing the whole song. What a waste of $60, somebody who actually cares about witnessing creative genius should have had his seat.

Also, I'll echo Cal's comments about talking on a cell phone during a show. Come on. This was the most active security I have ever seen at a concert, and definitely a downside to this venue. We saw several people being escorted out during the first song. Lame!

However, I don't mean to complain too much. I definitely did not let anything ruin this concert experience for me. The set list was awesome, there were so many highlights. Personally, I thought "Perfect Sense" was the best moment of the night, although it is not fair to just pick one. I was very pleased with the band, they seemed well polished and both guitar players were awesome. I consider myself very fortunate to have seen perhaps the most brilliant mind in all of rock in roll in the flesh. Many thanks to Roger Waters, his wonderful band, and all the real fans (you know who you are) for a fantastic evening. I just hope I will have the opportunity to see Roger play again...

From: Jeff Holbrooks

WATER'S...Or Pink Floyd without the Band?

Roger Water's "In the Flesh" tour was scheduled to start at 8:00 that evening, with no opening band. As I stood in the beer line (to pay $8.00 for a 24 oz. Beer), the main theater speakers announced that Roger Water's would be taken the stage at precisely 8:00. I quickly located my wife and headed up to the lawn to find an open spot to throw down our blanket.

As with other classic bands that have withstood the test of time like the Rolling Stones, and The Who, the age gender of the audience varied. The couple that was next to my wife were definitely in there 50's, whereas the group next to me, looked like they were still in high school. The sun was starting to sink when at approximately 8:10, the sounds of "In the Flesh Part II" (The Wall) echoed out of the stage speakers to the delight of all Pink Floyd fans. The verse of "...Pink isn't well, he stayed back at the hotel, And they sent us along as a surrogate band, we're gonna find out where you fans really stand..." started the adrenaline of everyone screaming and cheering for the resurrection of Pink Floyd's ex-lead singer, to be revived.

Now with the crowd all on their feet, Waters continued his show with another classic, "Mother" (The Wall). With every sound coming out perfect, just as if someone was playing the CD. At 59, Waters showed the crowd that his talent and charisma was still intact. His vocals were that of a young Waters, when he was still with Pink Floyd.

Water's continued to pump out classic Floyd tunes touching on some of the more famous tunes (Money, Wish You Were Here, Pigs on a Wing, The Final Cut). He then reminded the audience of some of his earlier songs, then started "Astronomy Domine" (Piper at the Gates of Dawn). And keeping to the true Pink Floyd theatrics had the oil and water projection screen behind the band giving it a true early 70's Pink Floyd feel.

The show continued for and hour and half with all Pink Floyd tunes. Then Waters announced a small show break that was for 20 minutes (just enough time to utilize the 130-degree public washrooms). I figured the theme of the remaining part of the show would focus on Waters solo albums (Pro's & Con's of Hitch Hiking, Radio K.A.O.S, & Amused to Death). I was amazed to here Waters start the second half of the show with yet another Floyd Classic, Brain Damage (Dark Side of the Moon).

Waters finally got to some of his solo years tracks singing "Perfect Sense II" and "Amused to Death" from the Amused to Death Album, 92'. And then got into a couple songs from the "Pro's and Con's of Hitch Hiking" Album. 82'.

With the show nearing it's third hour, Roger then gifted the audience with probably one of the most recognized Pink Floyd songs recorded, "Comfortably Numb". Showing the audience, that just like Pink Floyds current lead guitarist, David Gilmour, he too can play electric guitar. And play he did. With him taking the solo, I stood there closing my eyes and pictured Waters, Gilmore, Mason, and Wright all together again.

The sound was phenomenal, and the audience was definitely into it. To me, being a Floyd fan for 25 years, I can assure all Floyd fans that missed this show, that minus the three other members of the Pink Floyd band, this was the closest thing possible to a Pink Floyd concert. I guess the only thing that could have topped the night for me, was to hear Waters announce the re-union of all members (including Syd Barrett) then have the them walk out on stage. Knowing the likelihood of this ever happening is extremely grim, I was truly satisfied with the opportunity to see such an amazing man show artist of today, that reaching 50 or even 60 does not mean the end of a career. Filling up venues the size of The New World theater is not a feat for just anyone, let alone an artist who has been releasing music since the sixties.

My review of the show would then have to be a perfect 5 stars out of 5 ( * * * * *)

National Association of FanClubs