Originally published in Brain Damage Magazine 38
Throughout the long and
colourful history of Pink Floyd, the band has given us many incredible
live concert performances. And for years, fans have reminisced about
their amazing concert experiences and discussed the legendary concerts
of Pink Floyd lore. Imagine what it would be like if you could go back
in time to witness some of these spectacles as they happened. Just
which shows would you choose to attend?
I thought it would prove
interesting to pose this question to the diverse group of fans on
Echoes [mailing list]. The question I presented them with was: "If you
had a time machine that could take you to any six Pink Floyd concerts
in the history of the band, which six concerts would you attend? Please
select specific shows and specify why that particular show was picked."
The results of the poll provide
not only a fascinating glimpse into the history of Pink Floyd, but also
a look at what the fans hold dear to them. It is interesting to note
that the Animals tour holds a special place in the hearts of today's
fans. Not only were concerts from the Animals tour picked more than any
other tour, but the concert selected most was the Montreal show from
July 6, 1977, with the Oakland May 9, 1977 show finishing second.
Rather than attempting to analyze
the results, I think it best to let the answers [shown verbatim from
the original responses] speak for themselves. In order to make the list
easier to follow, I have ordered the shows chronologically. After each
date I indicated how many times it was selected [in brackets] and also
whether that specific show was chosen as a number one pick (with an *).
Shows without a number in brackets were only picked once. So, without
further delay, let's go time travelling with Pink Floyd!
Group tours
- Cambridge '64/'65: A concert by an unknown Paul Simon, Jokers Wild with David Gilmour and Pink Floyd, including a jam between the two later.
- 1965: The first concert played by Waters, Wright, Mason, Barrett and Close in 1965. The birth of Pink Floyd.
- *The Countdown Club, Palace Gate, UK, late '65: One of the earliest, if not the first, Pink Floyd concert.
- *Chalk Farm Roundhouse, Oct. 15, '66: IT's first "All Night Rave."
- UFO Club, London, Dec. 23, '66: Opening night at the UFO with Syd! The free form version of Interstellar Overdrive!
- UFO Club, London, Jan. 20, '67: [4] I would like to see
where it all started and before Syd starting losing it. I don't want to
see that - I'd much prefer to witness Barrett "the genius". A must for
the wild times and body painting. Seminal Pink Floyd.
- *Alexandra Palace, Muswell Hill, London, April 29-30, '67:
[2] The 14 hour Technicolour Dream. I would love to have attended THE
underground event of 60s London. The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, the
Soft Machine and Pink Floyd with Syd playing at the dawn of an era.
- Queen Elizabeth Hall, South Bank, London, May 12, '67: [3]
Games for May - space age relaxation for the climax of spring. The
first quadraphonic sound system in Britain was used at this show. This
system, a rudimentary forerunner to the famed "azimuth co-ordinator",
would later become important in the Floyd's concerts. See Emily Play
has a line referring to this show. Bubbles used during the show left
circles on the seats and daffodils were stamped into the carpet.
Because of this, the Floyd were not allowed to play there again. An
historic concert.
- Oude-Ahoy Hallen, Rotterdam, Holland, Nov. 12, '67: Syd Barrett. Should there be any other reason? And they played Interstellar Overdrive.
- 1968: *The Floyd's first show with both Dave and Syd, 1968. Seeing the 5-piece in January/February of 1968 is essential.
- Royal Festival Hall, South Bank, London, April 14, '69: The
Massed Gadgets of Auximenes...more furious madness from Pink Floyd,
debut of The Man and The Journey suite, and the debut of their quad
system "the azimuth co-ordinator". During this show, a silver "sea
monster" walked up and down the aisles and eventually made its way onto
the stage.
- Mother's Club, April 27, '69: The Ummagumma show.
- *Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, Sept. 17, '69: [6] The Man and
The Journey is one of my favourites and I'd love to hear the Azimuth
Co-oridinator in action. An early attempt at a concept piece, The Man
and The Journey, performed for radio broadcast.
- Fairfield Hall, Croydon, Surrey, England, Jan. 18, '70: [2]
Perhaps this is the show that set Pink Floyd on the rocky road to
stardom and eventual self-destruction. The debut of "The Amazing
Pudding" and of "The Violent Sequence," which contained a piano bit
that they play even now, old and at the top.
- Brighton Dome, Brighton, Sussex, UK, Jan. 19, '70: They
played The Violent Sequence, Biding My Time and Main Theme from More.
Should have been the second time they played Atom Heart Mother (The
Amazing Pudding) live.
- *Town Hall, Birmingham, UK, Feb. 11, '70: Because of the
strange set list (The Embryo, Main Theme from More, Careful With That
Axe Eugene, Sysyphus, The Violent Sequence, Set the Controls, Atom
Heart Mother).
- Fillmore West, San Francisco, April 29, '70: What a great
set list (Grantchester Meadows, Astronomy Dominie, Cymbaline, Atom
Heart Mother with orchestra, The Embryo, Green is the Colour &
Careful With That Axe Eugene, Set the Controls, A Saucerful of Secrets)
Atom Heart Mother with full choir and orchestra. I love the suite, and
Echoes is my favorite song.
- Festival de Musique Classique, Altes Casino, Montreux, Sept. 18, '70:
This show contains a nice mix of classic early songs which I've always
wanted to see Floyd perform - Astronomy Domine, Interstellar Overdrive,
Green is the Colour/Careful With..., plus a few less commonly played
numbers like The Embryo and Fat Old Sun. Finally, I'm really curious
about what was going on on-stage during Cymbaline with all the
footsteps and such.
