In The Flesh
Tour Reviews

hmmmm....how do I say this?.... "I have seen the light! And his name is Roger Waters".

I almost want to say this was the best show I've ever seen....by anyone! That's hard to say because I've seen a lot of great shows, all great for different reasons. First of all, I can't think of a better place to see Roger than Darien Lake, NY. It was SO worth the eight hours of driving time (I'm going to see him later this week at the Baltimore Arena, and I don't see how he could top Darien). What a great venue!

Saturday was overcast & cloudy all day. My friend Todd (another die-hard fan) and I left the Super 8 at around three-thirty, strolled into the parking lot, and got our tickets from willcall within an hour. Wondering if we would get rained on, we hung out by the car and had a few brews.

So by the time we got into the venue, hit the restroom, & bought a T-shirt, it was seven-forty. At that time, something amazing happened. The sky broke. Clear. Sharp sunlight was enveloping the entire place, and this rainbow shot across the sky right above us. Soon thereafter, Roger & the band took the stage and rolled into a sweltering version of "In The Flesh!". Roger doesn't seem like the type of person who would like a rainbow, but he REALLY enjoyed playing at this place at this time!

They blew me away! I don't need to tell you the setlist, because you already know.

All I can say is: WOW!!!! "Mother" was beautiful as could be. "Southhampton Dock" was wonderfully played. "Pigs on the Wing" and "Dogs" was just about the sickest thing I've ever witnessed in my life. There was no low-point in the entire show. Set two was an excellent blend of Floyd & Waters' material. "Perfect Sense" & "Amused to Death" were my favorites. What am I saying? The WHOLE SHOW was my favorate.

The band was tight, Rogers' voice was perfect & clear, the environment was dank, the sound-system was top-notch...loud & clear. Wonderful use of speakers in the back of the lawn.

Go see one of these shows! NOW! Go! Do not miss this chance to see Roger in all his glory! His band is very worthy of complementing his songs... in every way.

This doesn't mean I don't like Gilmour & his Pink Floyd. But I will say this:

Roger, If you are reading this right now, I just want to thank you for a show I will never forget, and thank you for showing me "which one's Pink!"

You are the man. Thanks again.

-Andrew Luttrell
Baltimore, MD

by Jesse Hicks
(I noticed in some of the setlists, Breathe Reprise is listed. For this show, I'm pretty sure he went right into Money, but I could be wrong. Other than that, I believe that's a pretty accurate list.) [Note: This is disputed by others, who report that Breathe reprise was played.—ed.]

Wow, packed house! Not sure what the capacity at Darien Lake is, but it was packed pretty tight. There were no hotels or campsites available for about 30 miles, so Roger must have had a pretty nice turnout. It was a diverse crowd, with a mix of old Pink Floyd fans (the truly hardcore ones) and youngsters who played "New Floyd" in the parking lot.

I think the most stunning part of the concert was the energy, both from Roger and the audience. From the opening "Eins, Zwei, Drei!", the audience was on their feet. The light show was spectacular, with Roger on the raised stage, lit by a spotlight, and the stage lit with The Wall behind him.

Roger played acoustic guitar on several songs, like Mother. He looks like he has fun playing guitar, and seemed to really enjoy himself. Personally, I was afraid he'd been soured on public performance, but I think he really still loves it.

The place really rocked with Another Brick in the Wall, and the lighters were up and waving. This was probably the most recognized song.

Welcome to the Machine featured a metallic horned toad/gila monster type creature crawling into the foreground behind Roger. Very neat effect, and the sound of "the machine" really reverberated with the quad speaker setup.

Wish You Were Here featured a a echo effect on the rhythm guitar, which made it sound even more "twangy" for the intro. Very cool though, added another dimension to the song. A pic of Syd Barrett flashed briefly, and the crowd cheered.

The final song of the first set was Shine on You Crazy Diamond. Great guitar playing, which really did justice to the studio version, something I wasn't sure would be possible. Roger's voice is as good as ever, and really came through on this song. During the song, a collage of Syd Barrett pictures was displayed, provoking more cheers from the audience. At the end, a large reflecting circle rose out of the raised stage, and spund, reflecting several spotlights into about a thousand points of light on the audience. The song finished, and Roger said "We're going to take a twnety minute break and come back for another set."

