The band needs to work on "Wish You Were Here", can't seem to get the beginning down. But that's the beauty of seein' a live show. Ending was nice..... How I wish.... How I wish YOU were, heeere. (Those that were there, know how it went!)
"Welcome to the Machine" and "Shine On", awesome! This "Shine On" may have not been as much as a visual production as on the "Division Bell" tour but it played and sounded a lot better.
Some folks got bored during the numbers from ATD. Too bad for them, it's a real good CD. People were leaving early too, to beat the traffic. Boy I just don't get it (leaving early from a concert event like this).
Fans in Florida were more "up" for the show than Texas. They knew more of the solo material.
Rog brought along an exceptional group of musicians w/ him. Doyle rocked! Jon Carin, what a talented guy! Good to see him there. Played intro to "Dogs" on acoustic, then kicked ass on keyboards.
Drumming a little off on "Time", but still quite a treat. "Perfect Sense"
is
Numbers hoping to see on a future tour: "One of These Days", "Sheep" &
"Echoes". Boy that would be GREAT!
Maybe Rog and the Floyd may not get back together, but what about Rog &
Syd Two bands touring as "Pink Floyd"!
This fan of both Rog solo and the Floyd says, "See this show and get Rog's
solo CDs", especially "Amused to Death"!
From: David Wachenschwanz
I won't go into the set lists, as the Houston venue was the same as the
others.
But suffice to say Roger Waters is a great entertainer and musician. With
Snowy White, Andy Fairweather Low and Doyle Bramhall II (a Texas boy and
former member of the "Fabulous Thunderbirds"), no one missed David Gilmour.
The outdoor sound was excellent. Its exactly as a Pink Floyd fan would
expect.
Its difficult to put into words the emotion this concert generated within
the audience. Hardly am I moved to tears by music, but I admittedly teared
up on "Mother" and "It Makes Perfect Sense."
There is no introduction. The band simply walks on to the stage and takes
its place.
Without fanfare, Roger Waters ascends a stairway to an elevated stage, above
the band.
Roger Waters needs no introduction. The crowd stands up and cheers the
brains behind "Pink Floyd." He is there, in the flesh and its almost like a
dream: this lone figure, tall and thin and smartly dressed in black and
gray.
Waters is very unassuming, but the crowd treats him as if he were a god. In
fact, he is. If God created the heavens and the Earth, Roger Waters gave
life to Pink Floyd.
Its magical. Its emotionally charged and its one concert I didn't mind
standing up for. In fact, with such energy as Waters produces, its hard to
stay in your seat.
I hope I get to see him again. It was a night to remember.
From: Ralph Harden Jr.
From: Justin Case
I must also apologize, Roger, on behalf of the fans who just don't get it.
What's the matter with you people Here, in the flesh as they say, is the author
of the five most profound syllables of the past several millenia -- What God
Wants God Gets -- and you have to spend the entire concert screaming all over
his beautiful music. I mean, isn't this the stuff you came to HEAR Sure, an
enthusiastic welcome is appropriate for a man we haven't seen in far too long,
but then, why can't you SIT DOWN, SHUT UP, and LISTEN TO THE MUSIC
After all, you wouldn't stand up on a chair, wave your T-shirt around your head,
and holler at the movies would you Or during a play or opera At the symphony
And no, "Comfortably Numb" is not a slow-dance tune celebrating your intoxicated
state. Roger is trying to discuss some serious topics. You sound downright
ridiculous when he sings "Mother do you think they'll drop the bomb" and you
respond "YEAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!"
So I have to say the night would have been a lot better without some of the
fans. But setting that aside, it was a fantastic show. Roger's dedication to
sonic perfection was evident throughout. It was a delight on so many of the
songs to hear every note and inflection from the original recordings precisely
replicated in a live performance. How many shows measure up to that It was just
like listening to the CD, except, as the guy in the next row said, "I play it
louder than this in my van!"
One has to feel some sympathy for the musicians, confined to playing riffs that
express someone else's creativity, but they did an admirable job and after all,
who among us would not jump at the chance to call up that old magic once again
if we had the ability
Some notes on the play list...
"Another Brick in the Wall part 2" was preceeded by "The Happiest Days of our
Lives", though I can see how previous reviewers may have considered them one
song. Instead of what must be one of the century's most imitated guitar solos,
that portion of Brick was tackled first by one guitarist and then by another.
I have not understood why others rave so much about "Dogs". Sure, it's a fine
song, but I just didn't see what all the fuss was about -- until I heard it
live. The surround sound was great, making this one a lot of fun. The
helicopter, earlier, was an excellent effect as well.
The "disco ball" during "Shine on" is more of a flat disc than a ball, with
starlike spines radiating from the center, all covered with mirrors. It slowly
spun down and stopped with one of the beams catching me right in the chest.
Aside from this, the show was not so big on the props this time as what I recall
from Radio KAOS. In a way this seemed to make Roger closer and more human. He
made a lot of eye contact throughout the evening, and shook some hands during
"Its a Miracle".
During parts of the show, a spotlight from behind the band projected a giant
shadow of someone's head on the ceiling. I noticed this person was constantly in
motion, and tried to figure out who it was. Soon it became apparent that it was
the drummer, and from all that moving around he must have been the hardest
working member of the band. His skill was evident throughout, but especially
during the introduction to "Time" which was flawless.
The audience sang along (when they weren't screaming) with many of the better
known songs, especially those from Dark Side and The Wall. One got the
impression that this crowd didn't know Roger's solo work as well. Nevertheless,
at the end Roger remarked that he felt that connection from us that he used to
miss in the days of the big stadium shows. So maybe the screaming didn't seem
rude to him, or maybe he's just learned to tolerate it.
Anyway, if you haven't decided yet whether to catch this tour, I would say,
don't miss it. Minus a 20 minute intermission, it was a good three hours of
solid Roger Waters classics and recent material. And while you're there, be sure
to pick up a program. It has lots of great photos and an interview with Roger
where he hints at what may be in store, depending at least in part on the
support he gets from us his fans. Roger, the Broadway idea is a good one. As I
said above, the audience probably won't shout you down in a proper theatre. I'd
give most anything to see The Wall live.
And Roger, if you're still reading, I hope you won't have to make me wait
another 12 years to see you again. You say you prefer interacting with a
smaller, more intimate audience that really appreciates your message. Perhaps
there's a way to do that. I know how you feel about "market forces" (still,
they're not as bad as "bullet forces", wouldn't you agree) but if you played to
a smaller audience with a higher ticket price, that price would serve as a
filter so that those who were more familiar with your work might be more likely
to be there. And should this arrangement generate an "excessive" profit, it
could always go to a cause you support. As you mention, it is better to
influence the future of a place like Walden Woods by buying it (market forces)
than through legislation (bullet forces). I'm glad to see you coming to that
realization.
