So 15 months ago Roger Waters tickets went on sale. I decide to buy tickets for me and my son. ($560) Something for us to look forward to during the Covid nonsense. Roger is playing 2 nights in Toronto. I wanted to take my son to his first concert. His girlfriend also wanted to go with him. So I bought Friday night tickets. His girlfriend bought Saturday tickets. Well since then Jack has changed jobs and works Friday night. He also broke up with his girlfriend about 2 months ago. As July 8th approaches Jack is getting apprehensive about calling in the night of the concert. (I understand and admire him for it) So I proposed to take my wife Friday night (she has never been to a rock concert in her life) and me and Jack will go Saturday, but he has to pay for his own ticket. so I get to go back to back nights. I can't wait.
I took my daughter in 2017 to her first show. Jack was into rap crap back then, otherwise I would have taken him too. Roger played 3 nights in Toronto that tour. After the first show I checked the tour schedule and saw he was going to Quebec, and he was playing Toronto again the following Friday. The Us And Them show was mind blowing. A 200 foot screen split the arena in half, and turned into Battersea power station . I had to take my broke ass brother in law. He is more than my brother in law though, we became friends in 1982 at 15 years old. I just married his baby sister, who is 8 yrs my jr. My brother in law and I have been to many concerts, The best of which was Pink Floyd in 94.

I haven't been to a concert in a very long time. If your wife is going for her first, I'm sure you've warned her about the heavy smell of "the devils lettuce" that will permeate the air. Especially at a Roger Waters concert.

I bet she has a great time. The people watching is a great side part of the whole concert event.

Those good old days are over. You can't smoke indoors in Ontario. The ushers would be all over you, possibly kicking you out.
I recall those days well in the 80's and 90's. The ushers looked the other way when you were smoking, but smoking in general was allowed back then. After a show at Maple Leaf Gardens, when the lights came back on, it was just a massive smoke cloud.
I smelled more weed outside before the shows in 2017. Now it's legal it will probably be everywhere outside.

Well, day one of Roger Waters has finally arrived. I've did my best to avoid spoilers of the setlist and show. He played The first show of the tour in Pittsburgh Wed. And from what bits I have seen, the 2 1/2 years pent up during Covid-19 has Roger bursting at the seems. The tour was suppose to happen in 2020) He always has been political, but his 2017 shows were pretty tame actually. The second set had ALOT of Trump bashing (visually). It seems he touches on everything from poverty to war, abortion rights (we know why) and transphobia. This is my wife's first concert. She knows I love Pink Floyd, I have been listening to them since 1980 when I was 12 years old. The Wall came out when I was in grade 7. But the real impact happened in 1982 when I started to partake in substances, and the movie The Wall came out.
My wife is 8 years my jr, and has NEVER partaken in any substance. Alcohol included. She was raised in a moderately strict Christian home. (her Dad was an alcoholic early in her life).
For some reason Roger decided to put the stage in the shape of a crucifix (it is an "in the round" concert, the stage is in the center of the arena).
All that being said, my wife has been married to me for almost 25 years. Sept.27th is the big day.
She has heard so much Pink Floyd, she will know most of the songs. I also don't partake in anything anymore. I quit drinking years ago. I can't just have a few, I can't stop once I start. Ironically I stopped for my children, as I did not want them thinking they needed booze to be happy. I say Ironically as both have dealt with addiction. My sons was short lived, 15 to 17 years old (opioids). My daughter (24 yrs old) on the other hand really struggles with alcohol (and Borderline Personality Disorder). She actually entered rehab 3 weeks ago. It breaks my heart, but she can't quit. I was able to quit at 35 yrs old.

Anyway, did not intend on writing a novel. I hope it is a good night out for me and my wife. I love the music, I don't agree with all of Roger's stances.

Thanks for sharing that post WT and specifically for what the Roger Waters' concerts are like. I can't say I'm surprised considering his politics.

I could look past the politics last time, he didn't smash you over the head with it. Besides Trump was the main target, I am Canadian. If I was American, I would be a Republican no question. That may have pissed me off.
Honestly, I hope he rips our dictator of a Prime Minister a new arsehole. I will be cheering the loudest then.

This tour was suppose to happen in 2020. I think Roger has had too much time to pent up his frustrations. Putin invading Ukraine adds to it.
The tour is called "This Is Not A Drill"......mankind does seem to be on a collision course of destruction. I will give him that.

In the end, I am there for the music I love.