Time also had an extended drum intro, which got the audience cheering again.

Powers That Be was great, a new version that was upbeat, kind of jazzy, and a real exercise for the backup singers. The lighting was great, with flashing green and red, and a flash of light accenting each time the backup singers hit the chorus. Really outstanding effect, overall.

The Amused to Death material seemed closest to Roger's heart, and he completely threw himself into the last few songs. It was great to see that kind of energy from him, and shows how much he loves his work.

Brain Damage was also "jazzed up" a bit, with a slightly different rhythm to it.

When Roger and the band left the stage, the crowd erupted. Lighters all came out, and I have never seen that many lighters in my life. The packed audience was filled with pinpoints of light.

Roger came out and said "In some of the interviews I've done recently, I talked about magic, the magic I used to have with my old band. That magic is really here tonight."

Then came Comfortably Numb, a prefect end to the night. As the song finished, Roger walked to the front of the stage and slightly nodded to the audience, saying "thank you". Finally he looked into the camera which broadcast his image to the crowd in the back of the theatre. Again he inclined his head, and mouthed "thank you." They finished, and the stage went dark.

by LotaSonata@aol.com
What a show at Darien Lake on August 14th! I've had the pleasure of seeing Rog at an amphitheater tent (Darien Lake), a theater hall (Wallingford, CT), and a stadium (Columbus). Each show was a unique experience—what differences! Roger of course put on an awesome show at each one, but as I had tickets right near the front of the stage at Darien, I had the best time there! I was lucky enough to buy them at cost from a fan who couldn't make it. I had to buy all three but had no problem selling the third ticket to a fan who turned out to be the perfect fan to give it to! A fan touched by Roger like we are.

The show started with a grand welcome from God. A HUGE rainbow graced the sky just before the show. And then, Roger took the stage, and 20,000 people went nuts! As Darien Lake is an amusement park, I expected a much younger, rowdier crowd and worried it would be a disruptive show. But it rocked! Roger had everyone standing and grooving the entire time! He was quite animated during the performance and it was WONDERFUL seeing his expressions and mannerisms so close.

The guitarists were just about flawless, and more fluid than at the CT show. Minor glitches hardly marred the show—Welcome to the Machine ended abruptly by a few seconds, making Roger looking around to see what the problem was. The guitars had developed some major feedback for a few moments. A few of the sound effects failed to materialize. But the energy of Roger, the band, and the crowd dominated! Dogs, the Powers That Be, What God Wants and Perfect Sense were especially intense, being powerful songs that got everyone singing and dancing! Roger was so passionate for most the performance, gesturing, closing his eyes while singing and pretending to play or sing when the spotlight was on someone else. By the way what a set of pipes the girls have! It was great to see them enjoying themselves.

After Shine On, Roger said "that of course was for Syd. And also for you!" Being so close to the stage, I tried to give something in return at this show. I thought it might be nice to give Roger some roses in appreciation for all he does -- something you wouldn't see at a Pink Floyd concert! The way the stage was set up (high with barriers) I would have to hand them to a venue security guard to hand to Roger (I didn't want to wing them on the stage since I didn't want to knock over a mic or cause some other annoyance).

When I got out the roses during the end of the second set, a security guard motioned me over. From what I'm told some of the band (Doyle, the girls) were watching this interaction. The guard said he wouldn't hand them over while Roger was on stage, but the manager would make sure he got them. Sure enough squatting in the corner of the stage was some guy motioning me to hand them over, so I did. I could see the guy take the roses and head towards Roger as he headed off the stage.

I had written a short but hopefully meaningful note with a variation of the Amused to Death cover on the front. I assume he got everything but will never know his reaction, and I doubt he'd been told which girl in the front gave them. I'm glad I did it, but at the same time feel pretty disappointed (read: miserable) I failed to "connect" during the only opportunity I'll ever have.

