Roger Waters transformed KeyArena into a place where pigs flew, lunatics were on the grass and lost souls swam in a fish bowl Thursday night.
Waters and a 10-piece band performed more than two hour’s worth of material spanning the epic catalog of his former band, Pink Floyd, taking the capacity crowd on a masterful, mind-bending and, at times, seemingly maniacal musical journey. Of course, that’s maniacal in a way that reflects the twisted genius of what many consider to be the greatest rock band of all time.
The set began with “In the Flesh,” one of several tracks from “The Wall” that were performed, including “Mother” and, of course, “Another Brick in the Wall (Parts 1&2)” along with “The Happiest Days of Our Lives.” From the iconic imagery of marching hammers to the unmistakable bass riff to “Money,” the show was 100 percent Floydian in nature.
A large inflatable pig with “Impeach Bush Now” and other political messages written on its sides hovered over the crowd during “Sheep.” Only at a concert filled with performances of Pink Floyd songs could a pig fly, and the floating swine made it feel like the real deal despite Waters being the only member of the band on stage.
The absence of former Floyd bandmate David Gilmour was heavily felt during the songs on which where his vocal parts were handled by a guitarist or keyboard player. But Waters made up for that with a gripping new solo song that, in keeping with the Floyd tradition, heavily criticizes the current political climate.
The centerpiece of the show was the performance of Floyd’s landmark record “Dark Side of the Moon” in its entirety during the second half of the concert. The album, released in 1973, seems to transform into something different each time you listen to it. (Ask anyone who has watched “The Wizard of Oz” while listening to “Dark Side.”) It was more powerful and grandiose performed live, making Waters’ concert one of the best, if not most ambitious, shows of the year.
But there were no images of Dorothy or Oz on display during “Dark Side,” just songs about lunatics, time and money and that thumping heartbeat signaling the entrance and exit points of madcap journey maestroed by rock’s most epic songwriter.
