Photo by Scott Harrison
From: David E. Dunlap
It's been a while since the RADIO KAOS Tour and I, for one, couldn't have been happier to be at
the show. We had good seats, next to the sound booth, and could see and hear well.
I had goose bumps up my back from the opening notes of In The Flesh? right through to the end
of the show. I couldn't help but notice some of the guitar parts were a bit truncated and the
occasional transition seemed a bit rough. The guitar duet from 'Wish You Were Here' was my
biggest disappointment however, I may have just been missing Dave's guitar work.
Despite Jim Ladd's veiled request for quiet during the soft parts, the crowed was a bit more loud than I would have liked. I guess I'm expecting everyone to have the same respect for the music as I do.
Overall, I felt it was a great show in a small venue and the audience seemed to really connect
with Roger and all the musicians. I would have loved to hear something off RADIO KAOS,the
title track fromTHE PROS AND CONS OF HITCHHIKING, and I really would have enjoyed Katie
Kissoon doing "The Great Gig In The Sky" from 'DARK SIDE OF THE MOON,' but I could have
listened to the entire catalogue and still wanted more.
I am... bigwavdave@earthlink.net I'm Out...
From: SteelyJack@aol.com
First of all, thank you to TheWheel for scoring me the ticket to the show; you
are the man, Ken.
Having seen Rog last year at the PNC in N.J., I had initially reneged on my promise to be sure and catch him this year. Frankly, I thought the tickets to be too steep. But I'd come into a bit of extra cash recently and I saw Wheel's offer on his newsgroup and said, "what the hell?" He's not going to be touring again anytime soon. So I reneged on my original reneg. Here we go, Rog...
Let me start generally and try to work down to specifics, because it's almost 24 hours later and my head is still spinning from the power of that show.
First of all, last years show was outdoors and that does change things. I was further away last year as well, even though I had a second row balcony seat at Universal. But being in the back, on the lawn at PNC, means dealing with a totally different crowd and, to be frank, I really gotta give it up to the LA crowd, for the most part. They really were pretty quiet during the softer parts of the show, whereas NJ was a little aimless and too fucked up chemically to care.
The second difference was the SOUND. The fucking SOUND!!!!!! was unbelievable. The sheer force of the keyboard parts in "Dogs" and "Shine On" alone was amazing. And it wasn't until maybe 2/3's of the way thru the first set that I abandoned the theory that it was just the marijuana and finally realized that the show was, in fact, more elaborately visual than last years show. The slides played a stronger part, going for more than just background fill and suggestion and the lighting was a little more intense. Also, and please correct me if I am wrong on this, but they didn't have that card table last year during the middle section of "Dogs", did they? I remember it being just a couch, some chairs, a coffee table and a lava lamp. And the waiter serving the backup singers drinks was a smile, definitely.
All in all, Roger tweaked and added and tweaked the show again just enough to not lose the original feeling from last year (music emphasized over visual strength) and it paid off big time. (Yeah, and as someone else on the newsgroup already mentioned that someone ran across the stage during "Each Small Candle" and almost ruined it. Fer chrissakes, some hard-on thought he was at a Morrissey show! Nuff said.)
Which brings me to my next point: Rog's and the band's confidence has definitely grown in light of the success of last year, and it showed. They were fierce where I didn't expect them to be and loose when it counted. I mean, really, who expected "Money", after as many times as we've all heard it, to kick as much ass as it did?!? That was one of many highlights of the evening for me. To be honest, I only went to hear two sections: the second half of the first set and the other I will get to later.
"Dogs" has kind of quietly become my favorite Pink song and that is certainly due to getting to see and hear and FEEL it performed live. And while I think that "Welcome to the Machine" is arguably the weakest song on Wish You Were Here (quietly creeping up on The Wall to maybe become my fave Pink album???), the performance last night was amazing, giving way to a wonderfully gentle reading of "Wish..." and then, the coup of the night, VII of IX parts of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", still, in my humble opinion (yes, I spell it out, damn ye!!!), the finest song the Floyd ever wrote...
I was joined by about 3/4 of the house when I stood up at the end of the first half to give my well-deserved ovation.
Was the intermission 15 minutes or 20? Because I had exactly enough time to wade thru the crowd, get in a looooong line for a cranberry juice, smoke a butt, wade back in and thru the doors I went, heading back to my seat, just in time to watch the house lights dim and plant my butt firmly in my balcony seat for the opening strains of (oh, fuck yes!!!!!!!!) "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun". Which was fantastic, a nice reworking of a classic, little-played tune, but, to be honest I was starting to feel drained, like I'd given my all for the first half.
Well, you know what happened next? "Money". That's what. I said it already, but my God, I was blindsided by the force of how damn good that song was! Plus, I started to get excited, because up next was what I like to call "Solo Time", that second reason for wanting to see Rog I mentioned before. "Every Strangers Eyes"...(sigh) What can you say about it that hasn't been said before? I love it to death, that one and, lipsynching or not, he performs it so well. But I really wanted to hear the Amused to Death stuff again, and this year we were being treated to "Bravery" as well.