The Tide is Turning, Sylvester.
From: Ken Nguyen
I had great seats! Pit, Row 1. Seats 57 & 58. From
where I sat, I had a good view of the stage, and
especially the very sexy backup singer. I won't say
which one. Anyway, about 4 times Roger came towards
our side of the stage and I was less than 6 ft from
the man himself. He looked right at us! I don't
particularly remember the set list, however, he did
play most of the songs posted at the other shows. The
best song, IMHO, was Dogs. It was absolutely amazing.
After that would have to be Comfortably Numb.
His new song, Each Small Candle, was awesome! I'll be
up at midnight waiting to buy that album for sure.
All the classics were great also, Shine On You Crazy
Diamond, Money, Time, Breathe, Mother, Welcome To The
Machine, etc.. I enjoyed every song, every note,
every whisper, every scream. The place was just
mesmerized by Roger Waters and his talented band.
Last, but not least, the one bad part of the show was
(and I'm trying not to get pissed here) that fact that
we sat next to this belligerent drunk! Well, he
wasn't rowdy, but he was loud as hell. Annoyingly
loud. He'd get up and block my vision of Roger
Waters. Or he'd scream at the top of his lungs at
every other line. The most irritating trait of this
fool was he kept throwing this arms up with the
X-cross. It didn't matter what the song was, he had
it up. "GO ROGER!! FUCK IT UP DUDE!!" Oh what I
would've given to knock that guy up the side of his
face with a bat. Anyway, great show!
From: Chris Burns
I tend to be extremely critical and had extremely high expectation. And i
was not a bit disappointed. The bottom line is he is truly an obsessive
perfectionist and a highly accomplished rock artist. And I'm not sure that
there is such as thing as a "rock artist" but if there is, he is it.
We were in row 9, left...excellent...got up at 5:00 AM to get the tickets.
BOTTOM LINE: Polished! I dont' think there's anybody out there (I was
determined to avoid cliches, dammit!) with the technical and tactical
skills to deliver a performance the way that Waters can.
The relative simplicity of the show (without all the flashing lights,
lasers, etc. charcterizing Pink FLoyd and even the '80s Waters tours)
showed a maturity of a veteren rocker knowing that the pure strength, power
and clarity of the music was enough.
I agree with a lot of what I've read in the other reviews. Dogs was very
intense (playing cards during the war movie: pure Waters). Perfect sense,
not one of my favorite songs, came off to me as very powerful, particularly
because of the girls' incredibly crisp and virtually perfect part in the
piece as well as Roger's raising the ante to an anthem that seemed
everybody was dying for. Comfortable Numb - as good as it could be....my
kids absolutely loved it!!
Negatives: few. The Bravery of Being Out of Range has always struck me as
being a rather weak piece of music, but apparently (conceptually) means a
lot to Waters...and I understand...the lyrics. And, i missed What God
Wants, Run Like Hell, The Powers That Be, Eugene, One of These Days, Three
Wishes,....
The surround sound and perfection of the performance was truly impressive.
His presence was awesome...so tall, all in black and with those "wild
staring eyes." And now my kids now know what a real rock star can be.
From: "Simon Hyatt"
The band was phenomenal, carrying the support for Roger, as well as the boys of Pink
Floyd ever did! Snowy White took the stage very admirably and rocked
the house! Roger also took the controls during several songs, and showed to
the world, that yes, he can make that guitar scream too! The days of
having Syd Barrett tune his bass, are long gone, Roger Waters is a very
accomplished musician today!
"In the flesh," at 8 o'clock sharp sent chills down my spine! It was
real; Roger and his band fit the scene perfectly! All dressed in black, the
stage was primarily black and the bright metal hues from the instruments.
It had the appearance of being a classic phenomenon in the making! The
sound system was excellent and turned up to the max from the beginning.
"The Happiest Days of our Lives," which this was preformed flawlessly as
was the rest of the concert! The projection screen was full of vivid
animations, and psychedelic colour.
"Another Brick in the Wall (pt. 2)," got the placid crowd, on their feet
and singing along! The crowd was disappointing and consisted mostly of
older folks! The back-up singers were excellent; Along with the entire
presentation for that matter. During this song, some really awesome new
animations were shown. A very wild looking metallic monster, and many
hidden faces with in the projection. Two video screens offered views of
the musicians.
"Mother," was preformed brilliantly with very familiar animations from
the Wall, and some great new stuff! The songs from the Final Cut were astounding,
and defiantly beckon listening to that recording a few more times!
"Dogs," was wonderful Snowy White and Roger Waters fit together
perfectly! The dogs echoed around the amphitheatre magically!
"WYWH & Shine On," offered some classic shots of Syd Barrett and
memories to the band, Pink Floyd! And shots of the MIR Space station, with the
Pink Floyd WYWH music being played aboard.
Having dropped the KAOS excerpt from '99's show the Second Set was
opened with a lovely cut from Saucerful of Secrets. Absolutely astounding!
This performance was better than studio! SO, SO loud! Flawless!
The cuts from Dark Side of the Moon, were filled with awesome projections
of the prism and colors! This was just the extreme of what Roger has
written over the years. The moon was hanging in the sky the entire
show, and you could actually see the dark-side of the moon, as the bright side
was obscured in to a small fingernail shape! It was quiet fitting.
"Every Strangers Eyes," was absolutely lovely! Roger offered a tribute
to the American Indian on the projection screen and pictured three American
Indians on three horses! The song really made you feel like Roger cared,
for his fans!
and we knowit all makes perfect sense!
The Amused to Death songs were the highlight of the show in a way! The
showed the pure power of rock! And the excellent style of Roger, to create
music for the mind! Roger seemed to really enjoy the performance, and
was dynamic in the production.
During Amused to Death he squatted on stage looking at people right up front!
At the end of the Second Set, Roger offered "thanks for listening, it
really does make a difference!" And the band joined hands and bowed for
the crowd. (Who was undeserving in my opinion) But it was much appreciated!
The band left the stage and headed off, but the call of the crowd came,
and the encore of "Comfortably Numb" was preformed and spectacular! They
faked a move, and headed off stage again, but the screams could be
heard, And Roger came out and preformed "a new one" "Each Small Candle"
Blow away, we went back to the campsite and continued to listen to the
recordings! My wife and I, had the pleasure of attending the concert
with a group of 4 guys and 1 girl all from New England. We had to be the
most excited about being there, in the flesh! Much celebration commenced!
