Capacity: 19,500

Concert starts: 8pm

Address of venue: 4802 US 301 North, Tampa, FL 33610.  MAP

Website: www.fordamp.com

Tickets for this concert went on sale on March 17th, through http://www.ticketmaster.com/ and http://www.livenation.com/ as normal.

Our thanks to Irene and Chester Clough, and also David and Patricia Wexler, for both sending ticket scans as shown to the right.

WARNING - SPOILERS AHEAD!

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

The second of the US shows went well, apart from an errant pig who decided to get up-close and personal with a tower at the rear of the venue, obscuring the view of the screen for one group of the audience!

Sadly, for the second night in a row, boos due to what's percieved as Roger being "anti-American" were heard from the audience. Let's hope that these were isolated experiences, as it is surely not how Roger would want to end his almost year-long tour with!

Tuesday sees Roger's tour resume in Atlanta, Georgia. If you are going, have a great time! In the meantime, here's a very nice shot from the show courtesy of our friend, the renouned Floyd archivist Vernon Fitch... click on it to see it in its full, panoramic glory!

CONCERT REVIEW - by BD contributer, Brandon Crowson

OK well let me be the first one to say that was one hell of a show.  It was everything I hoped it would be and more and that is only the beginning.

Roger played everything you could imagine and then some.  He played Shine on you crazy diamond, have a cigar, and wish you were here off the Wish You Were Here album.  He also played an assortment of stuff off of The Wall including Comfortably Numb after an encore.

Also played Sheep off of Animals which included a flying pig that was let loose through the thousands in attendance.  It eventually got stuck against the large pillar in the back which Roger pointed out after Sheep had completed to a standing ovation.

Roger played a couple of songs that got some boo's from the audience.  The main one was the Lebanon song which he offended some people.  I personally thought it was absolute brilliance and he was just telling a story like only Roger can do but people have closed minds about that stuff I guess.

After Sheep completed there was a small 15 min. break, after which DSOTM was played in its entirety to a standing ovation for the whole thing.  The band left to a standing ovation, after which they came back out and played Another Brick in the Wall, Vera, Bring the Boys Back Home, and finally Comfortably Numb which was awesome as hell.  I honestly don't think I'm doing it justice talking about it as I feel I am leaving some things out.

CONCERT PICTURES - courtesy of BD contributer, Jean Griggs

CONCERT REVIEW - by BD contributer, Wayne Shelor

On a perfect night for an outdoor concert - clear and warm with a light wind floating in from the Gulf of Mexico - Roger Waters' "The Dark Side of the Moon Tour" seduced 20,000 Pink Floyd fans at Tampa, Florida's Ford Amphitheater, as the band played its second American engagement (they opened in south Florida Friday night) in as many nights.

While attendees from as far away as New Hampshire wandered into the cavernous outdoor theatre (with a high ceiling and no walls), a square (instead of circular-flanked-by-Veri-lites) "Mr. Screen" backdrop was lit, and played an active part throughout the concert.

Mr. Screen was initially a static picture of a bed's backboard on which a radio, bottle of Johnnie Walker Red, a couple of pill bottles and an ashtray were visible. At 20 minutes before the concert started, an arm reached up - apparently from the mattress - and turned the dial on the radio, and music (Chuck Berry) began to play as smoke curled up from the ashtray. Watch Mr. Screen closely throughout the night, for there are cues, clues and views pertinent to the music. There were also two giant video screens flanking the cavernous stage.

(Parenthetically: our seats were just to the left of and one row in front of the sound boards, which themselves were as massive and impressive as everything else about the concert. Mixing boards, video monitors and cameras and video projectors were all part of the setup. The tickets were provided by a gracious and generous friend from my past, who knew they would mean the world to an old Floyd collector and historian such as me).

As the lights lessened, Roger and the band - everyone dressed in black - walked on stage, and Roger saluted the crowd with a smile and a clenched fist.

