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These [the cd's] were compiled from a handful of shows: Phoenix, Arizona; Las Vegas, Nevada; Irvine, California; and Portland, Oregon (the Portland show will be released in its entirety in a special DVD in the spring), and James Guthrie (the man we can thank for The Wall Live) did a great job here in choosing the best performances from each of these shows to compile the ultimate representation of this past year's tour. The explosive opener, "In the Flesh," gets us right into it, beginning an all-too-short but oh-so-sweet string of songs from The Wall, which Roger has always considered his greatest work. Doyle Bramhall and Snowy White, the two lead guitarists on this tour, leave stinging solos on "Another Brick in the Wall Part 2," thus pumping new life into an old and often wearing radio staple. "Mother" is also simply amazing, with Doyle adding his own unique flavor to Gilmour's powerful solo, and Katie Kissoon and P.P. Arnold singing Gilmour's verses are another great tweak to this Floyd classic.
Then it's on to Roger's traditional live representation of probably the least-listened Floyd album, "The Final Cut." Although I was hoping for "The Gunner's Dream" or the title track, I figured Rog would revert to this little acoustic segue, just as he did on his '87 KAOS tour, and I suppose it fits better into the flow of the performance. This is a touching set of acoustic tracks that really speaks to the heart of Roger's traditional anti-war sentiments. They lead us nicely into Pigs On the Wing (I was hoping for a Snowy White electric solo bridging parts 1 and 2, but hey, you can't always get what you want).
Now for one of the major highlights of this set. "Dogs" is 16 plus minutes of absolute sonic brilliance. Turn the volume up for this one. Jon Carin again shows his many talents, opening the track with acoustic guitar and vocals and immediately moving into the keyboard section, the guitar still hanging around him. If you're reluctant to hear the sometimes Stevie Ray Vaughan-like Doyle Bramhall II play Floyd tunes, you should put that worry to rest here. He absolutely tears through this Floyd classic, stomping all over the album version (as good as that was!) by nailing all of Gilmour's notes and adding a bunch of string-twisting and mind-bending of his own. It's an absolute must hear, and his unique blue-note vocals are an excellent replacement for Gilmour's.
From there we move into the WYWH section of the show which closes set one. Welcome to the Machine is great, with a few nice touches to complement the album version, and the title track of that album, Wish You Were Here, provides one of the points for which Gilmour fans can stand firm upon. His vocals are missed here, if you expect the straight album sound, but it is refreshing to hear the songwriter himself sing his own song. The crowd never failed to join in word for word on this one. Doyle's relaxed and touching solo is an excellent example of his amazing versatility here, too.
Shine On is another highlight of this set. Although Snowy White is not David Gilmour and does not do a perfect job with the opening notes, he more than makes up for it later on into this long track in one of his many duels with Doyle, and again, it's great to hear Roger's voice on his own song - he actually had the lead vocals on the original album version, too. This is a touching tribute to Syd, complete with a Syd collage backdrop which will hopefully be seen on the DVD. (Another thing that merits mention here is that Jon Carin, who has already played acoustic guitar and keyboards while singing at the same time, plays slide guitar on this track - simply an amazing musician, and a great guy as it turns out).
On to set two - am I ever long-winded!
Roger opens it with a Floyd classic, and the first song he ever wrote that appeared on an album, "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun." Borrowing the vast majority of the lyrics from an ancient Chinese poet, the nicest addition here to this traditionally acoustic number is the sudden explosion of sound from Doyle's guitar in a newly-added electric solo - this is another performance that just rips through your stereo.
Next it's onto a great medley of Dark Side material. Doyle's affections for "Breathe" can be heard in his refreshing vocals on this track, and the band performs all of these songs masterfully. Time is another great highlight of this set, with Roger taking Gilmour's vocals for the first time ever, and it's wonderful to hear him on his own song again. Doyle, who sang the entire song himself only in the first few shows of the '99 leg, takes Rick Wright's vocals well, and also contributes a blistering solo. Money, which has grown old and weary on the ears of most loyal and long-standing fans, is strengthened here by a refreshing solo from Andy Fairweather-Low (part of a three pronged guitar attack on this song), which Roger mentioned in a recent interview as being the highlight that everyone in the band looked forward to every night.
Finally we get some solo material. Every Stranger's Eyes is my favorite track off the Pros and Cons album, and even though Rog lip-sync's the final high-note verses (and it's no big deal - it's obvious, but it still sounds great!), the song is filled with emotion. We then move into what Rog considers one of his three best works (right there with The Wall and Dark Side), material from his '92 release, Amused to Death. Perfect Sense Parts 1 and 2 simply must be heard, and P.P. Arnold has an overwhelming voice that brought more than a few fans to tears in these shows....
The Bravery of Being Out of Range is nice but lacks the power of the original version (maybe it would've retained that had Doyle played lead on this one?), and it's odd to hear Rog up there playing lead electric guitar. It's a Miracle is a soothing and meaningful inclusion from the ATD album (with a great replication of Jeff Beck's original guitarwork by Snowy White to close it off), and Amused to Death itself is also terrific. Then we get the usual closer of Brain Damage/Eclipse, which still raises the hair on the back of my neck.
Comfortably Numb is another of the biggest highlights of this set, with Doyle and Snowy playing a note-perfect dueling solo to cap off the show and bring the crowd to its feet (those who weren't already standing, anyway). I'm disappointed that Roger's introduction to Each Small Candle was cut off here, but the performance itself is outstanding. It's a touching and haunting track about a story from the recent struggles in Kosovo, done in the traditional Roger style that sounds, to borrow the description of a friend, "like a cross between Us & Them, Amused to Death, and Brothers in Arms by Mark Knopfler. Can't wait to hear that and the other tracks from his new album, if that comes out during my lifetime.
ALL IN ALL, an essential set for any fan of Roger or the Floyd, and if you're interested in a starter set for Floyd material, this isn't a bad choice. It features the band leader reclaiming the bulk of the material that is rightfully his - his children as he calls them - and stringing them together in a magnificent performance with a tight and intensely "live" band.
And in the interests of the customer, Roger made sure to keep the price as low as most single CDs. Read the liner notes to this and you'll see where Roger's inspiration comes from: a connection with the fans, something overwhelmingly present in this set and obviously lacking in the football stadium concerts of his old bandmates...
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