He came back out to great fanfare and a sea of 20,000 holding up their cigarette lighters. He said what an amazing sight that was! He said "I don't know what to say," "I'm moved," and "I'm speechless." He said his "magic" line again and that the connection "means a lot to me." Then came an awesome rendition of Comfortably Numb!

Then it was time to get ready to see Roger again the next day at Columbus!

by Vermin
Darien Lake is the perfect place for a much anticipated show such as RW. Riding rollercoasters all day and then seeing a legend outside is a great combination. Very chill scene outside, plenty of partying. Excitement was abundant as the show began with the crowd roaring before any music was played. In the flesh opened and after the verse "there's one smoking a joint" the crowd was so loud that Roger laughed and messed up the next verse. Another Brick In the Wall played together was a welcome treat. The show proceded according to all the others with the highlights at this venue being Another Brick In the Wall, Shine on, Breathe, Time, and all his Amused to Death material. The playing was very refined and it had to be a treat for his guitarist to sing so many classic Floyd tunes. Roger's voice was on and he seemed to have plenty of fun. He seemed most pleased at the response to his Amused To Death songs and thanked the fans for rekindling the magic from the early days with "that other band." All in all this concert is a must see for anyone who's ever liked Pink Floyd. I'll thank Roger for playing venues that let you feel the energy that the musicians pour out for us fans who've waited 13 years (some of us a lifetime).

by reg Pettinato
Having gone to the Montage Mountain show the night before I had a good idea what to expect. The show is very scaled down compared to other Roger or Floyd shows. The reflective gauze is pretty weak if you ask me and it didn't seem tight and had crinkles which didn't look good. The worst part of all was the "diamond" they used during Shine On You Crazy Diamond. It looked like a Christmas tree ornament.

All that being said, the show was amazing. Like Montage, the volume wasn't that high for a rock show. The set list was the same and Roger didn't talk much. Jon Carin absolutely rocked on keys, acoustic guitar and slide guitar. In my opinion he should have been the one handling all of Dave's vocals. Doyle was fine, but Carin is the main man. The show was low key, but the most interesting aspect of the show was the solo material. The night before people were screaming for his big Floyd hits, while Roger was doing his solo stuff. On this night he won the crowd over. People sang along with What God Wants. BUT it was Perfect Sense II that the people loved. PP Arnold kicked some ass on vocals and the whole crowd sang along. Roger obviously loved it and the crowd discovered a great song which was probably new to all of them. The rest of the show was the same and very very good. Roger has a great presence on stage. He said the fans reaction meant a lot to him and he hoped we liked it. All around a great show, but the Montage show will forever be entrenched in my brain. Roger is the man, but I can not rate his efforts ahead of a Roger-less Floyd show. I would rather see him solo than any member of the band, but seeing Floyd in '94 is still my favorite concert followed closely by Rog's In the Flesh Tour. On a side note, I love those old guys wearing there, "Oh by the way....(front) ...which one is Pink? (back) shirts. I'd kill for one of those!

by Jeffrey P. Johnson
The show at Darien Lake was mixed. There were many more people there than I expected. I had two extra tickets I had purchase for friend that went to St. Martian instead so I went to the box office area first. Most of the people at the box office were young and didn't see the value in being 20 rows back for $55/ea rather than on the lawn for $20/ea, so it took me a couple minutes to sell the tickets. I ended up selling both tickets for $80 losing $30. Anyway, that done, I went to the gate. This is where a whole bunch of security was frisking the crowd. And I mean FRISKING. I was made to "empty my pockets". Maybe it's because I haven't been to many shows lately and I'm not use to that, but I was very annoyed indeed at this invasion of my privacy. I said something like, "Yeah, I guess I could have a gun in my pocket". To which security replied that he just caught someone with weed a minute ago. "Good for you, keep up the good work," I said as I passed through. Nazis.

