Capacity: 19,190
Concert starts: 8pm

Address of venue: 525 West Santa Clara Street, San Jose, California 95113. MAP

Website: www.hppsj.com

COMMENTS

The second of a pair of shows to be held in San Jose, added after the main bulk of shows were announced due to high ticket sales, as Roger's 2010 tour of The Wall enters its final handful of shows. Following this concert, we're sad to say there's just three more to go this year.

The RogerWaters.com presales began starting Wednesday, May 5th. Starting May 3rd, American Express Cardmembers could get advance tickets, with seating available to Gold Card, Platinum Card and Centurion members. US fans could also get early access to tickets via iTunes beginning Thursday, May 6th, by purchasing the 1982 film The Wall from iTunes by April 26th. For both the American Express and iTunes presales, please note that the presale offers were available in select markets and ticket quantities were limited.

General sale tickets went on sale on Monday, May 10, via Ticketmaster.com and LiveNation.com. The public sale also saw a limited number of VIP packages made available for each show on the tour. Use of our links to Ticketmaster gives much needed assistance with site hosting costs without any additional cost to yourself - and we appreciate it!

WARNING - SPOILERS AHEAD!

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

Night forty-nine of the tour, and the second of two nights in San Jose. Just seven more shows to go this year; is it just us or has this tour rattled through incredibly quickly? If you went to this show, please let us know what you thought of the event, and if anything interesting or different happened if you've been to previous shows and can compare.

CONCERT REVIEW by BD CONTRIBUTOR, Joseph Mitchell

Last night was simply fantastic. Our seats were on the floor, row 41, #13 & #14 (left side at aisle). We stood most of the show, but were so exhilarated that standing was fine and in order. I'm not often one to have this sort of response, but I had chills throughout most of the show. Here are my basic observations.

Roger was very composed and articulate, and sang well (although I suspect he actually sang only about half of his lines and lip-synched the rest). He covered lip-synching well by raising his arm and pointing to the audience or putting the mic over his mouth. Roger made a very nice tribute to John Lennon before "Mother", in that was the 30th anniversary of Lennon's murder (Dec. 8th 1980).

The projections were truly amazing and I was pleased they were not overdone with "messages" and relied more on powerful images as opposed to words. I especially liked the bombers dropping crosses, dollar signs, etc. on "Blue Sky", the swirling images on "Comfortably Numb", and the dissipating bricks at the end of the trial. It was a bit tedious that Roger chose to be unsubtle in places by putting the obvious words or lyrics up, when the visual cue was NOT necessary (example: in response to "Mother, should I trust the government?" "NO FUCKING WAY" appears on the wall). Roger sometimes errs on the side of assuming his audience is primarily made of 12 year-old boys of limited intelligence.

Robbie Wyckoff did a superb job on the vocals and was strong throughout, except perhaps for the high parts in the trial where his falsetto was a bit weak and strained. Dave Kilminster has got the guitar solos soooooo down. Really awesome playing and his guitar tones are spot on. Snowy White also has his guitar solos down, but, well, has had 30 years to perfect them. Same for Jon Carin, who has had 25 years to get his playing down and who surprisingly doesn't sing at all during the show.

Tempos and feels were the same as on the original album, with the exception of "Young Lust", which had a much better rock groove, and "Run Like Hell" which was notably faster and sounded much peppier because of it. "Run Like Hell" has a very powerful climax that is riveting (a highlight of the concert).

The puppets, the airplane crash, and floating pig weren't that different or interesting, but the use of roving spotlights inside and outside the wall was very cool and effective. The puppets are needed and do a good job of reminding us of the original shows and accentuating the Freudian elements of Waters' vision ("mother" as good witch/ bad witch), woman as object of desire (virgin vs. seductress or Medusa), male teacher/judge as forbidding figure. Perfect Oedipus imagery, as bolstered by Gerald Scarfe's excellent animation.

