Live Review and Photos by: JACOB GAITAN
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum has evolved into an annual location for music’s top leading performers, attracting large audiences for summer specials. Last years L.A Rising concert headlined by Rage Against the Machine drew a capacity crowd, setting a tone for the next contender. Much like the torch that burns freely atop the outdoor sports stadium, Roger Waters carried that blaze into another dimension with his full performance of ‘The Wall.’ The last time Waters performed in Southern California, the show was confined to indoor arenas but the imagery and subtext found in every verse cried out for an opened air spectacle.
Standing at 68 years old and full of life, Waters pressed the boundaries of passion, art and excitement across a stage that extended five hundred feet. Bricks excelled thirty feet high and provided a backdrop for elaborate theatrical effects. Massive projectors and multimedia visuals made it impossible for anyone to have an obstructed view. ‘The Wall’ was much more than your typical concert; it was a profound Broadway experience that visually penetrated every mind in the crowd. Each move seemed to be choreographed and executed seamlessly as Waters’ interacted with the pixel imagery reflecting the bricks, which displayed vivid explosions and collisions across the wall.
The night was split into two sections, performing each song in chronological order with an intermission between the double albums. Each song contained a unique optical approach yet maintained the classic attractions like a giant infallible pig floating across the audience and massive school master puppets that rattled fans up front. During ‘Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2,)’ a choir of young children shared their talents and sang one of the most well known musical choruses “we don’t need no education, we don’t need no thought control” while protesting in unison with their fists pumping back and forth to the audience.
Aside from Waters’ strutting across stage with his bass, he was accompanied by a twelve-person band that combined guitar solos, trumpets,
organs, keyboards, ukuleles, banjos and mandolins creating the albums prolific sound. During every song, loud effects and lingering voice-overs added an eerie tone, capturing the concept albums essence before a live audience. The imagery projected on stage often displayed a post Orwell regime with Big Brother monitoring everyone’s move. Helicopter sounds made it seem as if anti-tank aircrafts hovered over fans and spotlights blinded random spectators while Waters’ forcefully pointed along, eagerly leading to the grand finale where the wall crumbles.
‘The Wall’ began thirty-two years ago at the Memorial Sports Arena with a seven consecutive night performance and returned to its origin with superior technology that Waters’ himself would of never envisioned. The theoretical rock debacle is a show that must be experienced live. Since mid 2010, close to two million tickets have been sold and over a quarter billion dollars have been generated across one hundred and fifty cities globally. Waters’ continues his well-oiled machine across North America for the next eight weeks concluding in Quebec City.
Photos by: JACOB GAITAN
Setlist
01 “In The Flesh?”
02 “The Thin Ice”
03 “Another Brick In The Wall Part 1″
04 “The Happiest Days of Our Lives”
05 “Another Brick In The Wall Part 2″
06 “Mother”
07 “Goodbye Blue Sky”
08 “Empty Spaces”
09 “What Shall We Do Now?”
10 “Young Lust”
11 “One Of My Turns”
12 “Don’t Leave Me Now”
13 “Another Brick In The Wall Part 3″
14 “The Last Few Bricks”
15 “Goodbye Cruel World”
16 “Hey You”
17 “Is There Anybody Out There?”
18 “Nobody Home”
19 “Vera”
20 “Bring The Boys Back Home”
21 “Comfortably Numb”
22 “The Show Must Go On”
23 “In The Flesh”
24 “Run Like Hell”
25 “Waiting For The Worms”
26 “Stop”
27 “The Trial”
28 “Outside The Wall”
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