Pink Floyd at the Knebworth Festival. Knebworth Park, 5th July 1975
Line-up: Pink Floyd; Steve Miller Band; Captain Beefheart; Roy Harper and Trigger; Linda Lewis; Graham Chapman (Monty Python); DJ’s John Peel & Pete Drummond.
This was my second visit to Knebworth, after seeing the Allman Brothers headline at the first festival in 1974. A group of mates had organised a coach to take us down there; it left on the Friday night (after closing time of course) from outside the Londonderry pub and got us to the site in the early hours of Saturday morning. The line-up for the day was pretty strong, but we were all there to see the Floyd play Dark Side of the Moon. Attendance was much higher than the previous year, there seemed to be a lot of people there. Ticket price was a bargain at £2.75 (one day I really must try to do a comparison with today’s prices). Linda Lewis opened the day and was her usual chirpy self; a great start to the festivities. Jesus was dancing down the front. Monty Python’s Graham Chapman kept popping up to entertain us between bands, although some of his humour was lost in the vast space between stage and crowd. Peel was DJ for the day (as was the norm for festivals in those days) along with Pete Drummond. 
Next up was Roy Harper, a favourite of mine whose set was in two parts; the first featuring Roy playing acoustically with a small orchestra conducted by David Bedford. He then strapped on his electric guitar and was joined by his band Trigger which featured Chris Spedding on guitar (ex Jack Bruce band, and soon to be solo star with “Mororbikin'” 🙂 ), Dave Cochrane on bass and Bill Bruford on drums (ex Yes and King Crimson). Roy had a chat with us all, as he always did, and played some great songs including the classic “Another Day”. The late great and magnificent Captain Beefheart booglarised us, confusing some of the audience who just thought he was weird (which of course he was, but he was also excellent). Steve Miller was next. We’d all heard the classic song “The Joker” of course, but looking at published setlists of his performance that day, it seems that he didn’t play it (which I find hard to believe, bet we were disappointed); to be honest I don’t recall much about his set. There was then a long wait before Floyd came on. Soon two spitfires were flying overhead to herald Floyd’s arrival on stage. The show was similar to that which I had seen at Newcastle Odeon a year previously; they had their large circular screen, and the first half of their set featured new songs which would ultimately appear on Wish You Were Here and Animals. The second half was Dark Side of the Moon, with Echoes as the encore. 
Just before the start of Dark Side of the Moon a plane flew down over the crowd (travelling down a wire from the lighting tower) and crashed into the stage. And then came the familiar opening voice “I’ve been mad for f***ing years, absolutely years…..” and the haunting laughter….and we were off, witnessing the last performance of DSOTM by the Floyd with Roger Waters. It would be another 30 years until I saw this line-up play some of it again at Live 8 in Hyde Park; but that’s a story for a few days time. The sound wasn’t great from where we were sitting, but it was amazing to see them perform their classic album in a field on a cool summer’s evening. Echoes was the perfect closer for the day. Then it was out of the field through the crowds and campsites (and chants of “Wally”) and back on bus, and up the A1. Actually I think we were missing one guy, and had to wait a little before the driver decided he would leave without him. We then saw the guy hitching at the side of the road and picked him up. We were back in the early hours of Sunday morning, tired but with the sound of Echoes still running through our heads.
My friends John and Susan were also on the coach. Susan’s memories of the day: I don’t remember very much about the acts apart from Pink Floyd and I think that was because I was so thankful that it meant the festival was almost over! I remember the day as sitting on a blanket in a damp field amongst thousands of people (and a few small dogs), with mist and drizzle falling pretty much all day, being absolutely starving and having to use the most horrendous bathroom facilities I had ever encountered. I remember being terrified that we would miss the bus home, and I have never been so thankful as I was to see the Toll Bar on that Sunday morning!
