June 23rd - PENGROWTH SADDLEDOME, CALGARY, ALBERTA, CANADA
saddledome
calgary_ticket_best

Capacity: TBC

Concert starts: 8pm

Address of venue: 555 Saddledome Rise SE, Calgary, AB, T2G 2W1, CanadaMAP

Website: www.pengrowthsaddledome.com

Tickets for this concert went on sale on February 24th, through www.ticketmaster.ca, and other normal agents. Apologies for the poor quality of the ticket scan to the right - if anyone wants to help out with a better quality scan, we'd love to see it!

SET LIST - highlight the following with your mouse to read...
FIRST HALF: In The Flesh, Mother, Set The Controls For the Heart Of The Sun, Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Have A Cigar, Wish You Were Here, Southampton Dock, The Fletcher Memorial Home, Perfect Sense parts 1 and 2, Leaving Beirut, Sheep.
SECOND HALF:
Dark Side of the Moon. ENCORE: The Happiest Days Of Our Lives, Another Brick In The Wall (Pt 2), Vera, Bring the Boys back Home, Comfortably Numb.

WARNING - SPOILERS AHEAD!

Do not read on if you don't want surprises to be spoilt, regarding what the band played!

The second of four consecutive Canadian shows towards the end of the 2007 tour, and a show that blew away any cobwebs apparently!

rw_review_calgary_sun_michael_spekeMore cameras and booms in evidence, along with notices as people entered, regarding filming - not doing anything to dispel the talk of a tour DVD, despite the official line being that the footage is purely for Roger's own archives. Let's hope that Roger's arm can be twisted so that it gets a release - such an incredible tour deserves to be preserved on a DVD!

To see what the local press thought of it, check out the scan to the left that Michael Speke kindly sent us of a review from the Calgary Sun.

CONCERT COMMENTS - by BD contributer, Sam Lee

The Roger Waters Calgary show was electrifying and that is an absolute understatement. I will post a full review and pictures from the front row and center - yes! best seats in the house, literally – soon, as I am still on the road.

However, I can tell you that there were large signs posted at the stadium entrances stating that the show was being recorded. A friend who attended the Portland Oregon “In The Flesh” concert also mentioned seeing similar bulletins stating that the Portland show was being recorded, and that show ultimately was used for the “In The Flesh” DVD. I am virtually certain that barring any unforeseen circumstances, this show will be released on DVD!

Again, a full review and my pictures from “front row center” will follow soon!

CONCERT REVIEW - by BD contributer, Alicia Kaes

I have to say that being a young Pink Floyd fan, brought up on it from my parents, I was extremely excited to go and see Roger Waters live.

And my expectations were above and beyond fulfilled. This was by far the best concert I have ever been to. Absolutely amazing and if I never see another concert again it would not matter because I do not think that anything will come close to this. In one word:  Brilliant.

Thank You so much for the wonderful experience that I will never forget.

CONCERT PICTURES - courtesy of BD contributer, Doug Keller

calgary_1 calgary_2 calgary_3
calgary_4 calgary_5 calgary_6

CONCERT REVIEW - by BD contributer, Dan Kelly

The last time I saw RW was June 2002 in Wembley Arena. Nothing will ever top those two shows, tonight (and Sunday in Edmonton) however was as close as he could get. As usual the audio/visual presentation was amazing. We were in row 14 on the floor and the first real WOW came during "Have a Cigar" with Dave Kilminster on guitar. Man can this guy play! I am a huge David Gilmour fan but trust me folks he is well represented by Dave Kilminster, Snowy White and Andy Fairweather-Low.

I'm one of the few big fans of the "Final Cut" and Southampton Dock and Fletcher Memorial were extremely well done and the audience seemed to receive the message well. As good as the 2nd half was, the last two songs in the first half were probably the highlight for me. "Leaving Beirut" was proceeded by Roger explaining his trip to Lebanon when he was 17. The song was fantastic, it was the first time I had heard it. The crowd loved his message to George Bush. Sheep was amazing. The sound, the lights, the pictures and of course the pig accompanied by confetti raining down on the floor audience. If the show would have ended at the half, no one would have left disappointed.