They had all attended at least 3 shows last year, (a privilege I did
not have due to a back bone crushing experience!) Absolutely Spectacular!
Flawless musically! Truly, "the greatest show on earth".
First Set:
Second Set:
Encore:
From: Joseph Gunlock (aka MadCapLafs on the Sony Roger Water's bbs)
So, yes, I feel a special kinship to Roger Keith. I admire him for just being a
survivor all these years.
And I have a love unexplainable for Mr. Waters who has written so eloquently
about his old mate (feelings both of personal guilt and of lost genius), and
about the subjects of
madness, alienation, the rock "machine", the futility of war, the hidden powers
that be, and the challenges to hardened hearts to refuse to be entertained by the
real and
fictional images of death flashing across our TV screens.
But I was determined to give it a go, in spite of my personal fears. And so, with
a good friend (known on the Roger Water's BBS as InsaneCrystal) we took a
Saturday morning
drive (road trip!) from Austin to Houston, Tx. and came back with the stardust
of magic twinkling about our heads.
My id is MadCapLafs and here is our story.
That sounded kinda like Dragnet, didn't it.
We got into Houston around 1pm (the show was set to start at 8pm) and went by the
venue to scope it out. Looked cool enough, but no marquee with Roger's name on it
for
me to get a picture of! Also, no apparent guitar tuning to cue us to a sound
check, so we decided to go get something to eat. Of course we scoured the joint
thoroughly to make
sure we didn't miss Roger eating there or something. We took our time eating, we
had actually OVER-prepared for a change, it seemed.
I called my wife from my cell-phone. Suffice it to say, she is not the biggest
Pink Floyd fan, in fact our household has got such that the very word "pink"
sends her eyes rolling.
Yes, I'm obsessed. She had taken the opportunity to paint the living room
(sending the babies to the grandparents) while I was out of town. She had almost
finished priming (a
nice beige that we had picked out together) and was already getting fairly tired.
We exchanged the usual marital pleasantries, and she told me to have a really
good time. What
does this have to do with the story. I'll come back to this later.
My friend and I thought about shooting some pool, debated about whether to go
find a hotel room, and finally decided to swing back by the venue JUST IN CASE.
Right decision.
We pulled up, rolled the window down and this time the guitar was tuning up. We
drove like hell to the "gold" parking lot, assured the security guy that we
wouldn't park there,
and straight away went on to park there.
Yes! THIS old geezer was gonna relive his concert mongering days to SOME degree,
dag-nabbit!
We walked by Roger's tour buses (from the OTHER side of the fence, of course),
the two or three semi's, and ended up at the front gates. We could BARELY glimpse
one
small corner of the stage, but damned if the local radio stations didn't have
their music blaring such that we couldn't hear very well. So we walked on around
the back of the
Pavilion 'the furthest point to the rear facing the stage. Being somewhat of an
amphitheater, the Pavilion's seating was semi-circle with the "lawn" seating area
up above the
seating on the higher part of the hill. The stage completed the semi-circle. From
where we were at that time, it was a very steep climb up the hill to reach the
back fence of the
venue. It had barbwire strung at the top. Up till then we had heard a few
drumbeats, a guitar chord or two, but nothing else.
How perfect could THIS be.
JUST as we made it to the top of the hill, the helicopter blasted out over the
speakers. We looked at each other and grinned. We started cracking jokes "You!
Yes you, laddies!
Get OFF of the HILL!" To our credit though, in scoping things out, we had
discovered a gate open just a few feet of steps and we could have SEEN what was
going on but
we were trying to be respectful fans and managed to overcome the temptation. Even
so, one likes to imagine that somebody would tell Roger how GOOD we were, and
he.d
get on the mike and say "Hey you two laddies, come on up to the stage and give us
a HAND with this arrangement, eh." Ahhh. to dream, perchance to.
We got on our tiptoes, but could only see the top half of the backdrop to the
stage, not the stage itself. InsaneCrystal (now to be referred to as Ice) is
taller than me so by
jumping could JUST see the heads of some people on stage.
The helicopter stopped.
I lit a cigarette and exhaled in glee. It's hard to explain, but isn't it a
strange thing that all this music stuff brought an old hippy from his old
hometown - staring into the jaws of
mid-life crisis - to be sitting here secretly on a hill spying in on an even
OLDER hippy who flew all the way from HIS old hometown of Cambridge just to
celebrate life together. I
told you it was hard to explain.
The sound check turned out to be more than just that it was a mini-rehearsal
with several interesting tidbits to be gleaned. I was surprised at myself that I
had just assumed that
the band had worked everything out before the tour and that's that! It became
apparent very quickly that 1) Roger was in CHARGE, 2) the tour was a
work-in-progress and 3)
that Roger has a FABULOUS sense of humor and genuine warmth towards his
bandmates. He said "Happy Birthday" to someone, though neither of us caught the
name.
The "trained" comment also came along with a few laughs in the background, so it
must have been an inside joke. Roger on several occasions poked fun at himself.
He
sounded VERY relaxed and in a really good mood. Even though he did not waste
TOO much time with the kidding around. Once something was worked out, he would
ask
"Nick" (obviously Nick Griffiths at the mixer board) "ok, what's next.".
I marveled at the fact that Nick Griffiths had mixed such a HUGE event as The
Wall Live In Berlin ten years ago, yet his dedication to Roger's work had him at
this pee-diddly
Texas Pavilion today. Come to think of it, most of the band has been with Roger
for a long time Snowy White & Andy Fairweather-Low on guitars and bass, Graham
Broad on
drums, Katie Kissoon (who sings that FABULOUS solo on Perfect Sense), and the
introduction of Jon Carin who had been with the "other" Floyds for so long. All
those years
of reading what an ass Roger could be to work with were starting to look pretty
silly to me. I wondered what ELSE Roger was misunderstood about.
They started working on Each Small Candle. You could tell Nick was working out
the sound on different instruments as suddenly all you would hear would be the
drums, with
the rest of the band's sound only coming from the amps on the stage. This was
done in turn to every instrument. Roger stopped them at one point and instructed
the ladies
that he wanted them to come in a full step sooner on one of the chorus lines.
What really struck me is that you never heard Roger say "do this or do that" he
ALWAYS said
something to the effect of "let's try that and see how it sounds, eh." or "Let's
just give it a go and see how everybody feels". Cool.
Not to say that he didn't have a very clear opinion on anything! Later they were
working on Perfect Sense. Nick would start the part with Marv Albert announcing,
and Roger
interrupted him and said "Nick, you need to start that a little earlier so we
will know when to come in." By the way, it amazed me how Roger could say to the
band "ok, let's start
off from the b flat" and boom! the whole band would start from the same spot
(including the singers) without any lagging behind on anybody's part.
