| Originally Posted by Botley It was unquestionably badass. You're going to hate seeing Jimmy Buffett, tony, I can practically guarantee it. It's like being kicked in the crotch for hours on end.
Saturday night, on the other hand, was fantastic. I've seen other artists struggle to perform in the former SkyDome before; it's an absolutely massive open-air baseball stadium complete with retractable roof, a la Montreal's Stade Olympique (where ol' Rog once did something rather naughty in front of 70,000 screaming Quebeckers). Fortunately, Roger did no such thing last night, and unlike the previous shows I mentioned, the concert boasted absolutely gorgeous sound (not too loud, but with plenty of definition and clarity as well as a POWERFUL low-end). Everyone, including my friends sitting near the rafters, felt the DSOTM heartbeat in their chest. Kudos to tour manager/FOH engineer extraordinaire Trip Khalaf for overcoming any and all potential problems with this dubious choice of venue. That said, there were a few routine technical glitches at the very start of the show - largely with the big LED screen operator, which apparently skipped ahead to the wrong piece of footage after each of the first couple of songs had completed and needed to be rewound each time - but nothing too major (the only other problem I could detect was with a buzzy radio mic during "Mother" that was soon switched off... quick on the faders he is, that Mr. Khalaf)!
The band performed, as expected, like a remarkably well oiled machine after 15 months of road-tested refinement on the same setlist. Roger had various words for the audience, including his usual introduction of the band before the encore and the hitch-hiking story before "Beiruit". He also made a point of thanking the crowd for being so receptive: "Canadian audiences are always the best in North America... we couldn't ask for a better town to end the tour in" etc. I guess someone told Rog that Torontonians are extremely susceptible to flattery! In return, there was a deafening roar of applause during practically every pause in the show. I didn't notice too many people on their feet during the songs themselves, unfortunately, but such is the nature of the (IMO) overly reserved crowd for a show of this type. To be honest, I didn't really see anything unexpected. The highlights I was expecting in advance (from the stalwart flying pig to the pyrotechnics) were all just as stunning as anyone could hope for. All in all, a remarkable experience, considering I've been building my expectations so high for all these years and have only just now seen a member of the Fab Floyds in the flesh. It's been 10 years or so since I've started studying this band; but, and this is something I've really come to appreciate in the last couple of days, all the knowledge and experience one could possibly glean from a computer is just a poor substitute for seeing the real thing in front of you.
Rock on Roger! A great end to a successful tour. |