Setlist: Raving and Drooling (Sheep); You’ve got to be Crazy (Dogs); Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts 1 to 5); Have a Cigar (with Roy Harper); Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts 6 to 9); Speak to Me; Breathe; On the Run; Time; Breathe (Reprise); The Great Gig in the Sky; Money; Us and Them; Any Colour You Like; Brain Damage; Eclipse. Encore: Echoes. The image of Knebworth House is reproduced here through the permissions of the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
Archive for the ‘Pink Floyd’ Category
21 Jan
Pink Floyd Newcastle Odeon 8th November 1974
Pink Floyd Newcastle 1974
Pink Floyd issued The Dark Side of the Moon in March 1973, over a year after I’d seen them perform early versions of the songs at a concert at Newcastle City Hall. Dark Side of the Moon was a massive and immediate success, topping the US LP chart and reaching No 2 in the UK chart. It remained in the chart for 741 weeks from 1973 to 1988. Pink Floyd did a short winter tour of the UK in late 1974, stopping off for two nights at Newcastle Odeon. I attended the first of the two nights. The concert comprised two sets, the first set consisting of new material, and the second being a performance of their latest album (Dark Side of the Moon). They would retain a similar format for their next tour. Floyd said little to the audience; they wandered quietly on stage and performed the music, illuminated by an impressive light show, and a large circular screen, which showed a series of videos recorded to accompany each song.
The first set consisted of three songs; a lengthy version of Shine on You Crazy Diamond (which was to appear on “Wish You Were Here” the following year and sounded amazing on first hearing) and early versions of Sheep and Dogs (which were to develop and would later appear on “Animals” in 1977). The concert was excellent; technically perfect though the band appeared distant. The programme (pictured here) took the form of a great little “The Pink Floyd” comic: “A Super All-Action Official Music Programme for Boys and Girls!” and featured stories about each band member who became “Rog of the Rovers”, “Captain Mason R.N.”, “Rich Right £”, and “Dave Derring” (Wizzo stuff 🙂 ).
First Set: Shine On You Crazy Diamond; Raving and Drooling (early version of “Sheep”); You’ve Got to Be Crazy (early version of “Dogs”).
Second Set: Speak to Me; Breathe; On the Run; Time; The Great Gig in the Sky; Money; Us and Them; Any Colour You Like; Brain Damage; Eclipse. Encore: Echoes.
Pink Floyd: David Gilmour; Roger Waters; Richard Wright; Nick Mason.
Additional tour musicians: Dick Parry (saxophone); The Blackberries (Venetta Fields & Carlena Williams; backing vocals).
“You reached for the secret too soon, you cried for the moon.
Shine on you crazy diamond” (Pink Floyd, 1974).
20 Jan
Pink Floyd Newcastle City Hall 27 January 1972
Pink Floyd Newcastle City Hall 27 January 1972
I first saw Pink Floyd at Newcastle City Hall in 1972. The date of the concert was changed as I recall; I went through the week before, not knowing the gig had been postponed by week or so, and had to come home again. I returned on the correct night, without a ticket for the sold out gig, and managed to buy one outside for face value. The first thing I noticed were four large PA speakers set out in the corners of the hall. I’d read in the music papers of their quadrophonic sound system, so I knew that I was about to experience something quite different to any other concert I’d been to before. The show was in two sets; I sat and waited. As a 15 year old I was totally immersed in the music and the event; no sneaking down to the bar for me in those days. Pink Floyd introduced their new composition “Eclipse (A Piece For Assorted Lunatics)” and played it in full during the first half of the concert. “Eclipse” was to develop into “The Dark Side Of The Moon” in the coming months, and the titles of the tracks changed during that period. A few of the tracks were apparently played as instrumentals in some of the earlier concerts. I definitely remember them (Roger I think) introducing it as “Eclipse” and I also recall the voice “I’ve been mad for f**ing years…” swirling around the hall; and the clock, the heartbeat and that laugh reverberating around and around us, switching between the four speakers. None of us knew what to expect of course; I nearly jumped out of my seat when I heard the laugh come at me from a speaker behind me at the back of the hall, and at very high volume. Just incredible. Even then, hearing the piece for the first time, you just knew it was unique.