Anyway, at one point somebody was making a suggestion to Roger. It was one of the
guitarists for sure, but we really couldn't hear the others talking very well, so
just had to
make out the conversation by listening to Roger's responses over the PA. Roger
said something like "I don't think so" and there was more conversation. There was
some
mention about 3/4 or 4/4 timing or some such from Roger, and then he said "Ok,
let's listen to the RECord." I can't even mimic how he said "record" but it was
VERY British. We
Texans say "reckerd" where Roger says something like "REhCored".
He went on to say "The boys seem to think it would sound better done their way,
and I want to hear how it was done on the RECord." Pause. "It's in my green bag,
somebody
get my green bag please". Long pause. The sound of PS on the RECord began playing
over the PA. It stopped. There was more discussion and intermittent guitar
playing.
Ice and I were looking at each other like "Yeah. kickass!" I mean, what ELSE can
you say when you are sitting there just the two of you listening to the
composer of SO MANY
wonderous songs that we had locked in our hearts COMPOSING before your very
ears.
"Sounds like this will be a case for pistols at dawn" Roger joked. More laughter.
Then Roger cut in on somebody, and with a laugh in his voice said "I suggest that
whoever is the
TALLEST wins, what do you say." The mock protests were obvious, but I do believe
that was the end of that one. Ice and I just kept grinning at each other.
A few neat coincidences. At one point I was joking to Ice about how one of the
musicians should tease Roger by saying "perhaps we need a TRAINED vocalist!" to
which Roger
immediately cleared his throat over the PA right after I said that. I was spooked
for a few seconds that perhaps he had heard me, but remembered we were too far
away. Or
WERE we.
At another time, I was just sitting there soaking in Set The Controls, thinking
'I hope we don't get busted for sitting here' when Roger sang "over the mountain'
watching the
watcher". Ok, so we were on a HILL, but STILL.
Ice gets up and starts jumping to see what he can see. I jumped a few times too,
and of course one of the earpieces to my glasses broke off! DAMN! I just kept
sticking it back in
and having it pop off every time I grinned. I tried not to grin but that just
wasn't going to be possible TODAY! I put off any decision because hearing this
was just too important.
A few other tidbits. At one point Roger said something about that song being in
the "second hof". We looked puzzled at each other - until we figured out he was
saying "half".
Same thing with another word that neither of us can remember now something like
"it is on that "wedge" between the 3rd something or another". What the hell was a
"wedge",
we wondered. Is that the same as "bridge". We also heard him specifically mention
"Doyle, Nick, Andy and Snowy" at some point or other. I do remember him
addressing Doyle
during the guitar debate.
At another time, while working on ABITW2, one of the guitarists was asking "which
sounds better, sample A." and would play a certain bit "or sample B" I
wanted to shout
out B! because it sounded closer to Gimour (the DA dada, dadunt dadunt, DA dada
dadunt dadunt rhythm part) whereas the first sample had too much falange effect
on it. But I
stifled the impulse.
We were there from 4pm to 6pm and they were still going! I remember looking out
across the park below to a jogging trail way off in the distance, and an old man
walking was
looking in the general direction and probably thinking .What the hell... I think
that was when Marv was calling the shots on the oil rig over and over. All in
all, we heard them
rehearse the following: Each Small Candle, Set The Controls, Welcome To The
Machine, Money (it took Nick a long time to get the sound right for the sax
player), Perfect
Sense 1 & 2, ABITW2, Dogs and a few small bits of Mother.
I remember sitting there and hearing Roger singing "hold on soldier" and I felt a
wave of relief come over me. It was at that point that I knew I was supposed to
be there. Don't
ask me to explain that, it was just a comforting line to me. Painful memories be
damned, this was going to be a soul-feeding experience I could tell already.
And that is precisely the moment that Security arrived in a little golf cart
thingy and waved us to come down the hill.
You! Yes you laddies! Get OFF of that HILL!. I joked in my head.
As we were walking away from the hill I heard Doyle (it HAD to be Doyle) filling
a lull with a quick version of "Turkey in the Straw". I mean, who ELSE but a
Texan would do that.
We were back at the gates, listening to the wonderful strains of Tom Petty from
the radio stations drowning out any sound from the stage now.
During a break between songs on the radio station, I called my wife to let her
hear the sound check. She was not a happy camper. After painting the ENTIRE
living room and
dining room, she then noticed that instead of looking beige. it looked. PINK!
Yes, that's right pink. I tried not to laugh because I knew it would just get
me in the doghouse,
but I couldn't HELP it! I offered to call again during the show, but she wasn't
interested. Sorry Hon! Poor girl is just plagued by PINK! Hehe!
Decision time. I had to fix my glasses, and we were both parched. So we jumped in
the truck (passing a lady in uniform preparing her horse the sight was lost on
me at the
moment) and raced to find a Home Depot. On the way I wrote furiously on my
notepad all we could remember. Got the glue, fixed my glasses, tanked up on
Gatorade and
headed back.
Whoops! People walking and lines of cars EVERYwhere. Where were all these people
30 minutes ago. We managed to find a decent parking place anyway, and hurriedly
walked through the entrance.
To our amazement, there was a warm-up band, of sorts. They had their own little
stage in the atrium area. Kinda grunge young and pretty damned good but their
singer
sucked (yeah, I'm pretty critical of singers).
We found our seats at exactly 7pm an hour before the scheduled start. Not too
bad about 60 feet from the front of the stage. I was to find out later that not
only was there no
bad seats, but the left side was THE place to be! The sun was about 2" above the
horizon, with intermittent clouds.
I asked a security guard if I could go up near the stage to take notes, and he
let me. I had a good time pretending I was The Press as I jotted notes about what
I could see on
stage all the while with a serious look on my face.
As I moved right in front of the stage, I noticed a heavy blast of
air-conditioning ah ha! So THAT's how a Brit could stand our oppressive Texas
heat! Lucky so-and-so.
From left to right. Doyle had a Marshall amp, with a Yamaha head, and a Fender
amp next to it. Snowy had two smaller Vox speakers. Directly in front was a
well-worn brown
sun-burst Strat, sitting in It's stand (Doyle's). Reminded me of the well-worn
guitar Stevie Ray favored on stage. Sigh.
Behind their amps and on a small riser stood Graham's Tama drum kit. Zildjian
cymbals and, I noted with interest, his high-hat was to the right front of his
snare unusual
placement.