The second half was also unforgettable. The crowd was really fired up after the first half and in anticipation of the entire DSOTM. The sound, light and visual display during Speak to Me, Breathe and On the Run was absolutely hypnotizing. Graham Broad's drum work at the beginning of Time was fantastic. Again the guitar work by Dave Kilminster and Snowy White was stellar.

The vocals (I'm not sure which one Katie Kissoon, Carol Kenyon, or P.P. Arnold) on Great Gig in the Sky were absolutely fantastic. The ladies were wonderful all night. The saxophone by Ian Ritchie on Money and Us and Them was really well done. He didn't miss a beat. Brain Damage and Eclipse were the crowd favourites and we all sang along with Roger. The applause Roger received after Eclipse can only be compared to a Calgary Flames goal in the 2005 Stanley Cup Finals.

CONCERT PICTURE - courtesy of BD contributer, Michael Speke
calgary_ms

CONCERT REVIEW and PICTURES - by BD contributer, Dan R. DeLuca

Saturday night at the Saddledome in Calgary was brilliant, amazing, once-in-a-lifetime... as usual for Roger Waters. My friend and I traveled from Boise, Idaho to the Vancouver, BC show Thursday, then drove the day in-between shows to Calgary. The 12 hour drive and $650 front row tickets were more than worth it. (Not bragging, just a huge fan! Okay, a little bragging!)

The Saddledome shares land with a casino and after playing Black Jack with other Waters’ fans, we passed through the ticket gates where signs were hung at every entrance saying the show was being video recorded (looks like a DVD is in the works). The atmosphere was electric and smoke of all kinds was in the air.

The show started 10 minutes after the said start time and the same set used elsewhere was begun. Even after catching Waters on this tour four times – at the Hollywood Bowl and at Shoreline Amphitheater in 2006 and Vancouver and Calgary in 2007 - watching him point his fingers to the crowd and yell "So ya, thought ya, might like to go to the show" in "In the Flesh" always gets my heart pumping. After getting through a few more popular Floyd songs, the evening really starts. Waters digs into his own material and gets political, and a little more theatrical.

 He takes a seat and plays two tracks from the Final Cut (a Waters solo album as said by Nick Mason himself in "Inside Out"). One of them is Fletcher Memorial Home, where his face wrinkles and squints to every word as he displays his passion for his cause to the crowd. He is still motivated to be heard and determined to push for change. Next, while his backing vocalist takes the lead during Perfect Sense, Waters goes from side to side of the stage and yells the lines to a standing and thankful crowd near the corners. The sound system really begins to shine during this number and by the end there is a standing ovation from front to back of the Saddledome.

calgary_dd1 When the mood is just right, RW introduces his newest and most directly pointed song, Leaving Beirut. The crowd in Calgary intently listens to and reads every word, with lyrics displayed across the huge high definition screen which wraps the stage. Every verse ending is met with wild cheers of support from the audience. He finishes the first set with Sheep from the under rated Animals album and announces they will "be back in 15 minutes to perform Dark Side of the Moon."

Not many surprises stand out during Dark Side. The sound is great, the parts are performed perfectly, Waters never ceases to amaze and it all takes 45 minutes. When RW comes out for the encore, he thanks the crowd and says "Canadian audiences have always been the best audiences to us in North America." Every one sings along to Brick in the Wall, pinches themselves during Comfortably Numb and gives strangers high-fives. Cameras are flashing everywhere.

calgary_dd2 Side Note #1: While reading local newspaper reviews of the Vancouver and Calgary shows, I noted that both reviews had errors. The Vancouver review called "The Final Cut" a Waters solo album much like I did but without the sarcasm; they really thought it was his. The Calgary review said "Waters looked uncomfortably on stage." Not only did RW not look uncomfortable, it was the greatest performance I've ever seen. I guess the news writer just had to find something else to say besides "WOW!"

Side Note #2: A pamphlet call the "Pink Floyd Press," or something close to that was being handed out after the shows. It was printed by a religious group using the concert to reach potential new members. The 4-page "newspaper" contained only random references to anything Floyd and instead discussed the group’s personal beliefs alongside pictures of the band during the Dark Side era.

Last Updated ( Monday, 16 July 2007 )