After a short internal the Floyd returned to play a set of classics; starting with “One of These Days” from “Meddle” (a favourite of mine at the time) which was their most recent album at that time. Roger’s bass vibrated through the hall; to be followed by lots of screaming in “Careful With That Axe, Eugene”. Another thing that sticks in mind was the elevated lighting rig, which stood at the back of the stage behind the band, and was unlike anything I had seen before. Towards the end of the show the rig swirled up to the ceiling drowning the hall in myriad coloured lights. Very effective and actually quite spooky. I would imagine by today’s standards it would seem pretty basic, but at the time is was state of the art stuff, and all added to the mysterious of the Floyd in concert. The second closed with the beautiful “Echoes” and the haunting “Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun” with its heartbeat drum beat, and closing with Roger beating a fire-lit gong.
I was totally blown away by the performance, and bored everyone at school for weeks, telling them how great Pink Floyd (and they were great indeed 🙂 ). A memory I will keep with me forever (at least I hope so…and if my memory does go, one of the purposes of this blog is to remind me).
Set 1: Speak To Me; Breathe; The Travel Sequence; Time; Home Again; The Mortality Sequence (aka “Religion”); Money; The Violent Sequence; Scat; Lunatic; Eclipse
Set 2: One Of These Days; Careful With That Axe, Eugene; Echoes; Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun
Pink Floyd members in 1972: Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Nick Mason, Richard Wright
“I’ve been mad for f***ing years, absolutely years, been over the edge for yonks, been working me buns off for bands…I’ve always been mad, I know I’ve been mad, like the most of us…very hard to explain why you’re mad, even if you’re not mad…” (Speak to Me, Mason, 1972)
13 Feb
David Gilmour Royal Albert Hall London 2006
David Gilmour Royal Albert Hall London 2006
I went to this gig with David, having bought tickets at the last moment, just before they sold out. I was dithering about whether it was worth the trip to London to see David Gilmour, and by the time I decided I would take the plunge, the only tickets left were standing tickets right up in the gallery looking down on the stage. Security for the concert was such that no tickets were issued and we had to turn up at the Albert Hall with photo ID to obtain entrance to the concert. The tour was to support Gilmour’s new release On An Island, and much of the set was drawn from that album. The tour stopped at the Albert Hall for three nights, and further shows were added including Manchester Bridgewater Hall, which I would have preferred to attend. The set was a mix of tracks from the new album and a good selection of Pink Floyd classics. Gilmour’s band for the concerts was
old Floyd mate Rick Wright on Hammond organ, piano, and synthesizer; from Roxy Music: Phil Manzanera on guitar; Dick Parry on saxophones; Guy Pratt on bass; Jon Carin on synthesizer and Steve DiStanislao on drums. There were also a number of superb special guests including Crosby and Nash, Robert Wyatt, and for the encores the band was joined by Nick Mason on drums, making this in effect a Pink Floyd concert, or at least the same line-up as the last version of Floyd. The lightshow was subtle, but amazing; one of the best that I have ever seen. And I was delighted to see them play Arnold Layne, which I never imagined I would see performed live. It was also great to hear Shine on Your Crazy Diamond and my personal Floyd favourite Echoes, both of which were played true to the original. An amazing gig, and easily on par with some of the Floyd or Roger Waters performances I have attended. My only regret was that we didn’t go along on the first night, when Gilmour was joined by David Bowie for Arnold Layne. Now that would have been amazing to see. Setlist:
Speak to Me; Breathe; Time; Breathe (Reprise); Castellorizon; On An Island (with Crosby & Nash); The Blue (with Crosby & Nash; Red Sky At Night; This Heaven; Then I Close My Eyes (with Robert Wyatt); Smile; Take A Breath; A Pocketful Of Stones; Where We Start; Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V) (with Crosby & Nash); Fat Old Sun; Dominoes; Arnold Layne; Coming Back to Life; High Hopes; The Great Gig in the Sky (with Mica Paris); Echoes. Encore: Find the Cost of Freedom (with Crosby & Nash); Wish You Were Here (with Nick Mason); Comfortably Numb (with Nick Mason). A DVD of the concert, entitled Remember That Night, was released in 2007.