And the night erupted, appropriately enough, with "In The Flesh," Roger and the band captured the hearts and minds of the audience within seconds, for the song was clearly familiar to everyone. Roger played an acoustic guitar for "Mother," and then - with a NASA-type picture of the sun's burning gases erupting from its surface on Mr. Screen - the band launched into "Set The Controls For the Heart of the Sun," the earliest Floyd piece of the night. Keyboardist Jon Carin and horn player Ian Ritchie traded spacey sounds and adroitly exchanged spaces between notes beneath a '60s-era oil-and-paint slideshow on Mr. Screen. Talk about time travel ...

Then came "Shine On ..," with a constantly changing video of pictures of Syd Barrett, many of which I'd never seen. This presentation was a beautiful paean for a fallen visionary, and during the song, Roger stood in the shadows as the other musicians and the incredible visuals became the center of attention. That was followed by "Have a Cigar," and guitarist David Kilminster pretty much began his night-long habit of stealing the show. This cat - I've never heard him in concert before - has perfected ALL the patented chops of David Gilmour, and is a remarkable guitar technician in his own right. He bent notes, pulled strings and - for every intent and reason - performed a pretty fair forgery, as Roger might have said!

Snowy White played a 12-string acoustic guitar on "Wish You Were Here," and a Martin acoustic was the ax of choice for "Southampton Dock."

Roger's acerbic take on the Falklands War - "The Fletcher Memorial Home" - was perhaps his best moment of the night: he was passionate and impassioned, both musically and visually, and the crowd bought into it. If anyone wondered whether Waters was giving his all in these shows, he removed all doubt on this song. That was followed by the beautifully introed "Perfect Sense (Pts I and II)," as Harry Waters (yes!) played the haunting piano chords that are so familiar.

Roger then addressed the audience and told of "a new song" that was what we all know as the really-not-so-new "Leaving Beirut."

Although most of the crowd was apparently unfamiliar with this solo song, folks were very appreciative, moved - I suspect - by the story and written admonitions on Mr. Screen.

And Andy Fairweather-Low - he of many tours with All Things Floyd - absolutely tore UP the night with the singing winds and crying beasts pulled from his guitar. Fairweather-Low, a "hired gun" with the Brothers Floyd on various tours, appropriately wore a white cowboy hat for this song, a visual double entendre lost on only a few. And once again, Mr. Screen played an integral part in the show.

The first set concluded with a monsterous and compelling telling of "Sheep." Ya ever see a crowd of 20,000 move as one? Ever hear them shouting wide-eyed in unison? Ever get the feeling that someone like Roger Waters could move a crowd more effectively than, say, one Texas-educated Geo. Bush?

As the band raced through the Animals' album's centerpiece, a coterie of stagehands walked into the stadium, pulling a large, inflated pig with pointed platitudes painted on its sides. But the under-inflated pink porcine kept sinking down into the crowd, to the delight of all. When the handlers walked the now-flaccid pig to the rear of the complex to leave, the lines became entangled in the superstructure of the roof, and for the rest of the night, the slowly deflating pig hung from the steel, as if in a slaughterhouse.

     INTERMISSION

For the duration of the 15-minute intermission, an initially-too-small-to-be-seen picture of the moon slowly grew in size and clarity, until - as it filled Mr. Screen - the band returned to the most loved and lionized heartbeat in the history of recorded music.

Jon Carin played the cool steel guitar passages as "Speak to Me" became "Breathe" and then the remarkable - almost disconcerting - "quadraphonic" sounds associated with "On The Run" danced around the arena.

Roger's live show - in which the clarity, immediacy and color of the music was absolutely transcendent - was the result of a sound system I'm told is built on a spine of Meyer Sound's MILO high-power curvilinear array loudspeakers: there were two sets of 10 MILO cabinets suspended at either side of the stage, and the studio quality-sounding music was augmented by UPA-1P compact wide-coverage loudspeakers and UPA-2P compact narrow-coverage loudspeakers suspended on the side of the open-air arena and behind the audience. On the occasions "surround sound" was implemented, it was startling. And everyone loved it.

Adding new-yet-perfectly-suited sounds to the cacophony that is "On The Run," the band created a chest-vibrating, ear-numbing thunder that was anything but delicate.

And then came the Roto-tom attack of "Time" - drummer Graham Broad wowed the audience with his facility before a guitar solo succulently synced with the voices of PP Arnold, Katie Kissoon and Carol Kenyon captured the last hold-outs.

