So, I went to the show last night...and the first thing I can say is WOW!
I'm not great at writing reviews, so I'm going to do my best here.
I'll begin by echoing one of the reviews, and say that visually, this show is absolutely stunning- no other way to describe it!
For one thing, the wall itself is huge- it stretches all the way across the stage, and up into the stands on either side, and it's somewhere around 4o feet tall when it's complete. They use all of it, projecting images on it during the show. It was actually kind of fascinating watching as it got bigger, until it was finally finished by the end of the first set, blocking out the band completely. (I wish I could have seen it from the band's perspective, and what was going on behind it.) It's difficult, if not impossible, to take in everything that is going on all at once. In addition to the wall, there were also the giant puppets of the schoolmaster, Mother, and Pink's wife. There was also a plane that shoots across the arena to crash into the wall, and even the famous inflatable pig makes an appearance
.
Roger was in excellent voice, and while I am not really familiar with them, the band is just fantastic, that is really what I think.
They played nearly note perfect versions of all of the songs, which were done almost identical to the album, with a few exceptions. The sound was excellent, though at a few points I wished they would turn the volume up a little.
(I shouldn't be able to hear people talking at a rock concert
)
There were many goosebump moments for me. One particularly cool one was during
Mother, which Roger played on an acoustic guitar along with a video of himself playing the same song 30 years ago.
Comfortably Numb did not disappoint, and the guitar solo, played by Dave Kilminster (? not sure) from the top of the wall, was just awesome.
Those who have seen the movie (or remember the MTV videos) will recognize Gerald Scarfe's animations, but there is just something about 40-foot-tall marching hammers that is just mind-blowing.
Another high point, of course, was the entire arena chanting, "Tear down the wall!" before it was toppled.
As far as the "message" of the show, it's been updated for today's times; a major theme is war. The show begins with an image of Roger's father, who was killed in WWII, but quickly moves to photos (which were submitted by family members) of soldiers who have been killed in the current conflict. More photos are projected on the wall during the intermission. There's a very poignant montage during
Bring the Boys Back Home that brought tears to my eyes. Roger takes a stab at the government and consumerism as well, especially during
Goodbye Blue Sky.
(I just found an interesting video about the show here; Roger talks about it, as well as a few clips of the production:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKaU20Ho2G0)
All in all, it was just an amazing show, and one that really has to be experienced to fully appreciate. Those folks who are going are really in for a treat- I wish I could go again.
If anyone was wondering about cameras, small ones are allowed provided a flash is not used. I wish I had known this, as I would have brought mine. It's probably a good thing I didn't though, as I wanted to take pics, but at the same time I just wanted to watch the show without being distracted by fiddling with a camera. I did manage to snap a few with my cell phone, and these are a few of the better ones:
Here the schoolmaster puppet is in the right of the picture; it gives you some idea of the scale of this thing:
I don't remember what song this was, but it was somewhere in the middle of the first set, and you can see little views of the band peeking through openings in the wall, which were eventually filled in:
The famous flying pig:
