Reporting back as requested. Sorry about the one day delay - had to work out of the office yesterday so couldn't make it here. Reporting back about the Roger Waters concert, for those who can't be bothered to click the link (and why would you).→[More:]We drove off the Gateway Motorway and were confronted with a massive jam of cars, so it took us another 20 minutes or so to drive the last couple of kilometres to the venue. It was while we were queuing to get into the car park that I noticed the distinct middle-class tone of the cars in the queue. The only thing that indicated this was anything more than a bunch of parents going to a high school play was those unmistakable sounds blasting through opened car windows from a hundred car stereos. When we were walking through the car park, it was obvious that the crowd was almost exclusively over 40 and the few that looked to be under 30 seemed to be there with their parents. There was the occasional smell of some kind of sweet-smelling smoke which, of course I couldn’t recognise but which seemed vaguely familiar and stirred memories of the distant past.

This was the most well-behaved crowd at a concert I have ever seen – despite the crowding and the difficulty in getting to and then through the right door to find seats, people were polite and joking with one another about it. There was never any feeling of negative behaviour or of anything but a bunch of people out for a good time and, if they were honest enough, to relive a little bit of their youth. They might have banned the Mexican wave from the cricket, but it was alive and well in the Brisbane Entertainment Centre that night.

As soon as Roger Waters appeared on the stage, the crowd came to its feet almost as one and gave him an incredible welcome. I remember thinking “it must be such a buzz that someone can release no new music of note for decades and still be welcomed like that”. In fact, it was amazing how much he seemed to be enjoying himself during the entire show, as did the entire band – there was no sense that they were just there to get through the show and they seemed to enjoy playing as much as we enjoyed listening.

This is what we heard:
In The Flesh
“So you thought you might like to … go to the show” was a predictable way to start things off and it worked well. I must admit that I was initially a bit disappointed with the sound quality until I realised that I had got so used to listening to the perfectly polished music that comes out on studio recordings I had forgotten what live music sounds like (yes, it’s been a while). Once I realised that, I really enjoyed this and, of course, those who paid the price for “platinum” tickets (the first dozen or so rows in the centre section) got to play a starring role.

Mother
Well, Roger is getting old and it showed a bit here. It was good, but I felt that his voice just lacks a little bit of clarity for this song to really be done right.

Set The Controls For the Heart Of The Sun
This is where things really started to warm up – this is probably one of those tracks that the adherents to the “early days of Pink Floyd” would consider to be one of their best and one that those who prefer their later works can also get into. The graphics for this track were particularly good, also.

Shine On You Crazy Diamond (parts II – V)
Until this point, I had been thinking that the sound was not as loud as I would have liked (it’s not really a live concert if you can’t feel the music blowing your hair back) but that changed with the opening chords of this song – the volume went way up and the crowd were now ready to rock. With images of Syd Barrett on the screen behind the stage and Roger Waters singing his heart out, the crowd joined in and this was one of a few occasions where the singing from the audience almost drowned out the vocals coming from the stage. I felt it was a shame that the opening guitar solo was missing and that they played a shorter version than the full quarter-hour or so, but that is understandable with limited time, I guess.

Have A Cigar
I have always thought that this track sounds like it is a lot more fun to play than to listen to and the band really seemed to be having a ball playing it, so maybe I was right. I have never really “got” this song for some reason, though.

Wish You Were Here
This was really, really well done and I enjoyed it a lot – classic Pink Floyd at its best and Roger did a great job of the vocals.

Southampton Dock
I really like this song and The Final Cut is probably my favourite Floyd album but, again, Roger’s voice didn’t quite have a grasp on this one.

The Fletcher Memorial Home
Again, I really like this track and it was very well done, including the images of George Bush, Saddam Hussein, Osama Bin Laden et al on the screen that brought the message of the song right up-to-date (the more things change, the more they stay the same, I guess).

Perfect Sense parts 1 and 2
Leaving Beirut
These are the only solo Roger Waters tracks that were performed and, while they were good, I feel that his solo work is a bit too “obvious” for my liking. I think if I listened to it more, I might like it, though.

Sheep

While the band had a short break, we pushed our way out through the crowds to pay exorbitant prices for a couple of poor quality shirts that will shrink to unwearable proportions the first time they’re washed.

Speak to Me
Breathe
On the Run
Time
Breathe (reprise)
The Great Gig in the Sky
Money
Us and Them
Any Colour You Like
Brain Damage
Eclipse
Well, what can I say – it’s Dark Side of the Moon and it was performed flawlessly. It seemed like no time at all had passed when it was over.

There was no way this crowd was leaving at this stage and they stayed on their feet clapping, chanting and cheering until they got what they wanted – more!

ENCORE
The Happiest Days Of Our Lives

Another Brick In The Wall (Pt 2)
Again, the crowd almost drowned out the band. This, of course, is something of a universal anthem around the world and is still topical because of the ongoing legal action by the (then) schoolkids who performed trying to claim portions of the profits from the success of the album.

Vera

Bring the Boys Back Home
This was another track that obviously still carries the same message that it did when it was first released and the images on the screen brought the song from being an old one to having equal relevance in today’s world.

Comfortably Numb

We tried, but they weren’t coming back out. The house lights went up and there was an almost palpable disappointment from the crowd that it was all over.

As you might have guessed by now, I totally enjoyed the concert. It would have been easy for Roger Waters to trade on the Pink Floyd following to get people to a concert of his solo work, but he didn’t. People wanted to see Pink Floyd perform and, while that is never going to happen, we got the next best thing. People wanted to hear Pink Floyd and, almost without exception, that is exactly what we got. Roger Waters could have taken the spotlight completely, but he sang where his voice could do justice and took a backing role where it couldn’t (with a couple of exceptions).

Would I go again if I had the chance? In a heartbeat. Should you go? Fuck yes.