Great story WT. I'm glad you had a great time. I have disagreed with many of Water's politics for a long time. I have always loved his music and how powerful his art is. Along with how it has been an influence on my life. Even though I do disagree with him, I still feel he is able to have a rational discussion with people no matter their politics and he is still able to move them with his art. Sadly, I feel that he is the type of artist that is becoming extinct. He actually went of Tucker Carlson, a guy who has many views that run against his own, and had a rational, adult discussion.

I've stayed out of this until now, but I think that was very well said, WT. I like Roger's music enough to have had his lyrics as my sig for some time (and I put "The Final Cut" up there with PF's other monster albums, I really do).

Having a good woman is priceless, is it not? I'm sure you will all have a great time at the concert.

I miss live Rock (especially Rush), but I'm not sure if I'll return (mainly worried about my declining hearing).

And booze? Bah. I hate drinking my calories (alcohol or not...I want to look as good as you in my 1995 Balance T ). And at our age we gotta think about keeping our remaining brain cells. I still drink on occasion (wife follows in her usual moderation) but nothing like I used to, sometimes going months between drinks and never to intoxication. My wife's father was a heavy smoker (died of a heart attack at 32) and that was her deal-breaker if I didn't stop before we really bonded, which wasn't difficult because it hadn't yet become a habit. My drinking could have easily gotten out of control though, and often caused friction early in the marriage.

Anyway...aging sucks, forcing you to be more health conscious, but at least we grew up to some great music, eh? (even if you and I don't always agree on what great music is ).

I have to say there was WAY too much of Roger's opinions last night. Right from the first second. Here is the start of the show in Pittsburgh from Wed. He played too much solo material for my liking. The presentation was spectacular as always, but there was no let up of political and personal opinions. Oddly Roger seems fine with calling Christian beliefs "b*llshit", yet does not target any other religion. That did not sit well with me. I preferred when he focused more on the music. He did not target our dictator Prime Minister, but he went after every US President from Reagan on. One vague visual mention of Putin. Honestly, I looked forward to these shows for so long, 15 months, I'm not excited to go tonight, and I should be. It will be fun to see my son experience it though. I could look past his views in past tours, because they were not shoved down your throat for 2 and a half hours straight.
If you are an American patriot, stay away. It will just piss you off....despite the classic Floyd tunes.

Well, that would sure as hell piss me off after I paid hundreds of dollars to go the concert. It sounded like there were a lot of people that do not want to have his politics shoved down their there throats from the sound of the crowd reaction. I thought he was better than that.

Shame. I remember my first colonoscopy (had to be 5 years ago as my next one is in 3 months ) and talking music with a male nurse. A group from the facility, including the roto-rooter doctor, had recently walked out of a Roger Waters concert in New Orleans, saying it was just too much.

I heard more than one person say "just play the music".

2017 was a picnic compared to this show. Being 78, I guess he wants to go out guns blazing.
It's too bad, it really did kill the fun factor for me.

My wife and I see Nick Mason in October. Although a much smaller production, he puts on a great show, and no opinions.

I think I (we) would like this very much.

Trivia: The song lyrics in my sig from "Two Suns in the Sunset" featured another drummer, as did "Mother" from The Wall (it's actually famous studio drummer Jeff Porcaro in the latter...stints with Toto and Steely Dan). Something about the time signature tripping him up on those songs, but otherwise he sounds great to me and just seems like a really nice guy.

Cool.
Nick sticks to the 1967 to 1972 material. I told my wife to expect some of it to be quite psychedelic. Nick feels the rest of the catalogue has gotten enough attention from Dave and Roger, and all the cover bands. The Brit Floyd's and what not.
The tour is called The Echoes tour, so it will be cool to see that live. In 1987 Pink Floyd opened with that in Toronto. Only did it for the first 11 shows or so. It was magic with David Gilmour and Rick Wright.

I LOVE the first 6 songs on The Final Cut. Powerful stuff.

Since I don't have ADD I can enjoy "Echoes" in its entirety, but I admit some anticipation waiting for the cool guitar parts that gets the song moving along again.

Other than the dog song (which used to upset my Jack Russell), I enjoy Meddle and most of Obscured By Clouds. Everything afterwards is just epic.

Yes, Seamus is tune to be skipped. The weed must have been good that day.

Lol, WT.

++++++++++

BTW, I'm not watching that Roger clip for the same reason I don't watch Star Wars past "Return of the Jedi" and Star Trek past ST VI (sans V). If I don't see it, it never happened.

Same show tonight, same setlist. It was fun seeing my son enjoy his first concert. It was a nice bonding moment.
But d@mn, I have no desire to drive downtown Toronto again for a long time. The city is exploding.
We had good seats.

Seamus is Pink Floyd's equivalent to "Revolution #9" by the Beatles.