And it was Carol Kenyon who entranced 20,000 people by singing - honestly, earnestly and nearly identically to Clare Torry's album original  - "The Great Gig in the Sky." It was about that time that thousands of concert-goers noticed the slight sliver of a moon peeking into the arena, the darker, pocked 7/8ths of the orb clearly visible in the western sky.

Arguably the treat of the night was the interplay and dueling guitars of Snowy White and Dave Kilminister during "Us and Them." It was about this time that a realistic looking NASA Lunar Excursion Module slowly descended from the superstructure above the stage.

And as the song morphed into Rick Wright's fanciful "Any Colour You Like," lights and lasers erupted from the machine, and smoke was blown out its legs.

As "Brain Damage" segued into Roger's Best List Ever, "Eclipse," previously unseen parts of the LEM lit up brightly to become a prism. And then the lasers became the colours of refracted light, as on the cover of The Dark Side of the Moon.

The crowd loved it all, and as the band bowed and retreated for all of three minutes, the audience created a thunder of its own.

The encore consisted of the expected "Another Brick in the Wall (Pt. 2)," during which Kilminister and White once again exchanged licks and runs that defy worthy description. It was - in a word - remarkable.

A slice of "Vera" and "Bring the Boys Back Home" led to the concluding song, "Comfortably Numb."

Once again (I told you he stole the show!), Dave Kilminister played the oh-so-familiar David Gilmour licks, and he not only paid homage by presenting them verbatim for a while, he then made his own mark with his own interpretations before he and Snowy White finished off the night with another entrancing duel.

There were pyrotechnics and explosions throughout the show, lights and lasers and flying animals and everything you might expect from a Floydian experience. It's not likely we'll see The Return of the Sons of Syd, ever, for the acrimony and distance between Waters and Gilmour may never lessen.

With that said, Saturday night's three hour-plus show was damned close to a real Pink Floyd Sound experience.

And as the lights came up, the 20,000 filed out quietly. Fulfilled.

The inflatable pig - limp and largely deflated - still hung in the rafters at the rear of the complex. The only words on its side left legible were: "I Answer To No One But God."

Roger would-a loved it!

The band was comprised of percussionist Graham Broad, guitarists David Kilminister, Andy Fairweather-Low and Snowy White with Jon Carin and Harry Waters (yes!) on keyboards, all of whom were backed by Katie Kissoon, Carol Kenyon and P.P. Arnold on "doo-wahs," and stellar, sterling vocals, and and Ian Ritchie on sax.

CONCERT REVIEW - by BD contributer, Irene Clough

Same set list as previous.  We did get to see the laser lightbeams coming out of the prism, unlike West Palm.

Unfortunately our seats were not very good, we had a huge speaker column in front of the big screen and it blocked some of the visuals.  Also most of the people sitting around us were fairly obnoxious, talking through some of the lesser known works such as Perfect Sense and Leaving Beirut.  After the knockout beginning of the show, he lost some of the more wasted and/or "just went for the party" audience members and didn't pick them up again until the Pig.  Some songs might work better in a smaller venue.

Speaking of the Pig, it got jammed up into a tower and hung there covering one of the video screens for the lawn people!

We could not have ordered better weather, May in Florida is usually pretty hot and muggy, but  there was a cool breeze blowing by, which I think may have been one reason we didn't hear all the vocals too clearly, we were pretty far away from the main speakers and the wind blowing in my ear.  It was great when the surround sound came into play, since we were close to two of those speakers we could hear crystal clear.

DSOTM seemed to fly by.  I was surprised that I was most awed by Us and Them, seeing it live gave me a deeper appreciation of the paradox of the simplicity/complexity of that song.

There is so much to see, hard to catch everything, a couple of highlights:

Watching Roger create the tick tock sound in Time on his bass; in Us and Them, the part where the vocals are "That's what the fighting's all about", on the screen is an oil rig; behind us over the lawn was a crystal clear crescent moon, with the dark side very visible.

We are now counting down to Hartford.  Before that we get the pleasure of seeing Alan Parsons again, gonna wear my new RW tee shirt in honor of his collaboration on DSOTM.

