Capacity: 15,000

Concert starts: 8pm

Address of venue: Batman Avenue, Melbourne, Australia.  MAP

Website: www.mopt.com.au/pages/venues/rodlaver.asp

Tickets for this concert went on sale on October 27th, through the venues, Ticketek, and other normal agents.

WARNING - SPOILERS AHEAD!

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

The first of two nights at the Rod Laver passed as expected - excellent show, excited crowd, and a repeat performance for Friday night for those lucky enough to have tickets.

To read a good review of the concert in the online media, go to fasterlouder.com.au.(Thanks Andrew!)

The wonderful pictures here are courtesy of Andrew Moyle (the first three below), and Stuart Ilsley (the rest below). Thanks guys!

CONCERT REVIEW - by BD contributer, Gerry De Natris

Just returned from the first Melbourne show. Can say I was blown away by it as we don't see this very often.

Highlights for me were Have a Cigar and Sheep. Of course DSOTM was a great experience, as well the sound was sensational.

Astronaut and Pig were both present with messages on the pig. The video background was crisp and the best I've seen.

Most enjoyable evening to be had. Not often I come out of a concert with a grin from ear to ear. Floyd '88 & Waters '02 did the same.

CONCERT REVIEW - by BD contributer, Michele Edmonds

Melbourne 1st February concert. One word - awesome!

I have seen Floyd a few times in the 70s in England although don’t remember the actual concerts or the set lists from those days - so much as the feeling and experience of the occasion!

Now living in Australia, and thought I’d see what Roger Waters/DSOTM etc was like in a different decade, different mood!

I hadn’t checked out his band, or much about the concert before going. It was certainly different, no smoking, no alcohol, everyone “very well behaved”  BUT maybe it’s because I’m older (or old!) that I can now appreciate more the art, music, lyrics, and presentation for the brilliance that they are.

I go to a lot of concerts, and thought this would be a good one, BUT good does not nearly describe the night. It’s now up there in my top 5 of all time. So much so, I rushed home and promptly bought another ticket for tonight!

Highlights were David Kilminster - I am an avid Gilmour fan, so was a little sceptical to see whether he would fill Gilmour’s boots, but, WOW, he was just fantastic.

PP Arnold - I had no idea - she was sensational. I remember “The First Cut is the Deepest” back in the 60s, and to be honest, assumed this must have been her daughter with the same name not realising PP was still singing!!

She looked fantastic, but her voice - my god, just superb, as were all the backing singers.

Andy Fairweather-Low - another surprise. Again remember Amen Corner, and what a guitar player, and Snowy, and the sax, and and and….

Then there was the graphics, screen, pig, astronaut etc, brilliantly done, the whole concert was mind blowing, and without any drugs! 

I have to be honest, the whole night was a complete emotional experience, so much I was actually in tears at the end from the emotion of it all.

What an awesome concert, and I can’t wait to see it all again tonight!

CONCERT REVIEW - by BD contributer, Bill

Absolutely excellent - I loved it. I have lost my voice a bit from singing & cheering but its all worth it hehe!

Highlights for me was all of it, I have been waiting a long time to see Roger / Floyd in concert & I have to say I was not disappointed, but what would you expect from the master genius that he is. As for the band, simply outstanding. Now I feel "Comfortably Numb".

CONCERT REVIEW - by BD contributer, Stuart Ilsley (who sent in the great pictures from this point down)

Everyone has the boots so no point giving a blow by blow account.

Some random observations:

- Melbourne were dead fish to begin with, expressions on the band's faces suggested they thought it was gonna be a long night. It took a while for crowd to liven up, the band deserved better.

- Roger & Jon appear to get on well, trading smiles regularly

- Funny, I had never thought of a train during On The Run

- As Melbourne has aged, we have lost respect for the Pig, we went ape droppings back in '88. In '07 it got a casual glance.

- The inflatable appear to be radio controlled airships, no strings - very cool

- Perfect Sense is a true classic live, but you already know that

- I was sitting in the front row and pointing at Roger whilst mouthing the words "... and when the band you're in start playing ..." I am probably deluding myself but I think he picked up on it and smiled

- DSOTM has taken on a whole new meaning for me now, hearing it live in its entirety, it has gone up ten levels. Trains, On The Run, .... cool.