Now, let me be honest here, at the risk of losing whoever may be reading this right now: I'm not a fan of Amused to Death. Without getting into it too much, it's a little pretentious for me and all the direct, first-name references will only serve to date the material in years to come. I mean, come on, who's gonna get, say, the Jessica Hahn reference or even care 10 years from now?
ANYWAY, the reason I was eagerly anticipating the Amused stuff is that, despite all my reasons for not favoring the album, I was so blown away by the performance of it last year!!! "Perfect Sense?" Fuck me!!!! That shit was genius! "It's A Miracle" and "Amused"??? Oh, baby!! Gimme more!!! And now he's gonna throw "The Bravery of Being Out Of Range" into the mix?? Well, dear readers, I had to catch it a second time to see if it was a fluke or not. And, surprisingly, it was better this time around.
Roger writes these songs that are so delicate on record and so many of them never get to see a live performance, he tours so infrequently, but his choice of songs is so unique. You'd think he'd do other cuts, maybe some not quite so popular, maybe some only 5 people know, but the songs he chooses are there for a good reason and he sells the shit out of them to an audience. I may have to reneg, yet again, and pick me up another copy of Amused to Death. Thanks, Rog.
I was joined by nearly the entire house at the end of the show for one seriously long standing ovation. Genius show.
I recently got the Wall on DVD and I was very, very impressed with the candor of Roger's commentary track. And I think about the psychotherapy he has admitted to going thru, coming such a long way from spitting on that fan back in 77, and how that was the spark for the idea of The Wall concept. And how the Walden shows in LA back in 92 brought him back around to the idea of gigging again. And the passion and power of the two tours in the past two years and how they've revitalized him as an artist and as a man. And it makes me rather happy to be able to have the opportunity to share in it.
Roger is one of my few
remaining, living heroes and it's an honor for get to see him perform with a
fantastic band. Rog, you made my summer again, two years running...
From: Jason Scarabin
I feel like I've been baptized or something after this show. I've
worshipped Roger since I was 10 years old and I'm 30 now. I never thought
I'd get an opportunity to see him "in the flesh." I'm still numb from the
show. I feel like I'm criticizing him if I call his work music. Roger's
brilliance exceeds music at it's best. He is my favorite lyricist of all
time as well as the best storyteller in my years of living. He is the
mastermind behind Pink Floyd and always will be.
I have a tremendous amount of respect for Dave, Nick and Richard (lest we forget Syd), but Roger is the mind!! I did have years of frustration that Roger wouldn't drop the dispute with Dave or whatever, but now I'm cool with it. I've always felt like we were all being deprived of the magic that was and could be created between Roger and Dave. As a fan, it seemed like such a waste when they were all alive and well including Syd (recently, anyway).
Whatever the case, I love
them all. Seeing Roger perform gave me goose bumps like NO other concert.
Hats off to Roger in the most humble respectful way!!!
Dumbstruck,
Jason Scarabin
From: Lourdes Chacon
Attended his concert in 1987 in San Diego. Attended the concert yesterday at Universal Amphitheatre.
Great! ...the best concert I ever attended.
I will be seeing him tomorrow at Irvine Meadows with my sister. We had such a
awsome time yesterday that we needed one more day!
From: Dianna
Well, here I am on the West Coast ready to enjoy yet another Roger Waters
concert. I have flown in from Detroit, (yes, I am a die-hard Rog Fan), and I
have already seen him this year in Nashville, San Diego and the previous
night in LA, but do I still want more? Hell yes! I am beginning to wonder
if something is wrong with me...
After my tragic flower escapade in Nashville (please see my 6/6 Nashville concert review) I am bound and determined to not only purchase flowers for Roger again, but actually hand them to him this time! What an amazing concept! I have scored front row tickets located directly in front of Doyle and Snowy so it should be a cinch. I am sitting next to a friend who has an enormous crush on Snowy White, and she has purchased flowers to give to Snowy as well. So I am sure that we look like a couple of groupies...picture it: two blondes sitting in the front row holding flowers and grinning like mad (at least we do not have Fassbinder Faces.) But I am not a groupie, honest... Really, I am not!!! Anyway...
The show begins and I still cannot get over the fact that I can see Roger perform so many times, and yet he continues to have the same effect on me. It is a magical experience and there are no appropriate words to describe how moved I am. Words like "captivating", "spellbinding", "mesmerizing", and "amazing" keep running through my mind, but they trickle like water through my fingers. They don't capture the full meaning of what that show means to me. Please don't ever stop touring, Roger!
The surprise appearance by Jim Ladd was quite welcome, although I had been hanging around outside the gates hoping to get an autograph from Rog (I brought my very first, original Wall album with me) and saw the KLOS vans pull in. So I kinda figured there was something going on there... But thanks Jim! Your speech was wonderful, and it was great to hear the voice of Radio KAOS live.
