Bell Centre

Ticket scan - thanks to Simon Cherrier

Capacity: 14,000
Concert starts: 8pm

Address of venue: 1260 De la Gauchetière West , Montreal, Quebec, H3B 5E8. MAP

Website: www.centrebell.ca

The second Canadian show of Roger's tour met with another hugely appreciative crowd, with the Canadian sympathies seemingly coinciding with Roger's. Montreal seems a favourite place of Roger's and he made special comment on this during the show, noting that it was a "great music city".

Tomorrow night the band head back south, over the border again, to play in Bristow, Virginia. If you are going to the show, have a great time and tell us about it!

PRESS REVIEWS

There will be reviews of this show in a number of the local newspapers, and the first of these can be read through the following link at La Presse. As more appear, we will post them here.

Picture thanks to Mario Hebert

SHOW REVIEW

By BD contributor, Gary

I just got back from the show and it was fucking amazing! "A must see!". Roger was at his best. His performance was astounding and unforgettable. Overall, the show was about peace and love; a trip to the past, in search of those good times... The visual effects, the pyros, the pig and astronaut were stunning! The sound was almost perfect despite a few feedbacks during Set the Controls. The crowd got pretty along w/Rogers as his views were similar to ours (canadians, in general). The current political conflicts (lots of anti war and political themes) were conveyed by visual means as the crowd cheered when they played Leaving Beirut and booed on dubya. The lead guitarist blew me away with his solos during Cigar and Comfortably.

SHOW REVIEW

By BD contributor, Cédric Guillot

I was at the RW gig last night in Montreal. It was a geat show, no doubt about it...but there's one thing i'd like to tell you, there was some LIP-SYNCH during some of the songs, there's no doubt about it.

He fucked up during HAVE A CIGAR...the second verse: WELL I'VE ALWAYS HAD A DEEP RESPECT...he started miming too soon at the microphone and there was no sound AT ALL...he moved back from the mic and then he did it again and now there was some sound coming out of his mouth !! It was crystal clear on the giant screen!!!

And then, THE FLETCHER MEMORIAL HOME is totally a playback...hell, the sound of his voice was so clean and so powerful!! He can't sing WISH YOU WERE HERE in the regular register or even BRAIN DAMAGE/ECLIPSE and now Roger at 63 is doing some high pitch vocals !? Come on Roger, cut the crap!! And i have some big doubts about SHEEP as well.

SHOW REVIEW

By BD contributor, Stephen Joel

As a longtime Waters/Barrett/Floyd fan I must admit this was my first actual Waters concert. Wow. The absolute power volume, visuals, props, pyrotechnics, crowd attitude (this American loves Canada), and set list made the $150 tix seem cheap. The experience was priceless. (By the way skip the $60 t-shirts and caps sold inside (junk), go outside during the admission & find the bootlegger selling concert Ts like the old days - $15)

Loved the political attitude, those US fans who booed at previous US shows or walked out must be part of the "money crowd" ("OK he played Money we can leave now"). Or maybe they were just upset they could not figure out which one is Pink. Hopefully these Bush defenders went home and did some reading, or perhaps if they don't care to read much (like George W) they should rent a movie like Exploiting Catastrophe. Regardless, the thoughtful and peace loving crowd was as loud as any crowd I have been a part of, roaring approval during some of the highlights (Us & Them, Perfect Sense, take your pick....) The drum solo was fantastic and booming. Not enough performers with heart these days, Waters songs remain timeless.......See him while you can.

SHOW REVIEW

By BD contributor, Claude

I was there yesterday night at Montreal Bell Center to see Roger Waters live. Totally amazing show, the best visual effect (animation film during Perfect Sense and on the encore that i saw from him so far (mean from Radio Kaos, In the Flesh tours and now). Its rare these days to have enough for our money but yesterday ho man trust me its was nuts...i've been out of there CONFORTABLY NUMB! If there's one things to do better i believe its: THE BEGINNING when Roger come on stage i believe that he should add a surprizing entry and not just walk on stage and say hi see what i mean? and also add few more SOUND when he play IN THE FLESH (on the CD the song the base guitar had more IMPACT kind of punch)...and for the pyro add few more of them but front stage not just in the background....vocals are the best during Perfect Sense and DSOTM...well all the band was cool and guitar players was tight and notably the lead one jays man you're not David but certainly one of his clones! Roger come back to Montreal asap please!

Picture thanks to Mario Hebert

SHOW REVIEW

By BD contributor, Gillis

Roger waters is really like good wine. the more he gets old the better he is.

It's the first time i hear him sing live that well. Last night concert in montreal was perfect. Highlights for me were set the control, have a cigar, fletcher memorial home, perfect sense (PP Arnold!!!) and sheep.

Roger smiled all concert long he really have some fun over there, he spoke to the audience in french all night wich was very apreciated and no he didn't spat on any fan! I was impressed by Kilminster on lead guitar he played solos note by note perfectly. (in fact i didn't think of Gilmour all night...) Ian Ritchie on sax is amazing, solo at the end of shine on was nothing less than spectacular.

