M U S I C

Roger Waters @ Sydney Entertainment Centre - Saturday 6 April 2002 (published The Drum Media May 2002)

There are bands that endure themselves to generations of music fans. The Doors. Led Zeppelin. And certainly Pink Floyd. Driving force Roger Waters had not played here since touring with the Floyd in the '70s. Some 20 years later it was time for his return. And Sydney was ready.

Roger Waters stood on an elevated platform, majestic, as the opening notes from "In the Flesh" pounded. His hair was still too long to be conservative, and the silver mane shimmered under the yellow lights. The roof of the entertainment centre lined with speakers ensured each member of the audience would feel every note resonate in their chest.

The tour program recounted Waters' inhibitions about performing, and so interaction with the audience of any kind was minimal. What the concert lacked in intimacy was compensated for in grandeur. In recent times the rock concert has distinguished itself from live theatre. Musicians prefer the music to speak for itself, and other elements are minimal. A Roger Waters concert breaks down this barrier. A large movie screen playing still images and animations acted almost as another musician. And I haven�t seen a band use pyrotechnics since Bon Jovi.

There was so much going on but the music was the real focus. Absorbing this concert for almost three hours forces you to appreciate the sheer body of work that he has produced. The set was predominantly made up of Pink Floyd material, guaranteed to have the audience singing along. The band was flawless; particularly the guitarists who managed to pull off the solo in "Comfortably Numb".

Despite the comfortable familiarity of Pink Floyd songs Roger Waters chose to encore with a solo piece, "Flickering Flame". Most of us couldn't sing along, but we could clap. As the final notes faded out we gave Roger Waters the standing ovation that he so richly deserved. We can only hope that he does not leave us waiting so long for his return.