Roger Waters Live At The First Midwest Bank Ampitheatre

Last night I attended what was without a doubt one of the greatest concerts of my entire life- Roger Waters performing "Dark Side Of The Moon" in it's entirety, as well as a handful of other classic Pink Floyd tracks. The show was scheduled to begin at 8 but by 8:30 he had yet to take the stage. The anticipation within the crowd was growing more intense by the minute. By the time the lights did finally dim the excitement in the air was palpable and as if on cue, the appropriate stench of ganja smoke began to overtake the crowd. The smiling, bass wielding Waters and his ten piece band hit the stage to overwhelming applause as they launched into the classic "Wall" track, "In The Flesh". It was a positively triumphant opening and seeing Waters spit out that ever so sarcastic second verse was a concert experience I shall never forget! From there he donned an acoustic guitar and led the crowd through a mass sing along on another classic "Wall" track, "Mother". The eerie "Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun" followed, with footage from the "Arnold Layne" promo video providing the atmosphere on the gigantic video screen behind the band. Appropriately enough the mammoth video screen showed a bittersweet montage of the late great Syd Barrett during the Syd-inspired "Shine On You Crazy Diamond". Two more "Wish You Were Here" tracks came after that- an excellent rendition of "Have A Cigar" and a rousing version of the hugely popular title track, during which the crowd's singing threatened to drown out Waters himself.

These first six songs rank amongst the finest opening to any concert I've ever witnessed. They were worth the price of admission alone but Waters was just getting warmed up! The crowd's enthusiasm did wane a bit during "South Hampton Dock", "The Fletcher Memorial Home" and "Perfect Sense" but a brand new song entitled "Leaving Beirut" came next, and everybody hooted and hollered in appreciation as the blatantly anti-Bush lyrics appeared on the video screen along with some comic strip style illustrations. I've read about some booing in other cities but I didn't detect any boos last night here in Chicago. The first set ended with an absolutely spectacular rendition of the "Animals" track "Sheep". It was at this point in the concert that the infamous inflatable pig saw the light of day, this time baring scrawled messages including "don't be led to the slaughter" and "impeach Bush now". Had the concert ended right then and there I would have went home very satisfied, but the main course was yet to come....

After a brief intermission Waters and company reemerged and launched into one of the true bona fide masterpieces of the rock era- "Dark Side Of The Moon". I must give kudos to Waters' ten piece backing band which featured not one, not two, but three guitar players- former Clapton sideman Andy Fairweather Low, Snowy White and Dave Kilminster. Kilminster handled the Gilmour vocal parts, and did a great job of it. The band also featured two keyboard players, three female backing vocalists and a sax player. These guys reproduced "Dark Side" absolutely NOTE FOR NOTE, and the quadrophonic sound system was extraordinary, with the samples of clocks, cash registers, spoken asides and laughing madmen seemingly floating through the air around us. Of course, the classic rock radio staple "Money" brought the crowd to it's knees, but the highlight for me had to have been "Us And Them", one of my all time, all time favorite songs. I'm not ashamed to say seeing it performed live was so surreal, so positively otherworldly, that it had me weeping like a baby! After "Brain Damage" and a majestic take on "Eclipse" the band left the stage to deafening applause. They quickly reemerged for an encore and launched straight into "The Happiest Days Of Our Lives" and "Another Brick In The Wall". The crowd didn't so much as sing along during the "Another Brick In The Wall" refrain. They positively shouted the lyrics and before long I found myself doing the same. "Vera" and "Bring The Boys Back Home" followed and then came the show stopper, an absolutely epic take on "Comfortably Numb". I became so overwhelmed with emotion I couldn't help but sing every single word at the top of my lungs. It was a truly transcendent ending to the evening.

After Waters reunited with his old bandmates for Live 8 last year, I, like most Floyd fans, was really hoping they'd embark on a reunion tour. Of course, that didn't end up happening, but this current Waters tour is the next best thing. The contempt for portions of his audience that partially inspired "The Wall" is long gone. He was clearly enjoying himself last night, going from one corner of the stage to the next, all the while manning his bass and smiling warmly at the gathered masses. He could even be glimpsed happily singing along to the parts of the songs where his band members took over the lead vocals. I get the feeling that this tour is in part an effort on Waters' part to reclaim his portion of the Floyd legacy. He's even stated publicly that he would be open to a Floyd tour. It's actually Gilmour who's said he's not interested. Perhaps one day they will finally bury the hatchet and embark on one more trek around the world. If not, at least I was able to witness an amazing concert very much in the classic Floyd mold in terms of scale and spectacle, by the man responsible for so much of their creative output. And that's a memory I will cherish for the rest of my life....

Here's the complete set list-

In The Flesh
Mother
Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun
Shine On You Crazy Diamond
Have A Cigar
Wish You Were Here
South Hampton Dock
The Fletcher Memorial Home
Perfect Sense
Leaving Beirut
Sheep

Speak To Me
Breathe
On The Run
Time
The Great Gig In The Sky
Money
Us And Them
Any Colour You Like
Brain Damage
Eclipse

The Happiest Days Of Our Lives
Another Brick In The Wall
Vera
Bring The Boys Back Home
Comfortably Numb