Finally, the use of "crowd shouts" and "crowd noise" near the end of the show (broadcast from above down onto the audience) gives the audience an elevated (and artificial) sense of Nazi "mass meeting" at a climax--this was both exhilarating and disturbing. This paradox is true of the whole experience of seeing The Wall live: it is a show about an alienated and egotistical performer/leader who disdains and manipulates an audience that blindly follows him (in their "space cadet glow"), while we, the audience in real life, are manipulated to have scripted responses to the actual performer and show. It brilliantly (and eerily) demonstrates the metaphorical point Waters is making about rock concert as allegory for fascism.

Waters is a genius and this show is his masterpiece.

CONCERT REVIEW from BD CONTRIBUTOR, Jeff

I first saw Roger Waters in 1987 in St Louis on the Radio KAOS tour. I then saw him in 1999 in Kansas City on the In The Flesh tour. For The Wall - Live, I saw the 30 October show in Kansas City and as I was driving home the realization quickly came over me that seeing only one Wall show would be an injustice.

So it was that I began perusing his tour itinerary, searching for a good place to see another show. Or two. San Jose was the perfect fit. Two nights, back to back, and I was able to secure the VIP package for row two on the 8th.

I left a frigid Kansas City early in the morning of the 7th of December and arrived in San Jose around 2:30 local time. I made the walk from my hotel to the HP Pavilion and walked up to the ticket window and secured a great lower level seat for the 7th.

That show was great, but the following evening was the night of a lifetime. It began with the VIP party where I met many local folks as we swapped Pink Floyd and Roger Waters stories. They were mostly shocked that I flew from KC to San Jose to see the show with no other plans having been made.

As we were making our way to our seats we passed the kids rehearsing for Another Brick Part II. They did a much better job on the 8th than the evening prior.

Finally, I took my seat. Second row just left of center stage. Having seen two shows from the lower level I already knew certain things to be ready for, but seeing The Wall this close is an entirely different feeling altogether.

As the band kicked into In The Flesh? the raw power was mesmerizing. At the end of the song, as the dazzling array of pyrotechnics are going off, you really feel *in the moment* from this close proximity.

The Thin Ice... long one of my favourite songs from the album, is the first of the emotional moments in this show. As the faces and brief bio's of fallen loved ones adorn the screen... and then take their place on the wall, one is left with a melancholy feeling.

It amazes me that now, in 2010, the so-called world leaders have failed to learn the lessons brought on by WW I, WW II, Vietnam and every other war you can imagine. The Thin Ice brings that point home quite clearly.

By the time we get to Mother, Roger asks for a few seconds of silence in remembrance of John Lennon. The audience grows still and silent. Thankfully. A touching moment indeed.

Goodbye Blue Skies elicits cheers when the Shell Oil sign and Mercedes logo appear. People are actually paying attention and getting the message.

As the first half of the show progresses and the wall is constructed, I am amazed at how damn large the thing is. You don't get this sort of perspective in the lower level.

The second half begins after about a 20 minute intermission and Hey You is performed beautifully. When Roger asks - "Is there anybody out there?" and spotlights search the crowd, everyone is feeling it. This is the kind of show that will stay with you always.

Vera and Bring The Boys Back Home bring on more emotion, particularly the little girl who sees her daddy for the first time in a long while. Everywhere you look, people are welling up. And nobody is ashamed of it.

Bring The Boys Back Home should be played, non-stop, in Washington until someone finally gets the message. Combined with the Dwight D. Eisenhower quote, the music, words and visuals are over-powering.

Comfortably Numb is a showcase for Dave Kilminster and he takes full advantage. His guitar playing, whist not Gilmour, is quite impressive and he plays this song for all its worth.

In front of the wall amps, a drum set, keyboards and mic stands are set up quickly and the *surrogate* band rips through In The Flesh. Though he shines throughout, it is the two versions of In The Flesh that really showcase Graham Broad's power as a drummer.

Run Like Hell is a clap-along number where Roger implores the audience to "Enjoy yourselves!" Everyone seems to do just that.