The back center of the stage had the famous table with chairs, with a clean shot
glass for each chair. I couldn't make out the bottle that was sitting there, so
relied on my
well-trained buddy Ice (don't make me explain that) to tell me what the bottle
was. Alas! It was a fine bottle of Johnny Walker Black Label. In the center was a
single ashtray, and a
stack of cards.
Dead center back was two closed silver doors, which the band would emerge from.
Above all this was the higher level where Roger would make his entrance as the
Fascist
Rock-n-Roll Dictator. To the right of the doors were Roger's two Fender amps. To
the right front of that was a rack with four acoustic guitars, a few electrics,
and four bass
guitars.
On a riser to the right back (in direct proportion to Broad's riser on the left)
was Jon Carin's nest. There were three, count .em, THREE Kurzweil organs. Of
course, there was a
vocal mike at the ready for the two Kurzweil's that Jon played.
Directly in front of his riser to the right of the stage were two long couches,
with little end tables and lamps. There were, in fact, lamps all over the stage .
all with black shades. In
front of the couches were three mike stands no need to guess who would be
singing THERE. To my amusement, the far left end table had a red book with gold
leaf sitting on
it. A Bible. Hmmm..
And of course there was one prominent mike in the middle of the stage, placed
slightly ahead of all other mike-stands.
Oh, and to the back right of the card table was the. TV. It was currently on
Channel 2 with a blue screen. I wondered how the TV stations knew when to start
airing.
The whole stage was black and grey. EVERYTHING. Made for a really cool,
atmospheric ambience. Did I just say "ambience". Ah well.. I'll try NOT to say
"balmy".
The backdrop was a silky flat curtain that was also a light grey. On either side
in the front were hung curved stacks of SP1-sized PA speakers. Of course,
speakers were hung
ALL over the place as well. Since it was still daylight, if you squinted really
hard you could see the pink pig projected on the backdrop, with "In The Flesh"
tattooed on his porky
side.
Two Ikelami video cameras on stands were manned and pointed directly at the
stage, from the walkway behind the front row pit.
I'm out in the atrium smoking a cig when I hear "Ladies and Gentlemen, the show
will start in 5 minutes!"
I put the butt out and get MY butt into my seat.
The sun was now obscured by clouds (sorry couldn't help myself!) and it too was
a nice grey sky. I was starting to worry that maybe a grey pig-looking cloud
might start floating
by but geesh, I hadn't done any of THAT stuff since the 70's.
The band takes the stage. ALL are dressed in some combination of black and grey.
Then The Man walks out to the mike on the highest riser, dressed in a smart black
suit,
donning his shades, bass strapped around him. The crowd leaps to It's feet, and
he gives us the hammer sign. Even though he is doing his best to do the
mock-dictator, Roger
can't suppress this HUGE grin. He looks really nice when he smiles. I had SWORE
to myself that I wouldn't be a pig-face and return the hammer sign, but I just
couldn't help
myself!
He steps to the mike "Eins, Zwei, Drei"
The band kicks into "In The Flesh". Roger is walking all over the stage working
the crowd like a master. This feels even more intimate than when I saw him on
KAOS. On KAOS,
he still had a kind of detachment that is hard to explain. In this show it was
clear from the beginning that he was reaching out to the very last person at the
back of the lawn you
could FEEL it in his expressions, movement hell, his whole demeanor.
Straight into "ABITW2". Doyle is handling the lead quite well. All the others are
dressed in rather conservative grey and black, whereas Doyle is wearing suede
black pants with
silver sequins making flowery shapes, and open black satin shirt revealing a
hairy chest, and a heavy silver necklace. My wife wouldn't allow me to comment on
the lady singers.
I'll just say one word sleek.
Roger descending the platform via one of two surrounding staircases going to the
stage floor. The crowd rose again. As Snowy is handling the 2nd part of the lead,
Roger is on
our side egging the crowd on and we respond madly. At the finish Roger steps to
the mike and says two enthusiastic "thank you's!".
He puts on an acoustic, and starts playing the intro to "Mother". The requisite
major cheers answer to his question "will they like this song.". The whole crowd
sings along to
"break my balls". Interesting. The stage is bathed in a cool dark blue, while
Roger is only in the spotlight, and his acoustic reflects the light back into the
audience. Striking!
Doyle's lead is FLAWLESS! The backup singers sing the chorus in perfect harmony.
Roger mouths the words from the background. He is TOTALLY into this performance!
In
fact, he does that several times throughout the show. During the second chorus,
Roger is mouthing the words again, raising his eyebrows to the crowd, who respond
with
raised arms wherever he walks on the stage.
The song dies down to major cheers. All is dark on the stage.
Zooooom. ka-BOOM! The bomb flies from behind us to the stage with a resounding
roar! A sea of crosses appear on the screen and Roger begins "They disembarked in
45"
This was my first "chill down the spine" moment. Roger is singing SO incredibly
well, and with obvious feeling. Yes, he is performing, but he is living each
word, too. During the
latter part of "Southampton Dock" images of the Wall in Berlin and poppy fields
fade in and out. I wrote in my notes at the time "Damn!".
Of course, It's never been lost on me that Southampton was THE gig where the
Floyd opted NOT to pick up Syd for the gig. Roger hides the references to his old
mate
EVERYwhere.
Roger keeps his acoustic on, and begins "POTW, part 1". The crowd goes wild. He
finishes and steps into the background as an image of the Battersea Power Station
appears
on the screen (to thunderous applause). Carin has stood up and begun the
strumming intro for "Dogs". The crowd goes wild again. Carin is handling both the
guitar and vocals
EXTREMELY well. When he gets to the part about "the chance to put the knife in!"
Roger makes a grimace and mimes thrusting a knife in the air. The dual lead
between Doyle
and Snowy is awesome. However, when they get to the slower tempo part where Dave
would do the high-notes wails, Doyle opts to stay in the lower register. I didn't
like that
much. I understand the need for improv, but there are some parts that are just
too emotionally connected in one's brain to suffer being altered. When they get
to "And when
you loose control.." Roger and Doyle are harmonizing perfectly. Shudders!
I am watching the AUTHOR of these songs PERFORMING them. Damn!
As "stone" echoes into the distance, Roger takes his jacket off (yes, some of the
nubile ladies in the audience squeal) ah. if only ALL us mid-lifers could
experience such
every now and then! He and everyone but Carin and Broad on drums take their seats
at the table and start dealing the cards. Funny. the crowd had sat down to enjoy
the song
in restful bliss but all rose to try to see what was going on at the card
table! Three bar chairs were brought out for the ladies, and a waiter came out
with three mixed drinks and
handed one to each, as they looked over the guy's shoulders. TOO classic!
