Feb 19, 2007 01:28 AM
1910 Views
(Updated Feb 19, 2007 11:25 AM)
Am just back from the concert at the MMRDA grounds and as the Flying Pig and the pyrotechnics run across my mind, I simply had to write down and pen my thoughts ( and review ) of the concert. To be candid, I was wondering how the vocals would sound without some of the original band members especially David Gilmour and whether it would be worth the money.
I skipped Roger Waters’ 2002 “In The Flesh” concert for precisely the same reason. I owed my allegiance to Pink Floyd – Not to a band member cashing in on their rich legacy…..Or so I thought. This time around since they were going to perform the DSOTM in full, I just couldn’t give it a pass. After the concert and the kind of impact it had on me, I can safely say that the Pink Floyd genre of music goes way beyond who performs – Gilmour or Waters, Barrett or anyone else. They have created something which is truly timeless. And Boy – Am I glad I was lucky enough to watch Roger Waters LIVE ! He’s a maniac on stage ! That too at his age !
*The gates opened at 1730 hrs with enormous queues for the mandatory frisking and we were among the first – Waiting patiently for dusk to set in and for the clock to tick to 1900 hrs. After a slight delay at about 1920 hrs, the concert began. The first number was “In the flesh”. He moved on to “Mother”. The full setlist was :
Set One
- In the Flesh 2. Mother 3. Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun 4. Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts II - V) (abridged) 5. Have a Cigar 6. Wish You Were Here 7. Southampton Dock 8. The Fletcher Memorial Home 9. Perfect Sense, Parts 1 and 2 10.Leaving Beirut 11. Sheep
Set Two - The Dark Side of the Moon
- Speak to Me 2. Breathe 3 On the Run 4. Time 5. Breathe (Reprise) 6. The Great Gig in the Sky 7. Money 8. Us and Them 9.Any Colour You Like 10 Brain Damage 11. Eclipse
Encore
- The Happiest Days of Our Lives 2. Another Brick in the Wall, Part II 3. Vera 4. Bring the Boys Back Home 5.Comfortably Numb
Rather than make this review sound like a song-by-song praise, I will just say it was an “Experience of a lifetime”. If the focus on the earlier Mark Knopfler and the Joe Satriani concerts were on the pure genius of their guitaring, this was an audio-visual extravaganza – meant to “comfortably numb” your senses more like a roller-coaster ride except that this one lasted 155 minutes and at the end of it, you were feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. For people reading this outside India, Pl. do not miss the concert when he tours your country. For those of you who are in India and missed attending the concert, tough luck. You weren’t destined to !
The guitaring in “Shine on you Crazy Diamond” was something else. When he sang “Bring the boys back home” it reminded me of how most of us feel when our Cricket Team bombs abroad ! I wasn’t too happy with “Leaving Beirut” and “Sheep” being part of the setlist but I can rationalize that these were mere primers for the DSOTM delight. There was a 15m break before DSOTM was played out and another small break after Eclipse. In the encore “Another Brick in the wall” was a huge hit with all of us crying ourselves hoarse by then ! The transition from "Happiest Days of our lives" to "Another Brick..." gave me the Goosebumps ! After the frenzy of "Another Brick..." "Vera" was sweetness personified and the proverbial lull before the "Bring the Boys back home" Storm.
If I have to criticize the concert I would say though it was a tight setlist they did not improvise much. Dave Kilminster ( who looks a bit like Rohit Bal ! ) was quite impressive as well as expressive with his Guitar. Ian Ritchie’s Sax work was excellent. These were seasoned players who have perfected their art over time. They were subdued and allowed the music to speak for itself.
Three Cheers for the crowd - Very well behaved and quite knowledgeable too. They knew the lyrics to most of the songs – Not just Dark side. A few idiots managed to smuggle in fags and were adding to the stage’s smoke effects. After a while they lost interest in smoking as they got engrossed in the music.
I now await ( with bated breath ) for Santana to tour India ! Hanging on in quiet desperation is the Indian way ! The Time has come, the review is over; thought I had something more to say !!!
P.S : I will edit this review and improve upon it. Feeling very sleepy. Its 1 AM ! Just had to post this !
