Review: Roger Waters in Ottawa

photo courtesy of the Ottawa Sun

“I’m kind of disappointed that I can’t smell any dope being smoked.” – says Michael (the man who doesn’t smoke any dope.)

Tickets: Extremely pricey. Up in the $150+tax range.
The scene: Roger Waters (bass player and lyricist for Pink Floyd) at the ScotiaBank Place in Ottawa.

We hemmed and hawed at buying these expensive tickets but in the end we figured that the odds of us seeing Pink Floyd ever are slim, so we may as well get to see the next best thing – Roger Waters on tour with the Dark Side of the Moon.

We made it there with no real hassles (like brakes failing on the car!) but we made a detour to Vero’s place as we had forgotten our camera. Upon getting there I discovered she had no batteries! Argh. So we hopped back in the car because time was ticking.

We had some supreme seats. Nine rows from the stage. Can’t go wrong.

When we got to the floor we were blown away by the giant props on stage – a giant radio, a bottle of whisky…this was an excellent concert already! When we walked closer we realized that they weren’t props! It was part of a giant LED screen behind the stage. The LED screen came to life and had some cigarette smoke billowing through it and a hand popped into the picture and changed the radio dial to a better song. After listening to some good tunes, some ABBA came on and you see the hand quickly change the station. It was awesome.

Then it starts! They started with In The Flesh which was amazing. Man, I would love to see him play the entire Wall album, but whatever. It’s all good. He is in good shape for a man of 60+ years and his voice is amazing also. He can really hit the notes still. Very cool.

The visuals were equally amazing. The screen had some amazing psychadelic visuals happening all the time. Some good pyrotechnics also.

You know, I’m realizing that I can’t adequately describe the experience with meer words. It was the emotions that were importantit in hearing these songs. Songs I never thought I would hear live (other than a cover band). Shine On You Crazy Diamond was an amazing tribute to Syd Barett. The video changing the radio dial to tune into Wish You Were Here was called by Mike way before it happened. It was sweet. He played some solo stuff that I wasn’t familiar with but it was still so, so good.

He introduced a new song called Leaving Beirut which also had a comic running in the background depicting the inspiration for the song – when he was stuck in Lebanon and a family brought him in for the night. Such charity.

They also brought out a remote controlled inflated astronaut and the giant pig (if you do not know about the flying pig and Pink Floyd, go check out Wikipedia) which was hilarious. Everyone in the joint was having an amazing time! Each time I looked at Mike, he was just in awe.

During the intermission I was dismayed when I realized I had lost my concert ticket! While this would have posed an extreme problem if I left the floor (!!!), I would more disappointed when I realized I had lost a memento (we all know I like to keep my concert souvenirs!). Turns out that my new jacket has a hole in the inside pocket which I had not noticed. I walked back and found it next to the boards along the ice. NICE! The fates were aligned.

We got back to our seats for the most amazing 45 minutes ever. The entire Dark Side of the Moon played in one shot. BEAUTIFUL! The backup singers were amazing on the songs as well as everyone else. If you closed your eyes you would have sworn you heard the album playing. But you had to keep your eyes open for the amazing visuals. They even had a giant prism above our heads which had a rainbow lazer show coming out from one side and the focussed beam on the other. I think we would have had a better view of it if we were in the stands, but in no way am I complaining about being in the ninth row!

The crowd tore the place down during the encore break and they treated us to the classic Floyd tunes we all love including Another Brick In The Wall and the mind-blowing Comforably Numb. Egads!

All in all, it was money well spent. It was amazing to see Roger Waters strutting around the stage having a grand old time. He still has quite the voice in him and I have a feeling we’ll be seeing him around for the next decade (when Pink Floyd reunite!)

Set One

In the Flesh
Mother
Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun
Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts II – V) (abridged)
Have a Cigar
Wish You Were Here
Southampton Dock
The Fletcher Memorial Home
Perfect Sense, Parts 1 and 2
Leaving Beirut
Sheep

Set Two, (The Dark Side of the Moon)

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

Encore

The Happiest Days of Our Lives
Another Brick in the Wall, Part II
Vera
Bring the Boys Back Home
Comfortably Numb