The Trial is one of my favourite parts of the new show and at the end, when Roger, as the judge, says, "Tear down the fucking wall..." it is one of those moments that just stick with you. The chanting of Tear Down The Wall... Tear Down The Wall... it builds and builds and builds and then, the wall begins to sway.

Finally it comes crumbling down and from my vantage point it seemed certain it was going to fall right on our heads!

Outside The Wall sees the entire band on stage, mandolins, a banjo, acoustic guitars... this version is done superbly and leaves the crowd wanting more.

To see The Wall - Live in 2010 is a great treat to be sure. I am quite certain that 30 years from now this tour will still be talked about as the technology currently available allows Roger's vision to come to fruition in ways that nobody could have previously imagined.

On this night, a final tribute to John Lennon from Roger, as he was leaving the stage.

"He was a dreamer, but he was not the only one."

It is amazing to witness The Wall and think that Roger first had the idea for this in 1977. What's just as impressive is that after all these years, everybody in the audience sang along to every song. Even the not-so-well-known numbers. It was great to be a part of and leaves me feeling as though I have witnessed a piece of rock history.

The Wall - Live is certainly one for the ages.

CONCERT REVIEW and PICTURES from BD CONTRIBUTOR, Simon Wimpenny

After getting in the venue we found our seats while Gail and Joe waited to find their friends in the lobby. We were 14th row on the aisle in the centre section tonight, Gail and Joe were on the other end of the same row, Maria and Brian were at the rear of the venue up off the floor in section 110 and Matt and Maria were in a similar place in section 109. Michael was 2 rows behind us to the left and John was 7th row to the right. I hadn't heard from my friend Simon so sent him a text but he apparently didn't get it till later on after the show which is a shame as I wanted to meet up with him again, however he's going over to the UK for Christmas and will be coming down to London so we're hopefully gonna meet up at some point. I've written Christmas off this year, I'm gonna sleep for a couple of days when I get home, work the week before and then just catch up on TV programmes over Christmas on my own. This will be only the second time I've been at home in the UK in 16 years!! Last year I was with my girlfriend and her parents which I really enjoyed, however this year's gonna be the first year alone and at home in the UK! It's a shame I am up to 88 days of my 90 day visa free entry into the USA otherwise I would stay out here for Christmas and New Year as I've had so many offers of places to stay over the holiday period. Ah well, next year's Thanksgiving is more or less arranged already :) thanks Beth:)

OK back to the show, it's getting kinda hard to review the gigs now due to there not been much new for the last few shows and the performances all being fantastic with very few if any mistakes! Tonight's show was no different, the first half was flawless and the second half was just as good as ever! There was one difference tonight though, the crowd! unlike last night where the crowd were up and down all night and couldn't decide whether to sit or stand tonight's crowd were up on their feet and didn't sit till the end of the show!

I got a few good shots during the random images on the wall section:

Roger wasn't in as good a mood as he was last night (see my review on the first San Jose show soon) but he was in good humour, his actions during the second In The Flesh were great, pointing to the crowd telling them to sit down at the sides and using his hand as a gun at the crowd shooting at them then pointing to them and dragging his hand across his throat!

The wall fall at the end was good, better than last night for sure. It still amazes me to look round at the crowd during and after the walls falling and seeing the reactions on their faces, it's always too dark to take pictures of people but I'm gonna try real hard the last few shows to capture their faces with a couple of pictures.

Make sure you check out Simon's blog at SimonWimpenny.blogspot.com where you'll find full details of all his travels, along with more pictures and videos.

CONCERT REVIEWS and PICTURES by other BD CONTRIBUTORS

Hopefully coming soon - we welcome all contributions!

YOUR HELP NEEDED! We want to cover Roger's concerts the best we can, to share the experience with everyone, especially those who won't be able to attend the shows. We'd love to see ANY pictures, tickets scans, reviews, newspaper reports, and anything else you come across for this show - we look forward to hearing from you!