Subject: Roger Waters in Clarkston 7/25/99
Date: Fri, 30 Jul 1999 21:14:02 -0400
From: jp2558@ibm.net
To: cpforbes@hopper.unh.edu

This was my 6th visit to the Dark Side since I first saw Animals in
Cleveland Stadium in 1977. After that it was The Wall in LA in 1980.
Then a drought until The Momentary Lapse of '87, followed by the by The
Pulse of '94 in Detroit where DSOM reincarnated first resurfaced. Since
this muse is an integral part of my musical life, I knew that this day
was going to be a rare one. Like a child at Christmas, a day awaiting
unknown and untold pleasures.

How sweet it was. From the moment we arrived at Pine Knob I was amazed
at the youthfulness of the crowd (and thrilled that Roger's legend will
pass to this generation). The show didn't sell out immediately as I got
my tickets four days after they went on sale - but once there, it was
easy to see it was a sellout based on the number of disappointed fans
wanting tickets for which there was no hope of procurement.

Once underway it was pure PINK. Sorry Gilmour fans, (and I'm a big one -
it settled the argument for me,) but this was the real thing. From an
opening with In the Flesh Pt.2 and almost all of side one of The Wall,
into tracks from The Final Cut and then into Pigs On The Wing and then
Dogs, and then almost all of Wish You Were Here (only minus Have A
Cigar) - I was just, for lack of a better cliché, blown away - the BEST
'Floyd' performance these eyes and ears have seen yet. The sound was
fantastic as always, and nothing was lost in the details. I knew to
expect a top notch show, (kinda like the PF tours of late), but this was
just beyond description. We were just left of center and about 2/3 rd's
back. It was outdoors and there was almost a full moon directly overhead
at 12:00 above the stage. PERFECT :) Funny thing I noticed, and I'm a
veteran of a few visits to the venue, was how few people we're milling
about during the show. The concession stand lines were empty. Every seat
in the pavilion was occupied. And the hill was just as content as could
be........

Intermission

And then the return. Opening with cuts from DSOM invited sincere
attention. There was no doubt that after the first half of the show, no
one was going anywhere. The crowd hung on every particle of  the show.
Through almost all of side 1 of DSOM (except the vocals to TGGITS)
followed by a smokin' version of Money, the crowd was one with the
performance, music, and the mood.

And then... Every Stranger's Eyes, a cut from his 2nd solo album was
flawless. The vocal performance was stunning. Roger nailed it.  And then
my personal hope (Amused To Death) began to ring out. What God Wants pt.
1 erupted to somewhat a more subdued applause but nonetheless a
performance of great magnitude. (I suspect its not too well know with
the younger crowd.) But it was pure 'modern' Roger. The female vocals on
Perfect Sense parts 1&2 left me begging to hear The Bravery of Being Out
Of Range - which was not to be. (In my opinion, Amused To Death would
have been a fantastic PF work.) And this brief performance of the intro
followed up with It's a Miracle and Amused to Death was just what I was
hoping for. Actually I was hoping for the entire CD, but what I got was
enough memories to keep me in the pink for years to come.

Another Brick In The Wall pt. 2

And then the encore. Brain Damage, Eclipse, Comfortably Numb. What's
there to say.............We were all comfortably numb :)

Oh - and three days later someone mentioned that there was no sax
player. Gee I never noticed until it was mentioned to me...