22 May
Roger Waters The Wall Manchester Arena 21 May 2011
Roger Waters The Wall Manchester Arena 21 May 2011
Just got up this morning. Still tired from driving back from Manchester from last night’s show, which was absolutely fantastic. This must be the most impressive show I have ever seen in terms of visuals and production. If you get a chance to go and see it; do so; you won’t regret it.
I should start by saying that I have never been a fan of (some of the music on) The Wall album. In fact, having see the Floyd tours in the 70s (including Meddle-era, Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Knebworth, Animals) I missed out on The Wall shows at Earls Court. I’d grown a little tired of their ever expanding stage shows, and I just didn’t get The Wall concept. I was also heavily into the punk/new wave ethos at that time, which probably influenced my decision to stay away. However over the years I’ve bitterly regretted missing those shows as, even though I still feel the album is not the best of Pink Floyd’s work, I now realise their significance. So I thought it was time to go and see Rogers Waters new production of his masterpiece.
I arrived at the cavernous Manchester Arena early, and took my seat in the lower tier. The Wall was partly built, and the stage set for what promised to be something pretty spectacular. I hadn’t actually given much thought to how spectacular it might be, and I was actually surprised by the scale, detail and impact of the whole production. The story of The Wall is now well known. It is one of Roger’s own isolation and draws on themes of war, injustice, politics, oppression and inequality. All of these are of course still relevant today and Roger has brought the production up to date to include representations of current political and world issues. Modern technology has also enabled Roger to produce a spectacle which just couldn’t have been done in the same way 30 years ago.
The effects are too numerous to mention. The flying pig returns, but he is much more impressive than the beast that flew over my head in Wembley Empire Pool on the Animals tour (how on earth was this modern pig controlled?). There are inflatables of the teacher and mother. Roger sings along with video footage of himself from Earls Court. The wall is gradually built throughout the first half of the show, and becomes a massive video screen, displaying images of fallen war heroes and of the album’s storyline. By the end of the first half the wall is complete and Roger and the band disappear behind it. The giant wall stays in place for much of the second half, with Roger and the band popping out of holes in the wall, and performing in front and on top of it. At one point Roger slides out of the wall, sitting in a loving room singing to us. Everyone in the arena (except me) seems to know (and sign) every word of the album. Roger is quite talkative and tells us he is different person to the young man who performed the Wall at Earls Court. The climax comes with us all chanting “Break down the wall” and the wall collapses in front of our eyes.
This must be the most spectacular show on the road; it is certainly streets ahead of anything I’ve ever seen before. I found it breathtaking, moving and utterly compelling. Although I know little of the album (apart from Another Brick and Comfortably Numb) I wasn’t bored for a single minute (and I often am at shows). Stunning. I wish I could go again.
Setlist:
First Half: In the Flesh?; Thin Ice; Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 1; Happiest Days of Our Lives; Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2; Mother; Goodbye Blue Sky; Empty Spaces; What Shall We Do Now?; Young Lust; One of My Turns; Don’t Leave Me Now; Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 3; Last Few Bricks; Goodbye Cruel World
Second Half: Hey You; Is There Anybody Out There?; Nobody Home; Vera; Bring the Boys Back Home; Comfortably Numb; Show Must Go On; In the Flesh; Run Like Hell; Waiting for the Worms; Stop; Trial; Outside the Wall
The Band:
Drums: Graham Broad
Guitars: Dave Kilminster, G.E. Smith, Snowy White
Bass: Roger Waters
Keyboards: Jon Carin, Harry Waters
Lead Vocals: Robbie Wyckoff, Roger Waters
Backing Vocals: Jon Joyce, Mark Lennon, Michael Lennon, Kipp Lennon
Roger Waters website: www.roger-waters.com
programme
ticket
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