CONCERT REVIEW and PICTURES - by BD contributer, Kevin Kolber

While the details and set list have been well covered by previous reviewers, I can share my general impressions of the show relative to the 9/6 PNC Arts Center (Holmdel, NJ) show I was fortunate to attend last summer.

Compared to last year’s show, "Leaving Beirut" was quite well received. Where I was seated, RW’s "Your Texas education must have f**ked you up..." line was greeted with raucous cheers by a vast majority of the audience. From my vantage point, the reports of "boos" in local media reports were largely overblown. I was struck by the difference a year makes, given that last year’s New Jersey crowd was, to my amazement, annoyed by "Leaving Beirut's" message and tone. Either the FL audience contained a few more ardent Leftists, or more likely, the average American fan's sentiment on the Iraq War has moved in Roger's direction over the last nine months.

Improvements to the video over last year’s production were noteworthy. In particular, the video accompaniment to "Fletcher Memorial Home" and the black & white still photography during "Brick Pt. II" were outstanding.

Additional time playing together has noticeably improved Dave and Snowy’s tandem guitar work. The difference was immediately apparent in "Shine On...," where their vibrato was perfectly matched in the harmony sections. A near-flawless mix didn’t hurt either.

While I surely would’ve appreciated a few surprises, seeing the same set for a second time was a little like a second look at a great film, where you pick out highlights and nuances that might have eluded you on first pass. For example, "Have A Cigar," "Fletcher Memorial Home" and "Bring The Boys Back Home" struck me as far more powerful than last summer.

As awe-inspiring as the 9/6/06 show was, I'd have to say this one was slightly better. The small improvements by the band and technical crew piled up over the three hours, making for a more cohesive, seamless experience.

CONCERT REVIEW - by BD contributer, Danny E

Our seats were on the lawn, far away from the stage. Some of the speakers in the back went out during the first song, which was "In The Flesh." This was only noticable by the people on the lawn. Because of this, the vocals were a little hard to hear at some points. This was made even worse because of all of the drunks screaming. I was disappointed that no one tried to fix the speakers during the intermission.

The set list was amazing. The only song I had never heard was the song "Leaving Beirut." I don't agree with his message, but I also don't find it to be anti-american, as some have said. Most of the people were clapping, although some booed. One guy was giving Roger the finger.

They let an inflatable pig fly out during "Sheep." It ended up getting caught on one of the pillars and blocked the view of one screen for people on the left side of the lawn. Before Roger walked off he said, "We're gonna have a short intermission, 15 minutes, and then we'll play Dark Side of the Moon. In the mean time, someone free the pig." No one did. It stayed there and blocked my view of that screen for the rest of the night. But thats ok, I came to watch Roger and his band, not a screen.

They came back, and played the entire Dark Side of the Moon album. There was a great rendition of  "The Great Gig in the Sky."  Dark Side of the Moon was followed by a great encore including "Another Brick in the Wall pt 2" and "Comfortably Numb."

It was a great experience despite what I mentioned in the first paragraph. I'm 17 so I never had a chance to see Pink Floyd live when they were together. But this was amazing. Roger puts on an excellent live show.

CONCERT REVIEW - by BD contributer, Michael Something

We set out for the Ford Amphitheatre. A huge see of hippies and Pink Floyd T-Shirts. We finally got up to the gates and when they were opened people ran in as fast as they could. I've been waiting to see Roger Waters for years. His music that he made with Pink Floyd has gotten me through so many dark, lonely times. As we were seated an image of a radio, whisky and a cigarette was on the huge LED screen. We were sitting next to some cool people who were tripping. Everything went dark and Roger and the band came out.

The smell of marijuana filled the air. He satarted off with "In The Flesh" and I'm thinking the whole time, holy sh*t I'm actually seeing the greatest musician ever. Next song was "Mother". The cool people next to us shared their joint with us. It was some good sh*t. As we were getting high Roger then went into his epic space rock song, Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun". Images of fire and 1960's style oil projection lights filled the screen. Next was "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" bubble machines with the space images behind it made it look 3-D, expecially for those of us who were high, which was most of the crowd.

