Roger Waters
December 13, 2010
Honda Center
It was odd to see a disheveled man pushing around a shopping cart inside the Honda Center while most of the audience were finding their seats. The lights would dim and a spotlight would shine upon the disheveled man who pushed his cart to the front of the stage and toss a pink dummy onto the stage. From that moment on, the Honda Center transformed into a massive theatrical platform for Roger Waters to recreate the entire classic Pink Floyd album The Wall.
]
Explosions soon lit up the arena as the opening
strains of “In The Flesh?” blasted your eardrums. Waters would soon
appear through the smoke to don a leather jacket and Ray Ban aviator
shades. The creeping delayed guitars of “Another Brick In The Wall (Part
1)” got the crowd on their feet. Soon a large inflatable caricature
appeared out of nowhere and a group of children wearing t-shirts stating
“Fear Builds Walls” danced along to “Another Brick In The Wall (Part
2).”
strains of “In The Flesh?” blasted your eardrums. Waters would soon
appear through the smoke to don a leather jacket and Ray Ban aviator
shades. The creeping delayed guitars of “Another Brick In The Wall (Part
1)” got the crowd on their feet. Soon a large inflatable caricature
appeared out of nowhere and a group of children wearing t-shirts stating
“Fear Builds Walls” danced along to “Another Brick In The Wall (Part
2).”
The actual wall spanning the width of the
Honda Center was impressive and doubled as an movie screen bombarding
the audience with a vast array of thematic visuals. During “Goodbye Blue
Sky” the wall projected images of airplanes dropping such items as a
crosses, Shell gas logos and dollar signs as if they were bombs.
Sonically, Waters assembled a top notch band that includes former
Saturday Night Live band leader G.E. Smith.
Honda Center was impressive and doubled as an movie screen bombarding
the audience with a vast array of thematic visuals. During “Goodbye Blue
Sky” the wall projected images of airplanes dropping such items as a
crosses, Shell gas logos and dollar signs as if they were bombs.
Sonically, Waters assembled a top notch band that includes former
Saturday Night Live band leader G.E. Smith.
A
thumping bass line and searing guitar riff for “Young Lust” sizzled as
well as the lusty footage of women dancing matched the lyrical content
of the song. The mood ominously shifted during “Don't Leave Me Now” as
the wall showed visuals of dripping paint like it was blood. The wall
slowly assembled itself during the length of the performance and the
last brick in the wall was symbolically placed during “Goodbye Cruel
Wall.”
After a short intermission, the sliding
bass notes and acoustic guitars of “Hey You” immediately recaptured the
tension and energy. Part of the wall would lower to reveal Waters
sitting in a chair as he sung “Nobody Home” with the crowd lending a
hand on vocals. “Vera” had some heart wrenching footage of families
being reunited with their loved ones from the military. “Comfortably
Numb” had everyone out of their seats and was the high point of the
evening with a mind altering guitar solo while Waters acted out the
lyrics standing at the foot of the wall.
bass notes and acoustic guitars of “Hey You” immediately recaptured the
tension and energy. Part of the wall would lower to reveal Waters
sitting in a chair as he sung “Nobody Home” with the crowd lending a
hand on vocals. “Vera” had some heart wrenching footage of families
being reunited with their loved ones from the military. “Comfortably
Numb” had everyone out of their seats and was the high point of the
evening with a mind altering guitar solo while Waters acted out the
lyrics standing at the foot of the wall.
The
iconic pig from Pink Floyd would make an appearance during “In The
Flesh” in the form of a motorized airborne balloon that circled the
arena. Another highlight moment was during the panic stricken guitars of
“Run Like Hell” as Waters led the crowd to clap along and imploring
everyone to “Enjoy Yourselves!” The visuals during “Waiting For The
Worms” were especially harrowing as a slew of large worms crawled across
the screen and underneath your skin.
iconic pig from Pink Floyd would make an appearance during “In The
Flesh” in the form of a motorized airborne balloon that circled the
arena. Another highlight moment was during the panic stricken guitars of
“Run Like Hell” as Waters led the crowd to clap along and imploring
everyone to “Enjoy Yourselves!” The visuals during “Waiting For The
Worms” were especially harrowing as a slew of large worms crawled across
the screen and underneath your skin.
Things
started to come together during “The Trial” as the wall quickly recycled
all the thematic visuals of the evening turning my brain into mush. A
large rumbling started to occur and the entire wall would come tumbling
down to the cheers of everyone in the arena. Waters and his band would
soon appear for a stripped down version of “Outside The Wall” with
Waters on trumpet. The amount of production and superb quality of
musicianship make it almost an insult to consider this performance a
concert. Roger Waters's recreation of The Wall is in a class all by itself.
started to come together during “The Trial” as the wall quickly recycled
all the thematic visuals of the evening turning my brain into mush. A
large rumbling started to occur and the entire wall would come tumbling
down to the cheers of everyone in the arena. Waters and his band would
soon appear for a stripped down version of “Outside The Wall” with
Waters on trumpet. The amount of production and superb quality of
musicianship make it almost an insult to consider this performance a
concert. Roger Waters's recreation of The Wall is in a class all by itself.
Personal Bias: I couldn't wait till the Honda Center show and saw Waters a few weeks ago at the Staples Center.
Crowd: A wide array of all ages were in attendance. A vast number of Pink Floyd and Roger Waters concert t-shirts were spotted.
Overheard In The Crowd: “Is that G.E. Smith?” was the argument happening by three friends directly behind me.
Random Notebook Dump: I spotted Tony Kanal from No Doubt and Perry Farrell of Jane's Addiction walking around before the show.
Setlist:
“In The Flesh?”
“The Thin Ice”
“Another Brick in the Wall Part 1”
“The Happiest Days of Our Lives”
“Another Brick in the Wall Part 2”
“Mother”
“Goodbye Blue Sky”
“Empty Spaces”
“Young Lust”
“One of My Turns”
“Don't Leave Me Now”
“Another Brick in the Wall Part 3”
“Goodbye Cruel World”
“Hey You”
“Is There Anybody Out There?”
“Nobody Home”
“Vera”
“Bring The Boys Back Home”
“Comfortably Numb”
“The Show Must Go On”
“In The Flesh”
“Run Like Hell”
“Waiting For The Worms”
“Stop”
“The Trial”
“Outside The Wall”
