Saturday, June 30, 2018

Suiting, marching, visiting, bridging...

Playlist
Franck - Symphony in D minor, Symphonic variations, Prelude, choral et fugue
Boyce - The Eight Symphonies (Menihun)
Berwald - Symphonies #1 & 2
Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon
Roger Waters - Is This The Life We Really Want?
Pink Floyd - The Wall
Various Artists - 100 Hits Presents Karaoke
Lou Reed - Satelite of Love '04 [Single]

Half the year away...







Uptown this morning, prepping for nephew Ali's wedding...

New clobber acquired...

On the way back, Armed Forces Day was recorded for posterity - while I admire the sacrifices many of these people have made, I'm not a big believer in the Armed Forces per se...















In the afternoon, visiting my mum in hospital before being able to have a relaxed day tomorrow (kind of) and, at night, enjoying the final episode of "The Bridge IV" with a very satisfactory conclusion...

Today's artwork, "Pipers On Parade"...


Highlight of the Day : The Bridge...

Friday, June 29, 2018

Us and them, literally...

Playlist
Hollywood Vampires - Hollywood Vampires
Gregson - Terminal
Thomas Köner - Kontakt Der Jünglinge - 1
Richard Barbieri - Variants.2
DJ Hell - Misch Masch
Rocket Miner - Elegy
Roger Waters - Is This The Life We Really Want?
Roger Waters - Amused To Death
Pink Floyd - The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn (Mono)
Pink Floyd - A Saucerful Of Secrets
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
Pink Floyd - Animals

Up...


And recording the podcast...

A visitor...


Fang the Black Cat...


...always on the lookout for goodie drops...


Around midday, after getting petrol and a comedy act of trying to check tyre pressures (including a chance meet with Prog Rock Willie, shouting "hey, baldy!!" from his car at the petrol station and possibly inviting me to the Sons of Apollo gig on Monday night in Motherwell, of all places, we drove through to Glasgow and, firstly, my third visit o f the year to Mixed Up at Otago Lane...


...where these were purchased at just £1 a pop...


Then, over to "off Byres Road" for free parking and a walk down to the town...

Took some pics and it was only when we reached Byres Road that I realised I'd not put the card back into my camera after uploading pics this morning...

Idiot...

A new one purchased and the pics were retaken on the way back to the car - so here are the retakes in reverse order...







And this, a test shot, post purchase...


A look around Fopp to no avail...

Lunch at the Hyndland Bookclub..


...was very tasty indeed - including a vegan Sloppy Joe for your correspondent...


Out for a walk around in the far too hot sun...




...which warranted these in the Botanic Gardens...


...before further walking about and enjoying of the views...


















Eventually, it was time to head across to the venue for tonight's concert...


...where we met up with Dr Prog...


Roger Waters US + Them Tour had come to town...


The crew were taking a well earned rest...


In and a (single) drink and sustenance partaken of, before climbing the stairs to the top of the venue...

Considering I'd used O2 Priority to secure tickets the day before general release, that we ended up with this view, was completely ridiculous - but such is 2018 concert -going...


These three seats in the front row should have been ours - who knows how this system works - but if this is "priority" then...



Had to use superzoom just to see the desk...


.and the gantries obscured our view of the screen...


The crowd was an absolute fucking nightmare too...

Talking through every song (but clapping and cheering wildly at the end of each one), in fact, talking louder than Roger Waters' PA, and incessantly going to the bar for drinks - I've never seen so many fucking idiots just wandering around at a gig with multiple drinks in their hands for them and their drunken yabbering mates...

And, of course, there were the attendees who like to watch everything through their phones for some reason...


The show itself and the music were, of course, absolute top notch...


Dr Prog felt Rog was exploiting the children for "Another Brick in the Wall" and was particularly non-plussed by Mr Waters' ranting about Palestine...


End of part one...


...which comprised side one of "Dark Side of the Moon" with "Meddle"'s "One of these Days" replacing "On the Run"...

Then, "Welcome to the Machine" and the title track from "Wish You Were Here" sandwiched the first three songs on "Is This The Life We Really Want?" (cue multiple visits to the bar by morons)...

After the Glasgow audience singalong for "Wish You Were Here", the set ended with "The Happiest Days of Our Lives" and "Another Brick in the Wall Pts 2 & 3"...

In the interlude, there was much alchohol buying by the audience, ensuring hundreds or more were not yet back at their seat for the start of part two, which was signaled by red flashing lights and this on the screen...


The lighting rigs started to move...


...and this appeared...



...and so the set now looked like this...


...as "Animals" came to life with a note for note rendition of "Dogs", followed by a Donald Trump mauling "Pigs (Three Different Ones)"...




Next up, side two of "Dark Side of the Moon", starting with "Money"...


...followed by a frankly amazing rendition of the title track of the tour, "Us and Them"...






Then, from the new LP, "Smell the Roses", featuring images and representations of the subject matter...


...torture...


Roger should just have sat where we were for that...

Onward...

With "Smell the Roses" replacing "Any Colour You Like" on the DSOTM tracklist, it was into "Brain Damage"/"Eclipse" for the finale, as the screens were drawn back up from the middle of the arena...




.and the prism appeared...




A superb show...


And then, the encore...

Not "Comfortably Numb" as expected but, instead, a long speech re Palestine, followed by the closing three tracks from "Is This The Life We Really Want?" (still my current favourite album almost 13 months after its purchase) "Wait For Her/Oceans Apart/Part of Me Died" - a piece which was not played anywhere else in the UK (not even tomorrow in Glasgow) and which has only featured on a couple of nights of the tour...


Yet the to-ing and fro-ing to the bar continued unabated...




...and finally, of course, "Comfortably Numb"...


...complete with poignant guitar solos...


...and, a lasting memory for me, an arse walking up the stairs with his back to the stage during this seminal piece of Pink Floyd wonder, carrying three pints of lager for him and his mates...

Fucksake...

And so it was all over...


Possibly one of the best shows I've witnessed...


...in the company of, definitely, the shittiest, disrespectful audience I've ever encountered...

It was like they were in a pub (that they'd had to pay over £100 to get into) and there just happened to be a band playing but they were more interested in where their next pint was coming from, texting (and, in a couple of cases, actually making phonecalls to people!) and chatting to their mates...

A wonderful show though...



Roger bade us farewell...


...and disappeared...



...and the crowd, no doubt, headed out for more drinks...


And so, today's artwork is, "Which One's Pink"...



Highlight of the Day : Roger Waters...