The Leaving beirut version played live is much better than the one on the single and no there were no booes. By the time the intermission arrived I was completely nailed from what i just heard and saw!

Dark side was played as if i was listening to the original recording, the quality of the sound was crystal clear. Highlight of that set for me was Great gig...speechless.

Yesterday night was that kind of night that I know I 'll never forget. The only thing i missed though was that I would have liked more of his solo songs performed but I guess he have to satisfy the majority of people who goes to the concert mostly for Pink Floyd songs.

Thank you so much Mr. Waters for all you have done in your career and last night you gave us a lot more than expected.

SHOW REVIEW

By BD contributor, Martin Bond. Pictures thanks to Martin's nephew Dave Nadeau

I've just got back from the Bell Center in Montréal! It has been an amazing night! The concert was a lot better than the last RW tour... and very different than the last PF tour...

In the first part, Perfect Sense was really a special moment (the astronaut flying around, the earth seen from the space, no boundaries, one species, one colony and then we move closer and discover war)... I thought that was the peak of the concert and they should have saved this song for the encore. But second half was impressive ! And Us and Them blew us away !!! My god ! Tears were coming to my eyes... A smooth start... on screen a Saturn V rocket... reminded us of Perfect Sense... one species... then us and them, the rocket becomes a missile... war images... my god ! A really intense moment... the lyrics, the images, the sound... we were in another dimension (and I only drank one beer! LOL!).

DSOTM seemed to last only a few minutes, it went by really fast. The staging was really interesting (and again, quite different than PULSE), the photography presented on screen were amazing and very well chosen ! The war is presented in an actual way. It is interesting to see different graphical elements then what we saw in the past with Waters (WWII soldiers and that kind of stuff). Moving to actuality and current human conflicts brough a new perspective on those songs.

The encore was cool, happiest days of your life, another brick in the wall(part2), Vera (a nice suprise), comfortably numb !

The selection of songs was very nice and I told my friends it would have been an excellent line up for a farewell concert after such a career... but we don't want that.

The voice of Roger was very good. At the end he said Montreal is a good music city... so we came back home dreaming he may love us enough to come back for an encore in a few months ;-) Or at least come back before he retires.

SHOW REVIEW

By BD contributor, Darryl Friars

Last nights concert at the Bell Center was absolutely amazing. The music, vocals, sound, lighting and everything involved were stunning. Quite a significant improvement from the last RW tour with regards to visuals and lighting, I really enjoyed the incorporation of the film of a radio playing old 50s classics and it changing stations throughout the concert, the best footage was when it was used for the intro to WYWH.

It was nice to hear no booing during Leaving Beirut; it’s too bad some fans from pervious shows would allow their personal views to conflict with Roger’s music.

All the musicians and singers sounded great, David Kilminster really captured that distinctive Wall guitar sound on the Comfortably Numb solo. Highlights of the show were the flying pig for Sheep, the amazing and powerful encore, and of course DSOTM. I was out in the hall for the intermission when we heard the heart beat starting to pound, that’s when everyone stopped what they were doing to get back to their seats.

The set list was and excellent catalogue of great Floyd classics and some of Roger’s best solo tunes, too bad they wouldn’t change the set list a bit from night to night, hey if it’s not broken don’t fix it.

This was an amazing and powerful experience, that was worth every penny and every mile driven to get there and back. My wife and I were deaf after the concert not from the music but from the amazing fans that really interacted with the performers by singing and lighting up their lighters and of course cheering. After seeing Dave Gilmour in Toronto back in April and now this concert, this is the most I will ever experience Pink Floyd, unless by some miracle they all reunite to amaze us once more, Thanks.

SHOW REVIEW

By BD contributor, Patrice Boucher

Wow - what a show!

It has been since 1970 - "Echoes" on "Meddle" - that Pink Floyd has been my favorite band. I coudn't go to any previous shows but this one I did not miss... wow - what a show!

Sound was perfect except for the first three minutes (adjustment) and in "THE GREAT GIG IN THE SKY" (which was a little too loud).

The big screen fooled a lot of people before the intro and made a very interesting start of the show. Light, astronaut, pig and screen were cued to perfection.

Roger was very generous with the fans. He smiled all the time, spoke a little French, waved at people, walked all over the stage, and his voice was very good. He was into it! He was really enjoying it, I think, and the band played very well together.

In other reviews, I've not seen mentions for Snowy White! Snowy was not imitating David Gilmour, but playing the song, contributing to the song. His guitar sounded delightful.

The audience was mature, receptive to the band, and we were able to listen to all the songs properly.

WOW what a show, the best in my lifetime.

SHOW REVIEW

By BD contributors, elle and Nizar

I was moved by M. Waters' "Wish You Were Here" and "The Final Cut" last night in Montréal - extremely moved - and the imagery behind him (the falling poppies) called to mind one of Canada's great poems, itself a tribute to the fallen and to our responsibility to preserve and sanctify their memory and their willingness to lay down their lives for... good reason.