- Vera / Bring The Boys Back Home have to be heard live to be really appreciated. There is nothing like standing with a bunch of people singing "Vera, Vera, what has become of you..."

- Row B went to 'special people'. A lot of tanned old guys with 20 year old girlfriends. Most of them only knew Money & WYWH. Many Artist Instructions say the first ten rows should be allocated to fans only - good rule.

- Floyd in '88 was shocking for photos, as was Roger in '02. It was a little bit better this time around. Check out the overhead lighting rig on the In The Flesh DVD, the new rig has less. It's compensated with some cool side lighting but nonetheless it's a struggle for photographers

- The quad sound is really cool - not over done, love the crickets

- During his end of show thanks, Roger said "It's a long way to come (to Australia) but worth it". He said exactly the same thing in '02.

- If Roger ever did get back with David and the boys, I wonder what David would make of Roger walking from one side of the stage to the other mouthing the lyrics with fans.

- the "room sequence" on the video screen is very cool. I love how it all comes together with Comfortably Numb

- This was a fantastic concert. Roger is still relevant and puts on an inspirational show that bands a third of his age could only dream of. He is clearly enjoying himself so everyone is a winner. Come back soon Roger but next time with a new album!

CONCERT REVIEW - by BD contributer, Scott

Someone who made it all the way here to Australia, is of course Roger... went to his first Melbourne show last night, and boy, what a surprise! Knew the setlist from reading about it online, but, it blew me away.

Setlist remained unchanged from the other shows, but the capacity crowd loved every minute (don't believe the awful review from the local paper talking about the politics and the lie it wasn't sold out - in the Herald Sun)

Roger seemed so happy, which is definitely been a rare sight to behold, never thought I would see the day.

The band played superbly, apart from Snowy, who appeared almost like he wished he was somewhere else, not to mention a couple of bum notes. Leaving Beirut received so warmly as well as Perfect Sense, seemed to work not only Roger, but the crowd, into a frenzy.

The Roger version of Dark Side appears a lot more rock and roll than the Gilmour Floyd version, and again, he really is appearing to enjoying being up and there and playing it.

The show had everything, tears, laughter, and goosebumps.  Thanks Roger, thanks for coming all this way.  I been waiting a very long time to see something like that.

CONCERT REVIEW - by BD contributer, Stuart Brown

Since first discovering Floyd (through DSOTM, like many others) in the late 90s, I've been utterly obsessed with experiencing as much as I can of this iconic band, who sadly I have never been able to experience in full. All I hear from those lucky enough to experience Floyd in their heyday is how much more brilliant the music is live, but considering the Wall tour happened when I was still in nappies it's been something I've severly been deprived of. Until now. I missed Waters' last tour here, but there was no way in hell I was missing this time around. And I was not disappointed.

The opening (In the Flesh?) was the perfect way to welcome this legend of music back to our shores, and he strode onto the stage like a returning hero. What surprised me was that it seemed to be more of the younger people in the audience (such as myself) to get into the spirit of the occasion at the beginning, mouthing each word to this Waters trademark, and subsequently going ballistic as the explosions went off all around the stage. A great way to start this show, and if the audience was somewhat timid to begin with, it didn't take long for ol Rog to get them into the mood, with what can only be described as a "heavy-metal" version of "Set controls for...", Perfect Sense and a brilliant version of Sheep, one of my favourite Floyd songs, to close the first set. Along the way Roger tugged at our heartstrings with WYWH, Shine on and his new song Leaving Beirut (few dry eyes in the house after that one). Seeing images of Syd on the screen during Shine on brought a twinkle to my eye, and WYWH produced a tear or two because there was someone that I wished was there with me that night, but couldn't be under tragic circumstances.