Oh, and of course, since the very beginning of the show an old b/w war movie is
showing on the TV. I have no idea what movie it was but it didn't look like
Dambusters.
Carin and Broad's performance of the ephemeral part of "Dogs" is just stunning!
You can feel that organ flowing out from deep inside you ah.! It's like the
first time years and
years ago with a big fat joint and everybody smiling and nodding to each other
with squint-eyes. I have to say that it is much easier to remember all of this
THIS time around
being as I was stone cold sober. I'll never see Roger again in any OTHER state .
well worth it.
And the biggest "chills" for me were yet to come.
The Definition Of "Magic", part 3
As twilight hits the hillside behind us, the mechanical throbs of "Welcome To The
Machine" blow around the Amphitheater. A little unexpected by me, Rogers vocals
are
chillingly perfect, and the crowd is on its feet singing along. Roger puts
particular emphasis, like a rebel with a cause inspiring his troops, on the words
"we told you what to
dream". The song ends with an extended whirlwind of Carin's keyboards embracing
us and carrying us into the gentle night. Standing ovation.
And then comes what I like to call the "expected" special moment. "Wish You Were
Here". This is purely subjective, but in a weird way I feel robbed on this song.
Not by the
band, but by the other fans! I had claimed it as my own for so many years, and
then it became the concert "fav sing-a-long" and something about an "expected
fav" kinda
knocks the luster off of a song for me. Nobody's fault, just expressing how we
can all kind of "own" a song for our very own and even get a little greedy with
it!
But I was'nt prepared for the vision that would hit me. Call it craziness, call
it too much Pink Floyd studying, whatever but from the respectable distance I
was sitting at, not close
enough but not too far away I was struck by a vision. Of course the crowd is on
its feet singing along, and a blue-green fog has crept over the stage. Call it
failing eyesight,
blurry glasses or whatever you want but it suddenly struck me. If you didn't
concentrate too heavily on Doyle's facial features, it occurred to me that a 56
year-old Roger
Waters was standing on stage playing with a ringer for a 67 model Syd Barrett.
Again, of course Doyle bears little resemblance to Syd upon very close
examination. But from the distance, the build of his body, his youth, his curly
black hair, the decidedly
fancier outfit than the rest. And what drew my attention to this thought was
actually the way Roger would keep LOOKING at him. Often during this song he would
look over at
him (was it my imagination), almost as if he were trying to recapture that
feeling through a little pretending. I was a hog with the binoculars through this
song, and I kept them on
Rogers face the entire time. I dont care what anybody says about how many times
the man has performed it, there is OBVIOUS pain etched on his face, the eyes
tight shut
while singing, the eyebrows arched in yearning. I keep them on him throughout the
ending of the song, while the crowd is cheering wildly, and watch very, very
closely for this
moment. He steps to the microphone and says thank you, but for the first time
tonight there is no smile. In fact, he isn't even looking at the audience, he is
still gone
somewhere, very far away, in his mind and I again fight off the tears.
I love this man. Thanks Roger, for making the song special for me again.
A world map hits the backdrop to the first strains of "Shine On You Crazy
Diamond" and immediately begins to melt. Very cool! I keep the binoculars going
back and forth
between Roger, Doyle, and Bramhall. I start thinking about how Carin has pulled
off the feat of the century, the only human being in the world to play with ALL
of the Floyd's. It is
very easy, watching him, to accept him in my heart as a full-fledged member. The
music evidently means something to him, he has played his heart out all night
thus far, and I had
already noticed a quite pleasant tendency on his part. Whenever Jon sings a part
himself, or in harmony, he looks at Roger. Not at the crowd, not in the air, but
always at Roger.
By the time of the last chorus, it is now completely dark, just in time to accept
the brilliant mirrored diamond that has been raised to the middle of the
backdrop, sending pinprick
sparkles over the band and rotating upon the audience. Carin's ending is just
totally beyond description, his organ whispering its pain like a mother
caressing her dying infant
and slowly letting go of it for the last time. Again Im fighting the tears, as
Roger steps to the mike and says, "for all of the crazy diamonds out there, and
this one is especially for
Syd of course".
Of course.
My buddy dutifully keeps me from falling off the edge of the universe by shouting
in my ear "hey man, what about all the Insane Crystals in the audience, huh!"
with mock
insult. He makes me laugh, and in so doing I suck up the emotions again and keep
a grip.
But then Roger says thanks again and advising that the band will be taking a
short break. So I go out in the atrium area by myself to think over a smoke.
The old pain was at the fore. This was what I had been fearing, getting too close
to the subject again. What was most puzzling, was that the MAIN thing I had come
to see, Syd's
image appearing behind Roger during those two songs, didn't seem to have
happened. How very strange!
I shook it off and decided to see if I could find Zackh, another friend from the
Sony Roger Waters bbs Site who had given me his seat numbers so I could find him.
I found him and we excitedly talked about what our impressions were. I took a pic
of him, and him of me, but (so sorry Zack!) NEITHER one of them came out. The
cheap little
throw-away camera I had snuck in and used very intermittently turned out to be
just that cheap! Not one discernible picture from the whole show. Thank
goodness for other
fans who got some and have posted on the Net.
I puzzled to Zack over why Roger didn't use the Syd image as he had in former
shows. Zack looked at me kinda funny, and said "You ARE kidding, right His image
WAS up
there, in fact it started very small and grew to fill the entire backdrop!"
Huh
It dawned on me that I was so focused on Roger through the binoculars that I had
completely missed it! The moment I came for was lost to me, or so it would seem.
As I lit another smoke and surveyed everything under the lights, I realized that
this was a capacity crowd. Every seat was full and the lawn was like ants packed
together. Very
excellent! Way to go, fellow Texans!
I reflected on Rogers image sun-tanned, his face full of character as would be
expected for a man his age but pleasant to look at. His eyes were often like
slits, except when
he would open them wide to emphasize a line of song or in walking around and
egging the audience on. Nice greying around his temples, but his hair is still
very full. A well-fit
man and obviously full of a lot of life to come. Again, when he smiles, it is a
beauty to behold. After all the stories weve heard all these years about this
supposed "gloomiest
man in rock" it is so good to see him smile and so often! I was especially
pleased by the fact that he was having such a good time, and he was playing this
audience like a
fiddle a truly seasoned veteran.
The lights began to dim, so I rushed back to my seat.
The moment that all us old Pink Floyd hippies were eagerly looking for was here.
