Roger Waters tour!!!!

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.

__________________
what do you teach your children about me?
what do you teach your little children about me?
pimp, thug, bling drug lord of the undergrounded kings
how can you be so sure i won't call down the rain?
what do you teach your little children about me?
you point your gun, wait, hide and run. i see it plain

Botley!

Nice review - glad to hear it was an enjoyable show!

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"David Gilmour can do more with one note than most guitarists can do with the whole fretboard."

Dave Mustaine (Megadeth)

Oh yeah, I almost forgot: Harry played an actual VCS Synthi-A sequencer (like the one Roger plays in the studio clips from Live at Pompeii) during "On the Run" - no wonder it sounded so much better than the tepid old versions Dave's Floyd used to trot out! Having him play a real Hammond also makes a vast difference, too - Richard Wright is a great pianist and organ player but he uses such cheesy digital synth patches that I find it hard to listen to him now. I also thought I would miss hearing Andy's brilliant guitar solo from the In the Flesh version of "Money", but he more than made up for it with some scorching licks (played in the same finger-picking, heavy, chunky style on the same 3-pickup guitar) during "Leaving Beirut". That song has really taken wing in the last few months of the tour - they made the studio version sound like a really rough, unedited demo. I had tears in my eyes as Ian tore into his tenor sax solo right after the whole band screamed "don't let the might of the Christian right fuck it all up for you and the rest of the world..." Carol Kenyon also got THREE standing ovations during her "Great Gig" solo! I got very emotional during "Southampton Dock", too, which I didn't expect - the agony in Roger's voice was still smouldering after all these years.

__________________
what do you teach your children about me?
what do you teach your little children about me?
pimp, thug, bling drug lord of the undergrounded kings
how can you be so sure i won't call down the rain?
what do you teach your little children about me?
you point your gun, wait, hide and run. i see it plain

my only complaint would be with configuration of venue...being they only used half the stadium,everyone should have had a clear view of stage/video screen instead of selling seats on side of stage...

__________________
Who was born in a house full of pain
Who was trained not to spit in the fan
Who was told what to do by the man
Who was broken by trained personnel
Who was fitted with collar and chain
Who was given a pat on the back
Who was breaking away from the pack
Who was only a stranger at home
Who was ground down in the end
Who was found dead on the phone
Who was dragged down by the stone

I am truly amazed, Botley, that you have only now seen any of the Floyds Live. I am happy for you allthemore, though, and can only hope you manage someday soon to see the other half. I will presume Roger appeared with his Band, featuring Nick Mason still.

Such an encyclopeadic knowledge of the Floyd is even more impressive having never seen any of them Live until now.

Well done. I'm now missing Andy's searing guitar solo, even on such a new - and controversial - track as Leaving Beruit.

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Count me in on the journey, don't expect me to stay.

Leaving Beruit was ok, and some in the Philly show (including myself) thought it humorous, but I'd rather he had played something else from his personal catalog.

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stchrissie is not me.

Great Review Botley
Glad you seen Roger
I also thought the sound on this tour was on the money.
And all the talk about Roger lipsyncin'. Who Cares if he does? I didn't notice.
I have to agree on the Skydome being a poor choice.
I still have visions of Joe Carter Dancing around the bases on that fateful night.So i too hate that place.
Random thought. It always amazes me how bands can play all sorts of Big venues and still pull it off with the sound and all.

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come on you painter,you piper,you prisoner,and shine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah, Radiohead played there in 2003 and they had the next-best sound of anybody I've seen in the venue (though it was still crappy). They divided the stadium in half, too, though their sound baffles went all the way to the roof and still didn't do as good of a job in counteracting an enormous loss of clarity. I think dividing off half of those big places is the best option - I was on the side, and it was still a good vantage point to see Roger and everything else. I wouldn't want to be any further away than where I was, though, or some of the intimacy would surely be lost. It pains me to think about being on the far end of the grandstand, past the bullpen, while Pink Floyd stand ant-sized on home plate. That must have been what some of the 1977 and post-Roger shows were like.

The only thing that could top the experience would have been seeing Nick playing on Dark Side; alas, he didn't. Roger is likely to remain the one Floyd I will ever see live. Of course, anything's possible.

__________________
what do you teach your children about me?
what do you teach your little children about me?
pimp, thug, bling drug lord of the undergrounded kings
how can you be so sure i won't call down the rain?
what do you teach your little children about me?
you point your gun, wait, hide and run. i see it plain

some other new yorker's were on side of stage near gate 12,their seats were lined up with rear of stage in last row...if David Gilmour made an surprise appearance they wouldn't have been able to see it...

__________________
Who was born in a house full of pain
Who was trained not to spit in the fan
Who was told what to do by the man
Who was broken by trained personnel
Who was fitted with collar and chain
Who was given a pat on the back
Who was breaking away from the pack
Who was only a stranger at home
Who was ground down in the end
Who was found dead on the phone
Who was dragged down by the stone

Mitch Williams for Mayor of Philadelphia...sorry Mark couldn't pass that one up...

__________________
Who was born in a house full of pain
Who was trained not to spit in the fan
Who was told what to do by the man
Who was broken by trained personnel
Who was fitted with collar and chain
Who was given a pat on the back
Who was breaking away from the pack
Who was only a stranger at home
Who was ground down in the end
Who was found dead on the phone
Who was dragged down by the stone

Well, that was a shame Nick didn't appear. But as you say, anything is possible with this on-again, off-again pop group.

__________________
Count me in on the journey, don't expect me to stay.

now that RW is on vacation back home in the Hamptons, hopefully he will start editing footage shot in various cities from around the world for a future DVD...

__________________
Who was born in a house full of pain
Who was trained not to spit in the fan
Who was told what to do by the man
Who was broken by trained personnel
Who was fitted with collar and chain
Who was given a pat on the back
Who was breaking away from the pack
Who was only a stranger at home
Who was ground down in the end
Who was found dead on the phone
Who was dragged down by the stone

I fear we'll not have that. From an Italian PF site, a guy (who is in touch with the RW managment) posted there will not be any release about this tour, neither audio nor video...

i've heard arguments pro and con on this subject on different PF forums...there were a couple guys on stage video taping on the last stop on RW tour in Toronto a couple weeks ago...maybe a change in plans???

__________________
Who was born in a house full of pain
Who was trained not to spit in the fan
Who was told what to do by the man
Who was broken by trained personnel
Who was fitted with collar and chain
Who was given a pat on the back
Who was breaking away from the pack
Who was only a stranger at home
Who was ground down in the end
Who was found dead on the phone
Who was dragged down by the stone