But it was clear that the majority of the people here came for Dark Side (which both pleased and infuriated me at the same time) and Roger belted out these iconic songs with as much as fire as if he'd just written them, even breathing new life into tracks like On the run and Any Colour you like. Time and Great gig in the sky were highlights here, with the backing vocalist (the name escapes me right now) doing Clare Torry justice with a perfect rendition. I was disappointed on Money and Us and Them that Roger handed the vocal reigns to his cohorts, but perhaps his throat needed a breather. After the climax of Dark Side, Roger returns for an encore to perform a medley from The Wall, and it's unfortunate to say that the majority of the crowd didn't really get on their feet until Another Brick PT2, which is an unfortunate trademark of Melbourne music audiences at big concerts, too conservative. But again, I was heartened at the diversity of people singing along to tracks such as Vera and earlier, Have a cigar. It's clear that the music of Floyd and Waters is timeless, and will be played for generations to come. Ending with a beautiful version of Comfortably Numb, Waters showed us all why he has gone through more hell than many of us will ever realise and remains with us still.

There are some gripes however. First, I've mentioned the crowd, which I was very disappointed in. Very much a "radio" crowd (no spitting in the face this time though ;-) ), with only patches of "true" fans, and I get the feeling that Roger knew this, often seeming to pay more attention to the more appreciative parts of the crowd (which I was thankfully part of, and I could swear that Roger looked at me! OHMIGODOMIGOD!!!). I thought Shine on was rushed, and Snowy missed a couple of cues at the beginning. I also thought Comfortably Numb lost a lot from not having Gilmour there, as it took both guitarists to do it justice, which just goes to show how brilliant Gilmour is. But these are minor gripes and considering of the whole the positives far outweigh them.

Overall, a brilliant show, and simply one of the greatest moments of my life to finally see this man that is such an inspiration to me and anyone that aspires to be creative. Thank you Mr Waters. Come back soon.

Now if only we could get Gilmour's arse down here...

CONCERT REVIEW - by BD contributer, Glynn Lavendar

Hi there, rather than just another standard review I thought I'd tell you a little of my journey to the Waters edge.

Five long years of anguish are extinguished in a single note. Somehow, terribly, I missed the 2002 tour. It's not like I wasnt here, It just somehow slipped past me. For five years I have kicked myself thinking I blew my one opportunity to see Roger Waters live.

Fast forward to 2007 and my wife wakes me up from an afternoon nap and says "I'm pregnant", joy to be sure but the usual panic of a first time father hits "How will we pay for this?" Tough decisions are made to cut down on all luxuries for the next couple of years. One week passes and that cruel mistress fate strikes "Roger Waters 2007 tour announced". Irony is my least favourite form of twisted humour.
Months go past, the tour gets closer. I hold my resolve to not go. 

8.50PM January 25th my phone rings, I pick it up and hear the first notes of Shine On You Crazy Diamond through the receiver. It's my music guru 'The Bakes' calling from the Sydney show.
One and a half songs down the end of a phone line pushes my resolve to its limits, but looking at my my wife and her slowly developing belly puts me back in my place.

I talk to the guru on the 28th, he waxes lyrical about the show. I make all the right noises of support and enthusiasm for his adventure, but deep down my heart isn't in it. Jealousy bubbles below the surface.

January draws to a close, there is something Floydesque in the air. Looking around town there are DSOTM T-shirts on every corner, Floyd songs on the radio, Interviews on the TV - The circus has come to town.

I pop on to the local ticket agencies website, just for the sake of curiosity you understand, and notice that pretty much all the good seats are long gone. Well it's not like I was going to buy the tickets if they were available. Next stop eBay,in the name of research, I'm nothing if not thorough in the slow torture of my psyche.. Oooh look, two Gold tickets for sale - at retail price. I turn to a work colleague and long time friend sitting next to me and casually mention them... Right lets go he says!

My wife's away at conference so I have no protruding belly to hold me in check I place the bid. After all, it's warm here in Australia, the kid wont need too much clothing surely.

Hours before the show the tickets are delivered, I bite one to make sure it is real, apparantly this is not a foolproof test, and to the venue we head.

The tickets are real, we head inside. The seats are good we sit and wait.

45 minutes pass, after waiting 5 years I made sure we were there with time to spare, and as the lights dim and the first chords are struck the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end I look at my friend and we nod knowingly at each other, years of anguish are washed away. It was worth the wait.

Anyway, my wifes parents wil be first time Grandparents, I am sure they'll feed the baby...