Images of Syd's Floyd flashed in the background as the band slowly kicked into
"Set The
Controls For The Heart Of The Sun". The crowd was on its feet through the whole
song. Killer sax to a jelly-melting background. The tempo was faster than the
original, but
very pleasing as Doyle breaks into a kick-ass wah-wah laden solo. When the tempo
slows again Roger is playing his acoustic and singing as the last refrains begin
to die down.
An excellent cool breeze kicks up and flows over the audience as the heartbeat
and ticking clocks and voices get louder and louder. The crowd is still up and
grooving.
"Speak To Me/Breathe". Carin is playing slide, an unlike what I had read from
prior critics, he is handling it quite beautifully. Doyle and Jon harmonize the
lead-in vocals. I
suddenly notice a monkey sitting on a pile of stones, throwing a bone into the
air it is the class "2001" playing on the TV, of course. The Pink Floyd pyramid
beams on the
backdrop as the final strains wind down. The crowd had sung along to the entire
song.
Roger nods, smiles, raises his eyebrows as if to say Yes, I wrote them ALL baby,
and you are VERY welcome! as he takes a long low bow.
The cash register signals "Money" with Doyle singing the lead. The keyboards by
Carin are better and closer to the original than he did with the other Floyd.
Andy plays a
hard-edged lead, and Snowy picks it up with an airiness that is as close to
Gilmour as I've ever heard another guitarist ever play. The rhythm and the keys
sounds EXACTLY like
the studio version, which is very refreshing.
The whole crowd delights in shouting "bullshit!" with the band. The song ends and
all is dark again.
Roger begins "Every Strangers Eyes" with a black/white very old movie of Indians
performing ritual dancing on the backdrop. To my momentary disappointment, the
crowd
finally sits down. I strain to see what is on the TV, and after a good 30 seconds
of watching it I realize that I am caught in that "pull" that TV does to you. I
tear my eyes away
thinking Damnit, Roger I GET it, ok" haha!
Then the unexpected happens for me. The most poignant moments of the concert that
I will never forget are about to wrap themselves around my memory for life. The
backwards yelling from Amused To Death circles our heads as a huge gorilla is sitting in a
chair with the galaxy behind him. Roger steps to the microphone with no
instrument and begins
singing "Perfect Sense, part 1". The crowd jumps to its feet, cheering wildly.
I am totally amazed at the spectacle.
Roger conducts the song with the theatrics of a Burt Lancaster character trying
to make you believe it will REALLY rain if you just BELIEVE! His voice is clear
and strong, and as
the song moves into "PS, part 2" Roger is almost PLEADING with the audience
through his performance.
And the chill runs down my spine because the crowd is singing along! And I mean
just damn near every one of the 15,000 there.
When we are all singing with Roger that it "all makes perfect sense" most of
the crowd have their arms in the air and gesturing back to Roger as he is to us.
It is like we have all
made that magical connection Roger keeps talking about. It is that one song where
the band, Roger, and the audience are one unified voice crying out to the Heavens
to make
everything right again.
And it was then that I realized how badly I wanted Roger to feel confirmed in his
post-PF work. And it was then that I knew I was watching the heart and soul of
Pink Floyd and
realizing it for the very first time in my life.
The song ends and the crowd refuses to sit down. We are all basking in a glorious
moment of unity where it just doesn't matter what all our differences are we
just want to let
ourselves be happy in front of each other and with each other.
I'll never, ever forget that. Thanks Roger.
The crowd sits respectfully as the band begins "The Bravery Of Being Out Of
Range". That is, all except our left side. Somebody up front has made our minds
up for us, so we
just accept it and continue to groove along on our feet. Roger is playing a
cherry-red electric guitar the first time I've ever seen him play one. This
song too is magical, in its
own unique way, and I was pleased that the crowd listened to this one because
its message is the kind that needs only one singer, Roger Waters.
Stars appear on the backdrop, fleshing in and out with some kind of space movie,
as the ephemeral, majestic keyboards sweep "Its A Miracle" over us. Roger sings
the song
like a preacher, putting his hands together around the microphone in prayer, and
he IS preaching! His facial expressions are very pronounced he is performing
he is no
longer the dictator, but the preacher. And he is having a grand time playing the
part!
"Amused To Death" ends this amazing run of his solo material, to a backdrop of
the names of the dead, thousands of them, filling the backdrop with "Bill
Hubbard's" name
highlighted. All one can do is watch in silence, and let the spectre of needless,
useless waste of life and limb pierce our souls along with Rogers.
The whole crowd is on its feet again applauding politely and respectfully as
"Brain Damage/Eclipse" begin to rip our skulls off. A true Floydian feast, from
beginning to end, just
as Roger had promised. And I DO mean to include Rogers solo songs under that
veil of "Floydian".
How hilarious to be singing about "lunatics on the grass" TO lunatics on the
grass! Fine, we are the happiest bunch of lunatics you'll find anywhere! And we
all smile as Roger
says his obligatory "that was for all the lunatics in the audience". Suddenly it
doesn't feel so lonely to be a bit loony.
That must be Rogers point, after all.
Roger introduces the band, and then thanks the audience for "listening!". He
pronounces that word with a clear message.
And then the band hits the first chord of "Comfortably Numb" and of course the
crowd goes wild as Roger wiggles his hips. Not really just thought that would
sound good.
The crowd is very quiet during Rogers vocal parts, but sings along with Doyle on
Dave's parts. The crowd is, shall we say, orgasmic at this point. Doyle begins
the lead on the
stage, and Snowy picks it up from on top of the projected "wall" on the upper
tier. Doyle takes that opportunity to climb the steps to reach the far side from
Snowy, and they
trade off licks as they very slowly move toward each other.
Pretty damned kick-ass, is all I can say. What a finale for a feast.
And now to the desert as Roger promised.
Another moment I had feared was upon us. Roger began to introduce "Each Small
Candle", and sure enough the turds in the audience tonight are filing out or
shouting. I
make a decision on the spot. Roger has obviously decided to see the glass as
half-full, so I am going to also. After all, by my estimation, a good 10,000
stayed till the very end.
"For years I've said there was this distance between myself and the audience. You
have brought the magic back and I thank you for that!". And George Roger Waters
applauds the audience.
I've heard the critics who bemoan this "rehearsed special moment" well, screw
em. People who have followed this man throughout his career understand full well
what he
had to go through to be able to say that, and to be able to applaud his audience.
And we know that Roger wouldn't say or do it if he didn't mean it.
Damn, I just love happy endings!
Roger explains the inspiration for the song the best he can, unmoved by the few
morons who keep shouting. Damn, I wish they would get their filthy hands off my
desert!
Throughout the song the image of bob-wire shown on the backdrop, and the words
were up there for all to follow. I had fortunately heard an mp3 many times, so
enjoyed the
song thoroughly.