The show started at 8 sharp. Roger was excellent. The light show was rather sparse, but the music was what I came for. I have read other reviews that said the guitars had a bluesky feel. That is true. Roger needs to get someone of the caliber of Jeff Beck or Eric Clapton if he wants to match the sound Gilmour gives the guitar. That said, the show was fantastic. I have listened to him for years and it was a pleasure to finally see him in person. He seemed to be having a jolly time. The set list was the same as previous show with the exception of the encore. I love the music off Dark Side of the Moon, but I would have traded hearing that again (I've seen Gilmours' band do that material twice) for some more off Amused To Death or Pros and Cons of HitchHiking. Roger seemed to really be into the stuff off Amused To Death more than he was say Money or Time. Anyway, it was a grand show. I recommend anyone who has a chance to see him, do so soon.

by Airfloyd23@aol.com
This was a night that had been anticipated for many years. To actually see and hear Roger Waters "In the Flesh". I have been a Floyd/Waters fan for many years and never fathomed the idea that I would get this chance. I am truly grateful for this experience.

The jitters really started about 3:00pm , an hour before we left for Darien Lake. Of course my chronically late friend Jason was about 40 minutes late getting to my apartment. Disappointed I was. The parking lot atmosphere resembled that of a Phish show rather than that of an emotionally and lyrically stimulating music performance. The crowd was rather young which also surprised me. All was well as there were people ranging in age from 18-60, not to mention some very beautiful women. At 7:30 after ample cultural osmosis I entered the concert area and mentally prepared myself for the 3 hours that awaited. I went to this show with six of my friends. We sat in different sections. My cohort for the eve was Mark, a rather extravagant third year medical student who had no idea what lay in store. Roger started at about 8:10pm and rocked the audience with In The Flesh. The sound of this show was tremendous to say the least. I was really glad to hear Mother as well as Southhampton Dock, but the light of the first set had to be Dogs, all 20 minutes of it. Everything down to the sound effects was right on the money. before I could blink, Shine On was ending as well as the first set. We met up with some friends at halftime and exchanged pleasantries as we all were in shock as to how good he was.

The heartbeat from Darkside started the second coming of this magical journey as Breathe, Time>Breathe bellow through the crowd and the piano tease for Great Gig leaves you wanting more. His solo stuff was equally great. 5:06am was one of the highlights for me. I love that song, and Roger sang it with unwavering precision. The Powers That Be is better live than on KAOS. The Amused To Death stuff almost brought tears to my eyes . Perfect Sense really fired up the crowd which was unexpected but looked upon favorably. He ended the set with Eclipse and Brain Damage. His encore was Comfortably Numb and to my surprise, good old Roger came on stage with a guitar, not a bass. I thought the song would suffer from lack of Gilmour, but the two leads make up for it nicely. The night was over and now it was time for souvlaki. Pano's was the restaurant of choice. This was the feather in my cap for concert experiences.

by Deborah Berk
Before the show the weather was looking very grey with a good chance of rain to soak the lawn seat crowd. But at about show time the sun broke though the clouds and we were treated to full arc rainbow (a nice psychedelic start). The show followed the same set list as the previous shows and you could tell some of the material was maybe becoming lackluster from repetition. The highlight of the 1st set was Dogs (which used the speakers set up around the venue quite nicely) there seemed to be dogs howling and barking all around Darien. Dogs was played very well and was really the only floyd composition were the other Floyds were not missed at all. It all makes perfect sense was not only the highlight of the set 2 but of the whole show. Waters really became passionate while singing this song throwing his arms out at the end. The only other song that was so dramatically portrayed was the In the Flesh opener. Snowy White's solos were very nice though out the show and were less derivative of Gilmour than the other guitar player (who did do a nice job of getting Gilmours parts correct on his left-handed red stratocaster). Snowy played a paul reed smith guitar and really should have gotten more chances to play than he did. Also on a side note I was surprised to see so many Deadheads at the show.

by mdu
I'm not much of a critic, but overall it was an awesome show. It was an outdoor show, the weather wasn't to good that day. To everyones delight, about ten minutes before the show started, the sun came out low on the horizon sending shafts of sunlight across the field forming a full rainbow on the other side of the field.

The music was crystal clear and Roger was in perfect form, except when he broke into laughter after the crowd went nuts during In The Flesh. It was great to see a mixed crowd of people from young to old having a great time.