When the band played "Sheep" a 50 foot pig ballon traved through the crowd. It was windy so the pig balloon kept swooping down head first into the crowd. It looked like the pig was attacking people. Amazing.

The second set was the entire "Dark Side of the Moon Album", my favorite album ever. The cool people next to us shared another joint with us. During "On the Run" the lights were moving so fast it felt like we were traveling through time. Sounds of police sirens and machines were played in surround sound. F*cking cool as sh*t. Some guy with dreadlocks was tripping balls in the aisle massaging his scalp and having trouble walking, waving his arms like a baboon. When it got to "Any Color You Like" a luner landing space ship came down from the ceiling. Then during "Brain Damage" lazers lit up on it forming a prism. A huge rainbow sreamed out of it into the crowd. Just like the album cover.

The encore was material from "The Wall" that everyone stood up and sung along. We then left in a sea of like 50,000 people.

CONCERT REVIEW - by BD contributer, Andrew Maiman

A good friend of mine and I drove from Jacksonville to the West Palm show and then drove the next morning to attend the Tampa show.  This marked my third Roger Waters show for this tour and these were definitely the best seats I've had yet.  Right in the middle and there were no obstructions to speak of.   There were seven of us to take in this incredible show and we couldn't have asked for a better show.  The weather was quite mild with a noticeable breeze arriving sporadically that helped the normal muggy Tampa weather.

No surprise that it was the same set list but the Pig did get let off into the sky (until it got stuck by a column in the amphitheatre!) and the lasers did refract off of the prism which was pretty cool I must say.

The surround effects were much more noticeable in our seats then they had been in previous shows and certain voice sound effects almost startled the crown at some points and On the Run and Any Colour You Like benefited the most from the surround speakers.

The crowd, at least where we were seated, was a little more subdued for the first set, but Dark Side brought most people to there feet and they remained there for the encore.

Roger gave another passionate performance and a wide smile could be seen on his face on numerous occasions during the show.  Over the years my friends have had to endure numerous ramblings about how great Floyd shows are and how it is truly an EXPERIENCE to see it live and in person and I was happy to be able to share that with them.   "Best show I've ever seen" was said by more then a couple of them and at the end of the day, you can't really beat listening to Dark Side of the Moon with your friends.

CONCERT REVIEW - by BD contributer, Donald Gibson

Myth and Brilliance: Roger Waters Takes On The War, The Wall, and The Dark Side of the Moon

During his storied tenure with Pink Floyd, Roger Waters authored some of rock’s most subversive and socially defiant songs. On Saturday night at the Ford Amphitheatre, Waters drew primarily from that catalog to craft a sonic and visually stunning performance that took emphatic issue with American foreign policy and, in particular, the President of the United States.

Waters started early with his contempt for authority, as evidenced in the first line of the second song of the concert, “Mother,” from Pink Floyd’s magnum opus, The Wall, which asks, “Mother do you think they’ll drop the bomb?” His disdain only grew more defined. During “The Fletcher Memorial Home,” from 1983’s The Final Cut, when Waters sang of “wasters of life and limb,” the targeted inference was not lost on the audience. The most damning and direct admonition, though, came courtesy of “Leaving Beirut,” a song Waters wrote in 2004, which, in part, deplores the policies and practices of George W. Bush while warning free-thinking Americans, “Don’t let the might, the Christian right, fuck it all up/For you and the rest of the world.” To follow, a mesmerizing performance of “Sheep,” from 1977’s Animals, cemented Waters’ condemnation of the current political climate, as a massive inflatable pig (an iconic fixture of Pink Floyd lore), plastered with slogans including “habeas corpus matters” and “impeach Bush now,” floated over the crowd. “No, this is no bad dream,” Waters wailed, at times his face reddening in anguish and palpable anger.

Amid such concerted and serious undertones, the legend of Pink Floyd nonetheless loomed large and consistent throughout the performance. Under a massive spotlight rig illuminated to full psychedelic effect, “Set The Controls To the Heart of the Sun,” off 1968’s A Saucerful of Secrets, seemed and sounded, quite literally, out of this world. With wistful images of the Floyd’s lost leader, Syd Barrett, appearing on the giant screen, the majestic “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” felt especially poignant considering his passing last year. And the title track of Wish You Were Here further emphasized Barrett’s lasting impact and legacy, not only to his devoted fans, but also to an old friend singing his praise.

