Roger Waters- The Wall 10/24/10

As a 51 year old man (that's 357 in Dogg years), there are few major Rock shows that I've missed through the years. In my minds eye, the most meaningful album of my life was The Wall. Starting out with it on vinyl, moving to cassette, then to CD, VHS, and of course CD, I've burned out many a copy of the 1979 masterpiece. Truly never expected to see if performed life in all its glory. Well.... tonight is my night!

There will be the purist's in the audience that will maintain that The Wall was Pink Floyd, and should never be played without the full original band. I totally disagree; The Wall was primarily Roger Waters, with a little input from David Gilmore and Nick Mason. Since Mason has departed our earth, and Gilmore/Waters are still fighting, this show was a close as we'll ever come.

As always, the dogg was with his bride of 28 years, the ever lovely BLT. Also on hand were two of the biggest Wall fans I know, James and Virgie. Ralph and Christine rounded out our trio of couples. After a nice pre-show bar-b-que at the Townespeoples and a few cocktails in the Comcast Pavilion, it is on to the show. By 7:50 we are settled into our lower level seats in eager anticipation.


It was a rock production unlike any Detroit has seen in recent memory. An incredible and unrelenting spray of pyrotechnics blew us away to get the show started, as Waters and his band launched into “In the Flesh,” first in a nearly 2-1/2 hour set of songs. From there it was a wow-inducing onslaught of stunning visuals, massive inflatable characters and crystalline/perfect audio delivered through a precisely calibrated surround sound setup.

We were most impressed by the wall itself — a 250' long stack of “bricks” placed and layered by stagehands, one by one, through the shows opening half. It was half built when Waters’ vocal quartet unfurled the rich harmonies of “Goodbye Blue Sky.” By the time he reached his show’s intermission to the sounds of “Goodbye Cruel World,” the 40-foot-tall wall imposed itself across the entire stage vista.

The evening closely followed the album almost to the tee, although some songs were enhanced with instrumental breaks. Singing all night long, the Palace crowd was locked in with Waters and the familiar “Wall” story. When the question was sung in “Mother” — “Should I trust the government?” — the crowd broke out with a resounding “No!”


The 67-year-old Waters was in excellent form all night long. the story of the Wall unfolds before us in intricate layers. Could the Wall be based loosely on Syd Barrett's slip into madness in the early Pink Floyd days, or a trip into Water's mind?

There was little crowd interplay between songs, and only Waters’ speaking to the crowd during “Comfortably Numb” pulled the performance away from the story. The concert’s second half found him donning sunglasses and trench coat, his crisply uniformed band behind him as the show pulsed to its climax.

No Pink Floyd work belongs to Waters more than “The Wall.” But there’s no denying the album’s debt to David Gilmour, whose distinct vocals and guitar work are part of the record’s fabric, including a “Comfortably Numb” solo widely regarded as one of rock’s all-time best. Waters’ touring band was up to the task: That song, in particular, featured classy performances from singer Robbie Wyckoff and guitarist Dave Kilminster, appearing atop the wall.

Surround sound effects were absolutely awesome across the arena. Multicolored tears streaked down the wall. Pink Floyd’s old airborne pig, painted black now, floated overhead and at times looked as if it might make impact with the crowd in section 104. Video shown all night on the wall was quite emotional and stirring — scenes of soldiers greeting their families — and stark, including photos of children starved by hunger and war.

The sensory crush made for potent storytelling, the stuff of thrill and surprise even for those familiar with every nook and cranny of the album, who knew the twists and turns ahead. The show’s most-awaited visual moment — the massive wall crashing down into a heap just feet away from the front row — was as jarring as it was magnificent.

It’s rare that a concert is so perfect as this one was. a great crowd that really knew the album, Perfect sound, great visually, intellectually,and believe me, emotionally. This was one of the most intense and riveting rock spectacles we’ve ever experienced.

Crowd A+
Atmosphere A+
Sound A++
Effects A++
Lighting A++
Weather B


Overall A++ and a new show of the year, if not my lifetime!