Capacity: 19,758
Concert starts: 8pm

Address of venue: Wylie Avenue, Pittsburgh PA, 15219. MAP

Website: penguins.nhl.com

COMMENTS

Roger's tour of The Wall hits Pittsburgh, and a venue which was newly opened when he last presented the album there in September 2010.

The RogerWaters.com presales have taken place, with advance tickets available to those who had registered their interest in particular cities. General sale tickets went on sale on November 14th at 10am through this link to Ticketmaster.com. Exact dates and outlets can be found via Roger's website. The public sale will also see a limited number of VIP packages made available for each show on the tour. Our thanks to Elliot Tayman for the concert advert 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 sixty-five of the seventy-two date 2012 tour, and the return to Pittsburgh. The production now packs up and moves on to the iconic Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York. From the local media, the Pittsburgh Post Gazette were there, and they gave a broadly enthusiastic review, giving it 3/5. "This isn't the most useful information, given that there are only seven dates left on a tour that's been spread across three years, but Roger Waters' The Wall Live really is better the second time around. It returned to Consol Energy Center Tuesday night and packed it again, despite not being the most summery type entertainment. The last time I saw it, my seats were on the extreme stage left, so I could barely see all the projections. This time I was on the floor at the back of the first section, able to see the whole grand spectacle splayed out in front of me (I also wasn't writing on deadline, so I didn't have to stare at my iPhone the entire time). Why the folks on the floor chose to stand most of the show was a little puzzling, but, hey, maybe it added energy.

"Waters was in good spirits and in excellent voice, proving that at 68 he's taken much better care of himself than did his semi-fictional character of Pink. As it was an encore performance of the September 2010 show, there were only a few differences. The biggest was the addition of an acoustic coda at the end of "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)," which he's titled "The Ballad of Jean Charles de Menezes," named for the man who was shot by police in the London underground after mistakenly being accused of taking part in the July 7, 2005 subway bombing.

"Waters commented, "If we give government and police too much power, it's a slippery slope to tyranny." It added more weight to an already powerful show.

"The other notable difference is that this far into the tour, the musicianship has only gotten better. Robbie Wyckoff was even more confident in the David Gilmour vocal role, especially perched on top of the wall for "Comfortably Numb." David Kilminster's fiery and fluid solo up there was the instrumental powerhouse of the night. G.E. Smith also nailed a solo on "Mother," another highlight, with Waters singing along to a video of his younger self.

"A low point was the Star of David appearing on the flying pig along with dollar signs and hammers & sickles. That's an issue that was discussed extensively at the outset of the tour and, apparently, it's unchanged.

"Waters has spent nearly three years now using "The Wall" to fill the empty spaces in this late part of his career. Although he's built on his fortune doing it, grossing more than $300 million, to his credit he doesn't appear to be the least bit bored with this old warhorse. He has said this might be his swan song. Let's hope there is something else left in him."

The Pittsburgh Times Online also reviewed the show. Their review noted that "In building “The Wall,” Roger Waters has reached a pinnacle in rock concert spectacle. Five minutes into his Consol Energy Center show Tuesday, there was a simulated plane crash with a lookalike prop zipping down a wire suspended from the arena’s rafters and plowing through an on-stage wall to an explosion of pyrotechnics.

"For any other theatrically minded musical artist, that would have been the night’s special-effects apex. But Waters was just getting warmed up for a performance that would include machine-gun fire, a big black pig with menacing tusks floating over the crowd, and 14 Pittsburgh schoolchildren wearing T-shirts that said “Fear Builds Walls” while serenading a humongous inflatable teacher puppet with the well-known “Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2.”

"Backed by a deft 12-piece band including former “Saturday Night Live” music director G.E. Smith on guitar, Waters’ voice sounded the same as it did three decades ago. He evoked the proper sneer and defiance on songs such as “Empty Spaces” and “In the Flesh,” while conveying the necessary at-wit’s-end emotions for “One of My Turns” and “Don’t Leave Me Now.”

"It was a concert like no other, an increasing rarity these days.Though witnessing an album performed sequentially does have one drawback — a lack of surprise, or that “warm thrill of confusion” Waters sings about on the album’s opening verse. Still, it was an unforgettable experience, and rest assured numerous spectators held their smartphones aloft for large swaths of it, capturing the action for posterity in shaky-handed YouTube fashion." Their full review can be seen here.

If you went to this show in Pittsburgh, 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, Roy Handy

I was at the Pittsburgh show on 7/3/2012. I am one of the rare few citizens of the US who does not own a cell phone so I have no pictures or video to attach.

The show was very, very good. As has been mentioned elsewhere, the show is not surprising in any way. The show is, however, very tight. I saw the Eagles back in 2010 or 2012 and there were various points where someone (*cough*Joe Walsh*cough*) screwed up a note or two and that's not something I would even complain about had it happened during this show. During The Wall, I noticed nothing of the sort. Nary a missed note or flubbed lyric to be heard.

I was seated in section 204, Row A, seat 7. $75 seat. Cheap, considering that two days earlier I had paid $80 for an hour on a Jet Ski. I had a perfect view of all but the circular center projection screen which sits higher than the top of the wall. This screen was partially blocked by a cluster of speakers. I don't know if it's possible to get a bad seat for this show.

At 68 years of age, Roger Waters was as good as ever. His voice was strong and he has obviously taken care of himself physically. He engaged the crowd a couple of times and I thought he seemed to be in a good mood. He was effusive in his praise of the schoolchildren he brought on stage for Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 1.

I've been to a lot of shows and it's hard for me to say this was the best show I have ever seen. This, though, is only because of the rigid definition of the setlist. I knew what I was getting when I went in and so I have no complaints. Everything about the show was absolutely flawless.

I was elated for the kids who got on stage and the way Roger thanked them. I was moved to tears during Vera. I was given a laugh or two while Roger introduced his duet with his younger, "fucked-up" self.

An A+ performance that was well worth the investment. A bucket list item, for sure.

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!