Of all the legends and fables of Pink Floyd, none resonate so profound as their enduring masterpiece, 1973’s Dark Side of the Moon. Perhaps because of the striking political bent to much of the show, however, Waters’ full-length performance of the album seemed almost obligatory if not, for the most part, unnecessary. Highlights included the radio smash, “Money,” along with the closing sequence of “Brain Damage” and “Eclipse,” but the complete recreation of such a landmark album, done so without the principal band members who helped create it in the first place, ultimately missed the mark. Unless all four surviving members of Pink Floyd come together to attempt this feat, maybe the 43 minutes of sonic bliss on Dark Side of the Moon would be better enjoyed with a decent pair of headphones.

In a climactic closing sequence that featured songs exclusively from The Wall, Waters again mixed music with current political context to brilliant effect. “The Happiest Days Of Our Lives” led into the anti-establishment anthem “Another Brick In The Wall (Part II)”. “Vera” culminated with a rousing version of “Bring The Boys Back Home,” perfected with exploding flash pots and flames amid a visual backdrop of a war zone. The point was suitably made. The implications shined through. “Comfortably Numb” then put that rage to rest while a riveted audience stood in awe.

CONCERT REVIEW - by BD contributer, Roger Steinberg

My wife and I attended the show in Tampa, May 19. We arrived early and were the first car allowed through the gates for parking. So, we had an excellent vantage point from which to view the vast variety of concert goers. I was quite impressed with the range from obvious Dead Head Hippies through the Alcohol Soft Middle Aged. The party prior to the show was great!

We entered as soon as the gates were open, but could not head to our seats immediately; as we were seated in the Orchestra area. This worked out nicely as we then spent about an hour mingling around the venue, purchasing drinks and Roger merchandise. We met several fans and had lengthy conversations about their history with Pink Floyd, Roger Waters, David Gilmour, and the like. This made a great lead up to entering the arena.

Our seats were six rows from the stage. I can honestly say they were the best I’ve ever had for a show and this is one of the few shows I’d ever want to be sure to have quality seats to attend. The view was fantastic. There is little for me to add to what others have written, except two things:

1-     I did not take offense at any of Roger’s songs, as I know what he is all about and I can handle viewpoints that are not entirely my own. I didn’t hear the boo’s after “Leaving Beirut”, probably because I was too close to the stage and it was so loud. However, my wife got a bit upset at “Another Brick in the Wall, Pt 2” and felt that Roger is a bit too rough on teachers. I explained that, in general, the song was written in the late 70’s/early 80’s and mostly refers to English education; but she was still upset about his view.

2-     The entire show was very emotional and obviously devoted to the lasting memory of Syd Barrett. I had tears in my eyes at numerous points throughout the show, especially as the opening of “Comfortably Numb” included a video that evoked more Syd than Bob Geldof.

If I could, I’d see this show several more times.

CONCERT REVIEW - by BD contributer, David Mandrell

I'd seen Roger Waters before in 2001 on his "In The Flesh" tour. The concert was one of the best I'd ever seen until last weekend. Roger's Dark Side Of The Moon tour is by far the best show I have seen to date.

The people at the venue sang every song word for word. The music sounded extremely great just like it does on the album. I'd never seen Roger so happy before, he was jumping up and down on stage smiling along with everyone else. You could tell he knew the crowd was into it and he did one hell of a job. If you haven't seen the show it's worth every penny to see it. Hopefully there will be a DVD, I saw at least 2 cameras shooting footage from the show.

Thanks to Roger for yet another great tour and for all you do. Your words and music reach the heart and souls of many, making their world a better place to be.

CONCERT REVIEW - by BD contributer, Mike Callahan

What an excellent show. He looked in great shape, played excellent and wowed the 20,000+ fans. When he started in with DSOTM, Venus and the Moon were right in sync in the sky. Third time seeing him in Florida and it was the charm. Will travel any distance to see a re-union or the band play again. See you on the dark side of the moon.

CONCERT PICTURES - courtesy of BD contributer, Tony Forte