The poem itself has always moved me. I would like to pass it on to M. Waters and perhaps to those who've attended the concert and who, looking round them, are moved to wonder what exactly we are agreeing to have done "in our names" and, to me, laughably above all, "for our own security." I'll take a handshake over a fence and a gun any day.

The author is Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918), a Canadian Army soldier:

IN FLANDERS FIELDS the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
 
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
 
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
 
In Flander's fields the poppies grow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place, and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
 
We are the dead; short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow
Loved and were loved and now we lie
In Flander's fields.
 
Take up our quarrel with the foe;
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with those who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flander's fields.

SHOW REVIEW

By BD contributor, Mark Silverman

My friend and I made the two hour trek by car from Ottawa for the big show. The atmosphere at Bell Centre was absolutely electric! The show was.. simply put the BEST ROCK SHOW I"VE EVER SEEN -and I've been going to them for 35 years!

In spite of all of the hype and having read all the reviews since the European portion of the tour started in June ( plus hearing the show that was recorded live in Israel June 22 numerous times) I was still BLOWN AWAY!

"The band was just fantastic, that is really what I think- and by the way" , Roger IS PINK! The guitar work by Dave Kilminister and Snowy White was superb, channeling Gilmour all night, and they handled DSOM and Comfortably Numb amazingly!

Jon Carin and Dave were able to vocally make us forget Mr Gilmour. Andy Fairweather-Low was great, working in the background. The singers were super- Carl Kenyon nailed Great Gig in the Sky- putting to rest my concern that I would miss having Clare Torry do the song PP Arnold really shone on "Perfect Sense". Roger was- awesome! The energy and passion he displayed all evening should put today's generation of rockers to shame! The visuals were terrific, the sound was crisper and clearer than I've ever heard in a large arena.

I enjoyed the Spaceman in Perfect Sense and the Pig in Sheep- Yes the political statements were American but still effective!

From the opening with "In the Flesh" through DSOM and "The Wall' selection encore it was truly a magical evening- I'm still "Comfortably Numb" after the drive back, 4 hours of sleep and a day of work!

Highlights- where do I begin? Set the Controls, Shine on You Crazy Diamond ( only partly done, but we'll give that to him in the interests of time) Have a Cigar, Wish You Were Here, the darkness of the Final Cut songs.

Sheep was- Great! We thought we'd miss "Dogs" as it was done on the In The Flesh Tour but it made up for it. Leaving Beirut- political sure, but this is Canada where we're not afraid of bashing Bush! DSOM- perfectly rendered- highlights Time Great Gig, Money, Us and Them, Brain Damage.

The encores- all executed perfectly- Another Brick was great, the Vera/ Bring The Boys Back Home especially pointed with Canadian troops in Afghanistan and the Ultimate ending, Comfortably Numb!! The Guitar work sounded letter perfect compared to the original.

After the show we admitted that Roger and the band exceeded our expectations (which were pretty high after numerous times hearing/watching "In the Flesh" and my friend who had seen the Division Bell Pink Floyd said that this version of DSOM was miles better than that one- the band played with more passion! If this is Roger's swan song what a great way to go out! We can't wait for the DVD from this tour!

Roger-- you've set the bar impossibly high for any rock concerts I see from now on!

SHOW REVIEW

By BD contributor, Azim, lead singer and lead guitarist for Canada's Pink Floyd Show (Comfortably Numb)

For this show we had center seats and let me tell you this made such a difference seeing the show from this angle. The sound was way better and if were possible the performance seemed even more intense and practically zero mistakes anywhere.

The show also stared later than 8pm but from the moment the 'radio dial' was changing - loved this 'wall type' video and character - so Roger and so brilliant! I also loved the 'we'll meet again' intro - if you know Roger and Floyd and The Wall this will make sense!

From the first note to the last the band was in top form and seemed much more rested and 'into it' - perhaps this was due to only a short plane ride to Montreal and time to rest. I really enjoyed the show again like I hadn't seen it the night before and with all the driving I did I figured I would be burnt but not at all - in fact I was more into it especially as my wife had never seen Roger, Gilmour or Floyd live before (aside from videos) - she was mesmerized as we all were. Roger took the stage and commanded it all night - the spaceman, piggy and all the effects were brilliant. I loved 'Sheep' but not so keen on the 'do do dooo' at the end of the sing - but then I didn't write it and Roger can do as he pleases!

Hearing 'Leaving Beirut' and Perfect Sense 1&2' again seemed to make more sense and the crowd in Montreal seem to understand this much more than Toronto. Rogers band were in top form and lots of smiles and good feeling especially during 'DSOTM' where 'Great Gig' brought the house down. I loved the sudden shock of sounds during 'on the run' - no plane crash at the end but heck we got Piggy so there!

The encores were truly outstanding, and 'Vera' and 'Bring The Boys' reduced us to tears as there was so much emotion and love in these two songs that it was hard to contain oneself. Comfortably Numb was played beautifully and for me ended a two day tour of following Waters - I now need to go hit the books!