Capacity: 15,000
Concert starts: 8pm

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

Website: http://www.rodlaverarena.com.au

COMMENTS

Due to exceptional demand for tickets to see Roger's new tour of The Wall - they sold out in an hour - a fourth night has now been added at the Rod Laver Arena, which Roger last performed in back in 2007.

The general sale of tickets through Ticketek has begun. The public sale will also see a limited number of VIP packages made available for each show on the tour. Our thanks to Dave Foley for the ticket scan 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, and what happened as the night unfolded!

Night nine of the tour (nine down already? wow...), and the last of the shows in Melbourne. A quieter crowd, but seemingly more attentive. Waltzing Matilda got another airing, and they really seem to be enjoying this, as the clip below shows. Next stop, Sydney, for the final two nights in Australia. 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 and PICTURE by BD CONTRIBUTOR, Taariq Hassan

'The Wall' on Saturday February 11th was just as mesmerising as the Wednesday show. It was my second time. I noticed that Waters sang some lines differently and he was sounding a bit hoarse and the execution of the most iconic guitar solos was slightly different.

That geezer Dave Kilminster has 'got it' but hasn't NAILED IT! Whereas I have both and Roger never calls me to play Dave Gilmour's guitar solos. That is just show business for you!

There were fewer fat white trash bogan monger men in the audience too and less scragger scrubber chumpster sub-neaderthal housing commission reject chicks with them. In fact there were some decent looking females around! I think this show was one the real fans went to for a second dose and others who went on short notice based on hearsay and good press.

The crowd was more subdued but lapped it up regardless.

I wish I saw the "In The Flesh" tour. It would have attracted less mainstream white trash mob and perhaps a more enlightened crowd. But as Roger himself noted the quality of the audiences went to the Dogs after 1973-1974.

My 70 year old Mother wasn't bored by it but the music of Pink Floyd/Roger Waters doesn't mean as much to her as it does to us. She'll still go for Joan Baez singing "Kumbayaa" if given a choice or left to her own devices. She always has been a drinker and never had any hashish, mushroom and acid binges, unlike me in my youth! However I said to her that this will be an amazing rock theatre event. It was indeed that and much more.

CONCERT REVIEW and PICTURES by BD CONTRIBUTOR, Klaus Boldt

The final show in Melbourne was the second time I was able to see The Wall, having been to one of the Hamburg shows last year. I have just moved to Melbourne and couldn't resist another chance to watch the concert. My fears of not finding my way in a new city were completely unfounded - a staff member of the Melbourne tram was giving directions at Flinders Street station and singing his own rendition of Another Brick In The Wall via loudspeaker.

While I got some centre floor seats for the Hamburg show, this time I was seated far back and relatively high up. Although the sound gear did obscure part of the circular screen, I must say that the view was as great. You really don't miss anything from the show, regardless of the seating. While the facial expressions of Roger and his band are of course lost, some of the elements (the pig especially) was even better to watch from above.

The concert itself was top notch, but I didn't expect anything else, really. The audience was quiet throughout the show, and bursts of applause quickly subsided when the next song started, something I found very appropriate. I had the overall feeling that the crowd really knew and identified with the show and its message.

Roger's ability to play emotions is incredibly precise. The show pulls all registers when it comes to moving people, but it never seems over the top or exaggerated. I felt this even more this time, where I knew what was coming. I believe this is rare, because I usually become more analytical and detached from a presentation with each time I watch it. Moments that stand out are the words "No Fucking Way" written on the wall after Roger asks "Mother should I trust the government?", which always causes the audience to roar, the new animation to Goodbye Blue Sky and the film of children meeting their fathers who return from war during "Vera". The climax in terms of emotions for me was the In The Flesh/Run Like Hell nazi rally, which always gives me the creeps. The audience is used mercilessly to show how easy it is to turn crowds into a mob, and one feels torn between the urge to participate and disgust. This is in my opinion the best executed political statement in rock history, if I may speak in absolutes.

It was great to hear the additional, acoustic verse of Another Brick In The Wall Part 2, which was not yet added in the Hamburg shows. As en encore, we were treated with a rendition of "Waltzing Matilda", like the last show in Brisbane.

All in all it was a fantastic show, and maybe the last time I will see one of Roger's concerts. If the chance arises, I will certainly come again!

CONCERT PICTURES by BD CONTRIBUTOR, Greg Garrett

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!