Loose Mind Change Of Papa

ROGER WATERS
FORD AMPHITHEATRE - TAMPA, FLORIDA
MAY 19, 2007

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; Southampton dock ;The Fletcher memorial home; Perfect sense part I & II; Leaving Beirut ; Sheep; (15 minute intermission); The Dark Side Of The Moon [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]; Band intros; The happiest days of our lives; Another brick in the wall (part 2); Vera; Bring the boys back home; Comfortably numb

WOW - what can I say! Diamonds shined; the moon showed it's dark side and pigs flew last night in Tampa as Roger Waters and his band played the Ford Amphitheatre last night, the latest stop on his world tour. This was truly a different type of concert experience.
Lighting was minimal, but the giant screen behind the stage was full of incredible images all night set to the music - most of them very familiar to any Pink Floyd fan. Marching hammers; eclipses; Syd Barrett; flying pigs - all were seen.
Musically the band was very tight. It was easy to tilt your head back and just let the music wash over you with it's crisp sound and familiar musical passages. With your head back and eyes closed - it WAS Pink Floyd.
The tour is being hailed for it's complete performance of 'The Dark Side Of The Moon' - but it was the 'Wish You Were Here' segment of 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond'; 'Have A Cigar' and the title track which were the highlights. The opening guitar riffs to 'Shine' made the hairs on your arms stand up!
Roger sprinkled in a few of his solo tunes [just enough to give everyone a bathroom break] and finished off the first set with 'Sheep' from the 'Animals' lp. Mid point a giant pink pig inflated and made it's way over the audience - out into the lawn section where the wind caught it and away it went - crashing into the amphitheatre side! It's head poking through the rafters! Truly a classic Pink Floyd moment that you just don't see everyday.
After the intermission the heartbeats gave way to the 'Dark Side' lp, perfectly performed. The encore highlight was Comfortably Numb with the three guitarists channeling David Gilmour for the extended solo ending.
Until/when/IF! David and Roger set aside their differences and regroup the Floyd for what could be the biggest tour of all time - Roger Waters solo show may just be as close as you can get to experiencing what music for all the senses is really like.
5 out 0f 5 stars.