When Roger comes out on stage, he sees my flowers and smiles. I notice that he has changed his shirt from a t-shirt to a button-down. I think I prefer the t-shirt, but he looks wonderful just the same. (Just thought I would throw that little tidbit in for all of you who may care!) I notice another change since the Nashville show - Katie Kissoon does the mother chorus alone instead of all three of them together. I am not sure which way I like it better, they both sound so damn good. Suzanna gets a solo during Bravery. She has an excellent voice but they either need to turn her mike up a notch or she needs to pipe up a bit. She sounded wonderful though, I am proud of her. She is a beautiful woman with a beautiful voice to match. Who ever said beauty and talent don't go together? Pfffft... Also, Wish You Were Here is different. They have added more keyboard parts, and being a pianist myself, I can certainly appreciate that. It was amazing. Also, since I was sitting in the front row, the smoke from the stage actually comes down and circles around me, making me feel as though I am part of the show.
I love the way that Rog is even looser since Nashville, moving and dancing to the music and cracking jokes (I particularly love it when Andy Fairweather-Lowe brings Roger his electric guitar for Comfy Numb, and Rog says, "This is for my guitar solo...that was a joke".) I certainly laughed my arse off - it's so good to see Rog so open on stage. I also notice that the stuff he is drinking isn't water during the Dogs card game. Heh heh heh.
OK, it's time for the 2nd set and my friends are doing a switcharoo so that my friend (the one with the crush on Snowy) can sit in the front row for a few songs to try and give Snowy his flowers. She arrives during It's a Miracle (gosh I LOVE that song!) Too bad Snowy sits at the card table during most of that song. She made a sign that says "SNOWY" in bold letters with a big heart underneath the text. She is holding the sign up and holding the flowers on her lap and is beaming (please keep in mind that we are DIRECTLY in front of Snowy's spot in the front row). Meanwhile, back at the old card table, poor unsuspecting Snowy is oblivious to the situation developing in the front row. I almost pity him at this point...almost.
Doyle sees the flowers and sign and begins to chuckle. He is trying to suppress his chuckles to no avail. I mean, this is a truly hilarious scenario! Doyle is still laughing and I hope that he will not mess up his wonderful guitar work on our account. I would feel awful. But Doyle stays true to form - laughing and all. Finally, Snowy gets up from the card table and ambles his way over to his spot next to Doyle. Doyle leans over and whispers to Snowy, then points to my friend. Snowy looks confused. Finally, Snowy sees the sign and flowers and looks like he wishes the floor would open up and suck him down into the basement. He is visibly embarrassed, but flattered at the same time. Rog was on the other side of the stage and saw none of this up to this point, but finally he makes his way back over to his microphone. He sees the "Snowy Sign" and the flowers and laughs while raising his fist as if to say "YEAH!" He seemed pleased that one of his other band members was getting some attention. But poor Snowy! (tee hee hee)
The Amused to Death set is over, and it has the same effect on me as usual. Once again, Perfect Sense II was a smash hit, and the LA audience really got into it. It brings tears to my eyes when I see Rog getting the acclaim he so deserves for his solo work. It is truly amazing music. It was especially poignant to be in LA while Rog was singing the title track, since many of the lyrics to that song exemplify that particular town. I must admit shivers ran up and down my spine at the thought.
Each Small Candle was amazing once again, and it was wonderful to see the response that song received. The crowd really loved it! People got out their little lighters and that fit right in with the song's theme. And...(you're not going to believe this one) ...they actually shut-up and listened while Rog was speaking! Of all things...!
OK, it's curtain call time and I must, simply must hand Roger his flowers this time. He is my all-time favorite artist and I have traveled the country to see him perform. His music touches the depths of my soul like no other. I almost couldn't reach him (I am not the type to go running across the stage blocking people's view) but did finally manage to politely lean far enough to get his attention and hand him the flowers. It was truly the greatest moment of my life, and I would also like to thank him for holding them up four times for all to see. How cool is that???? Very cool indeed.
Oh, and I can't forget Snowy. Although my friend was no longer sitting in the front during curtain call, my other friend managed to hand Snowy his flowers on her behalf. Snowy seemed pleased. Needless to say, this was an amazing show, not only from a performance standpoint but a personal one as well. It is an experience I will never forget. Thank you to all who made it possible.
EPILOGUE: After the show, my friends and I waited in the Hilton lobby for a
bit hoping get autographs and photographs. While we were sitting there, I
asked my friends what they would say to Roger if and when they get the chance
to meet him personally. The "Snowy Crush Friend" said that she would say,
"Your ass does Armani justice - knock my socks off!" While that may be true,
that's not what I would say to him. I would simply say, "Thank you for the
music, Rog". And I would mean it.
From: Fatmax1@aol.com
Incredible!!!!!!!!!! I never had a chance to see Rroger before and for awhile
I thought I had missed him forever. I'm 40 years old, and back in the '70s, I'd seen
all the big boys (except Pink Floyd), and this concert was better than all of
them. I just wished it was 5 hours long so Roger could play all of his stuff.
Roger if you read this, I know if you come back
this way, (even in apathetic L.A.) you will have another great turnout. By
the way, if you guys break down in Bakersfield, look me up, I'll take care of
you!!!!!!
I run the Chuck-e-cheese and we've got lots of pizza and games. See ya.
From: Sharon Jenkins <>
The show Jun22 was just great. I am so glad that I got tickets.
An x-cop got them for me... wish it had gone on for hours more. Hey, Roger... you are great!
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