And I think it is damned gutsy of Roger to play a new song at the very end. He
knows full well that if he placed it elsewhere in his set, that he wouldn't have
to risk the walkouts.
But then, perhaps he doesn't mind at all "weeding out the turds". My word for
them, Roger may be more gracious.
But the point is, Roger Waters has always wanted people to love the MESSAGE, not
the man. And that is what he wanted those who remained to focus on.
And really, doesn't he speak FOR us the things the world doesn't want to deal
with That, to me, is not idol worship. It is merely applauding a man who has
kept his heart open
these 33 years to allow OUR feelings to get the attention of the world.
He says his final goodnight, and waves very happily to the crowd, even shaking a
few hands in the front row.
I have by now come to the conclusion that I missed Syd's image for a reason. It's
time to kiss the ugly past goodbye. To quit fearing it. To have hope again. And I
wont lie, I
wish Roger and the other Floyds would decide to quit propping up a 1967 image of
a Syd who no longer exists. He's not dead, nor is he useless, Roger Keith
Barrett, as he
prefers to be called, is doing whatever he is supposed to be doing. It really is
time for all of us to let him go, and respect who he is TODAY. That is what I
have decided for myself.
The band leaves the stage before Roger, and Roger is following when he stops. He
turns around, and with a glint in his eye and a really broad grin, he waves with
determination
to our left side.
Yeah yeah
The only remaining hope that I have for Mr. Waters, is that he has come to know
that What God Wants, is really ROGER.
And you and me, too.
Thanks and God bless!
From: Alicia Eignus A Waters fan for LIFE!
The show was well worth waiting for! I love that he did "Set the
Controls", I love that song. The place was packed!! Everybody was really in
to it. I worked back stage that day, so I got to see him backstage. He waved
and smiled Hello to me. That made my day!!! Roger is a nice guy! I can not
say enough about that show, except that I wish he would come back and
soon!!!!!
Despite the fact it was hot and the concert outside, this has got to be the
BEST concert I have personally seen since "Dark Side Of The Moon" in 1973.
Two of my cousins and I saw the In The Flesh tour last night in Houston. It was great! Roger definitely lived up to his legendary status and the crowd obviously like it. The only very slight complaint is that there were no pigs or any ballons flying over the audience as has been seen in other places. But, that was very quickly forgotten as we had a great time!
Roger, if you're reading this, THANK YOU SO MUCH for touring again. It's been an
awful long wait since my brother and I saw you from the front row of the San
Digeo Sports Arena during your Radio KAOS tour 12 years 8 months and 18 days ago
-- a show he had to leave during about the third song because the symbolism in
the lyrics and images were too much for him. I didn't hear about The Wall in
Berlin soon enough to fly there or you can be sure I would have done it. But
thanks to your web site, I discovered you were on tour this year, and my thirst
is satisfied at last.
The first song was not "In the Flesh" which opens The Wall album, but "In the
Flesh" (no question mark) that calls for all the "misfits" to be lined up
against the wall. Roger spoke a few of the lines instead of singing them, making
me feel sad that yet another great singer was beginning to have trouble with the
high notes. But I must have misinterpreted this, because his voice was just fine
during the remainder of the show.
Hello, I just went to the Roger Waters show this past weekend
with a buddy of mine. He played at the Woodlands
Pavillion, an hour north of Houston. I've been to
about 20 concerts in my life, but this was by far the
greatest show I've been to.
Well well...I never thought i would see him again but i did...,with my 16 &
18 year old sons! The Woodlands Pavilion. "In the Flesh." First saw them
all in Cincinnati in.... "72 (before Dark Side), in Louisville in '77
(Animals) and Waters only in'86 (Houston, the "Pros and Cons" tour)
"It was the greatest show on ear
th, then it was over"-Roger Waters
Nashville, TN June 6th, 2000
The opening words, "so ya thought ya, might like to go to the show,"
cast the inevitable thrill of confusion. A cool summer evening, June 6th
marked the first time in my life to have the privilege of seeing the greatest
musician/lyricist in the world, in live performance!
Please note: these are the first 2 installments of a 4 part series. I'm working
feverishly to finish the last two! I
took 19 pages of notes before, during and after the show for the benefit of my
overseas friends who wanted to
"feel" the experience.
Hope you enjoy!
The Definition of "Magic", Part 1
I had been both eagerly anticipating and dreading the concert for months. I knew
well enough that Roger Waters would not neglect to offer his salute to Syd
Barrett, the
founder of Pink Floyd and the crazy diamond who disappeared as quickly as he came
- into a self-imposed exile of apparent mental illness. And I knew the tribute
would be
difficult for me to get through. After all, I had lost MY band 20 years ago when
I had my breakdown, I also went into seclusion for years but unlike Roger Keith
Barrett I came
back out into the world, albeit on shaky legs. I remember the horrors of coming
to grips with the fact that one CAN lose their mind against their wishes. And I
understood the
rejection Roger Keith must have felt in 1975 when the band SEEMED to be more
interested in finishing their opus album Wish You Were Here ABOUT Syd rather than
getting
to know him again and helping him to recover. My band also was more interested in
propping up the "crazy flamboyant lead singer" rather than stopping long enough
to help me
avoid the bottomless pit of insanity.
"Could we get a properly TRAINED individual to fetch the rest of the band." It
was Roger, of course, BOOMING over the PA speakers. We both grinned at each other
and did a
"high-five".
YES!
Though we had discussed the possibility of listening to the sound check, I don't
think either of us knew how important it would be to us until that moment. We
were the only
ones there, just sitting with our backs against the fence, looking out over the
beautiful Woodlands park with all It's majestic pines and just by the smallest
little coincidence
happened to be getting a PERSONAL serenade by Roger Waters and his band!
By the way, his voice was BEAUTIFUL, but I'll get to that later.
The Definition Of "Magic", part 2
"You need to stay behind the fences down there please"
Ok ok. I had to whisper to Ice to be cool after all, we didn't want to get
banned from the actual concert. I.ve learned over the years to just placate the
cops with a nice "thank
you, sir, we.ll certainly do that" and then go on and find a sneakier way to do
what you want. But Ice is a young turk, and maybe I should let down my hair more
often and should
have just gone on through the open gate and risked it. Ah well..
I attended the Roger Waters show at the Woodlands Pavilion in Houston,
Tx. I have waited all my life to see Roger (well since I was old enough to
know who he is). Me and a friend were supposed to sit on the lawn, but we
work at that venue, so we got moved up. We were ten rows from the stage!!
National Association of FanClubs