"It was the greatest show on earth, 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! 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 time! "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 know.it 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: In the Flesh The Happiest Days of Our Lives Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2) Mother Get You Filthy Hands Off My Desert Southampton Dock Pigs On the Wing Dogs Welcome to the Machine Wish You Were Here Shine On Second Set: Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun Speak to Me Breathe Time Breathe (reprise) Money Every Strangers Eyes What God Wants (Part 1) Perfect Sense (Part 1) Perfect Sense (Part 2) The Bravery of Being Out of Range It's a Miracle Amused to Death Brain Damage/Eclipse Encore: Comfortably Numb Each Small Candle
Review by Simon Hyatt
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