"...the most impressive, intelligent, and fitting piece of music I've ever seen"..

Roger Waters, known as rock’s grumpiest man, and grudge carrier against his former bandmates in Pink Floyd following Rocks Most Acrimonious Split, is a man on a mission. Whereas previous to his triumphant return with Pink Floyd at Live 8, he was  known best for being trumped commercially and artistically by his former band mates as he sulked and stropped and sold off whatever he had left from the Floyd days, the recent few years have seen a highly successful resurgence from potential obscurity.

And he has succeeded. His latest (and probably last) tour sees Roger reclaim the mantle from The Floyd and stand as an artistic equal : it was easy in the late Eighties and Nineties to forget that Roger Waters – who modestly used to bill himself as ‘The Creative Genius Of Pink Floyd’ – had an awfully large role in shaping the Floyd into the behemoth that they became. His wordy, literate songs were the equivalent of a Dylan or a Lennon when he was at his most effective, and were matched perfectly by David Gilmour, who was his McCartney. If Roger was the mind, David Gilmour was the soul.

With a set made of 90% Floyd songs, and utilising the Floyd’s well known consumate epic showmanship, Rog is carrying on the traditional of old in a manner that does justice to his (and their) shared past : the Floyd’s shows were rightly legendary in their musical prowess and their epic staging. “The Dark Side Of The Moon Live” is a worthy successor and continuation of that legacy. Aside from the name on the marquee outside the venue, this show is in effect, Lots Of People Who Used To Be In Pink Floyd Perform Pink Floyd Songs : Aside from Roger Waters himself, Floyd sidemen Jon Carin (who has been part of the live Pink Floyd lineup since 1987), and Snowy White (Pink Floyd’s second guitarist for a decade) are part of the strong but bloated backing band providing the muscle to assist Water’s fearsome intellect – there are, after all, three guitarists in the band, a saxophonist/guitarist, as well as a keyboardist/guitarist, another keyboardist, three backing singers, alongside the usual bassist/drummer/vocalist. And Roger plays guitar too. For those counting, that’s six guitarists throughout the course of an epic three hour show.

And epic it is in every way. The show is fiercely smart, somewhat nostalgic, and huge in breadth and scope at the same time. Opening with a playful “In The Flesh” from “The Wall”, Roger and his band essay a widescreen vision of political libertarianism, a strong streak of anti-military moral hectoring, and a determined attempt to define and maintain the Floyd Legacy deep into the 21^st century. The show follows an emotional core in the first quarter, set alongside early Floydian numbers, mining a deep furrow of nostalgia within a contemplative narrative : the original Syd Barrett-era Floyd watch over Roger’s band as they perform possibly the greatest covers set of all time.

The tone shifts from a respectful acknowledgement of history after the band perform around two thirds of the “Wish You Were Here” album, and moves to a more pointedly political edge : material from Roger’s final Floyd work, the pointed anti-war diatribe “The Final Cut” is both effortlessly topical and a sad reminder of how little has changed in the quarter century since it was made : mankind is still using it’s powers to assess the most efficient way of killing each other. The backdrop films – aircraft carriers, poppy fields, war graves, snapshots of political figures of old and of now – alongside quotes from historical leaders – make clear that Roger sees war as the Great Evil that is bringing mankind to it’s final chapter.

“Where there is a man, there is a problem. No man, no problem.” – Joe Stalin.

There are also moments of great humour : one cannot fail but laugh at the ludicrous sport portrayed in “Perfect Sense”, or the wonderful interaction of “Sheep” that sees the arena terrorised by a massive inflatable Pig. Throughout the course of the night, such cunning ploys also see the venue host to a gigantic spaceman, and a thrilling moment where the definitive Floyd album cover is made flesh on a massive scale.

The second part of the set features the band recreating one of the biggest selling albums of all time, note for note, for your enjoyment. One cannot help but draw comparisons with Pink Floyd’s “Pulse” concert that also recreated the entire ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’ suite equally slavishly. The new presentation is it’s equal : the music is performed with as much aplomb and inventiveness – guitarists Snowy White and Dave Kilminster trade licks and duet like angels as they sit comfortably into classics such as “Time” and the under-rated “Any Colour You Like”. On occasion, “Time” especially, Roger seems as if he may in fact be using his own pre-recorded vocals : his mouth doesn’t seem to open wide enough to encompass the range of notes his voice expresses. That said, in the context of the wider evening, it’s barely noticeable and doesn’t detract from the emotional verisimilitude of the piece.

The show ends on a high point, with Roger clearly relishing his role as apparent custodian of the Floyd legacy and keeping it safe in his care. The final section reprises the best known songs of that other One Of The Biggest Selling Albums Of All Time – “The Wall” – with a rousing ‘Another Brick In The Wall’ that again makes clear how little things have changed since it was written : footage shows the various walls erected for political purposes in Palestine and elsewhere, with a clear message. Tear down the walls.

 “Bring The Boys Back Home” reinforces the political counterpoint of the first half and provides a thematic return to the first half of the evening, and a final, transcendary “Comfortably Numb” brings Earls Court to its feet with 20,000 air guitarists lost in the moment with an emotional highpoint and a sense of narrative closure – the show ends where it began, in a mans bedroom as he contemplates the world around him. Of the many, many shows I have seen “The Dark Side Of The Moon” is one of the most impressive, intelligent, and fitting pieces of musical theatre that truly moves beyond being a mere ‘gig’ to something that touches not only the feet, the mind, the heart, or the soul, but all of these parts. It’s one of the rare moments in music that makes clear exactly how powerful, and perfect, music at it’s apex can be.

If this is Roger’s swansong and his farewell, then it is a fitting finale on which to depart and provides a deserved and appropriate reminder, if any were needed, of the legendary nature of Pink Floyd. An absolute triumph and music at it’s very peak.

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