- Pepperland, San Rafael, California, Oct. 17, '70: For this
one, I'd make sure I got a seat exactly in the middle of the
audience... not too close so I don't have to worry about my hearing,
and not too far away that I can't catch the vocal on Green is the
Colour. Coupled with Cymbaline and the recently released Atom Heart
Mother, if this isn't orgasmic... I must be impotent!
- Royal Albert Hall, London, Feb. 6, '71: Another very good performance, and it included Libest Spacement.
- Garden Party, Crystal Palace, London, May 15, '71: [2] I get
to see a selection of faves like Fat Old Sun, The Embryo, Careful With
That Axe Eugene and what might have been the debut of Echoes, or Return
of the Sons... or whatever they were calling it at that point. I wanna
see what killed those fish! Maybe I can save them this time.
- Sportpalast, Berlin, June 5, '71: [2] Seeing a show with
Echoes (not to mention the original lyrics) would also give me an
opportunity to see and hear their earlier material and experience some
of its live power. It would probably give me a whole new respect for
the Floyd, and I would get to hear Echoes!
- Montreux Jazz Festival, Switzerland, Sept. 18, '71: I would
like to see Echoes live at least once in my life, and with the
exception of Pompeii, this is the best version I've ever heard. Set
rounds out with my older favourites - A Saucerful..., Careful With That
Axe Eugene, Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun, Atom Heart
Mother. And I'd also like to know just what the hell was in the
Cymbaline film (running, doors slamming). Well behaved audience.
- Golden Hall, San Diego, Oct. 17, '71: This show has my favourite Cymbaline together with a wonderful Atom Heart Mother and Set the Controls.
- Paris Theatre, London, Sept. 30, '71: A great version of Echoes. Crowd with an accent.
- Amphitheater, Pompeii, Italy, Oct. 4-7, '71: [4] Ever since
I saw the film, I wondered what it would have been like to be sitting
there, the only fan, watching that. I wonder if the crew knew how lucky
they were.
- Lisner Auditorium, Washington, D.C., Nov. 14, '71: No comment.
- *Taft Theater, Cincinnati, Ohio, Nov. 20, '71: [3] My first
Pink Floyd show and one I'd like to relive. The longest Embryo and the
last in the U.S. for what I know. A great Echoes and some Pink Blues to
wrap it up.
- Rainbow Theater, London, Feb. 17, '72: [3] Press premiere of
Dark Side of the Moon. Just a chance to see Dark Side live would be
killer, but I would like to hear and see how it would sound in its
original format. The pre-release Dark Side, played in London to
critical acclaim.
- Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California, Sept. 22, '72: Floyd in the Hollywood Bowl doing Dark Side. Great show!
- Sporthalle, Boblingen, West Germany, Nov. 15, '72: [2] Early Dark Side of the Moon and one of the greatest Eugene’s ever!
- Palais des Sports, St. Ouen, France, Dec. 1, '72: I wanted to see the band late in their 4-piece career, and I chose this show because Gilmour got to play Childhood's End.
- Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri, March 6, '73: They played Childhoods End.
- Radio City Music Hall, New York, March 17, '73: This was a great show and the Floyd's coming out party.
- Earls Court, London, May 18, '73: [2] Another great setlist and a Dark Side concert. Debut of the crashing plane.
- *Rainbow Theatre, London, Nov. 4, '73: I knew my number 1
choice would be a Dark Side of the Moon show, and while an earlier show
might seem interesting, I HATE the slow version of Time. So the Dark
Side show would have to be not too early, and the ’94 versions don't
quite catch my fancy. How am I supposed to make the choice? Well, with
an encore of Obscured by Clouds and When You're In, the choice has
become all that much easier.
- Usher Hall, Edinburgh, Scotland, Nov. 4, '74: Another show
which fulfills several goals. Here I am treated to newish songs Shine
On and Raving and Drooling as well as the breakout of You Gotta Be
Crazy. The main course is a fully augmented 70s Dark Side set, the
dessert a late Echoes, though hopefully not a saxophone Echoes... let
Dave play!!
- Wembley Empire Pool, London, Nov. 16, '74: Raving and Drooling and Gotta be Crazy as well as a complete Shine On....
- Colston Hall, Bristol, UK, Dec. 14, '74: I picked this date
because I like the performance of Echoes during this show above all
others. The show also provides a good opportunity to see a highly
rehearsed Dark Side set, as well as fairly early renditions of Raving
and Drooling and Gotta be Crazy. Top it all off with Shine On You Crazy
Diamond and it sounds like a dream show to me.
- Nassau Coliseum, New York, June 16, '75: OK, so the Boston
Gardens show is considered to be the epitome Floyd concert in ’75, but
with all those Echosians there, this one should be less crowded.
- Boston Gardens, Boston, June 18, '75: Yet another awesome show.
- The Knebworth Festival, July 5, '75: [2] Miles said it was
perfect, I think others said it was beset with problems. I'd like to
think it was as good as Miles said, thus Wish I Was There. In addition
to the final performance of Dark Side with Roger, I'd like to see Roy
Harper on stage with the band. Also, the whole notion of Knebworth in
general intrigues me.
- Tarrant Cty Convention Centre, Ft Worth, Texas, May 1, '77: This is my favourite 1977 show.
- ****The Coliseum, Oakland, California, May 9, '77: [9] The
greatest Animals/Wish You Were Here show. Not only is this a great
show, but it has the last performance of Careful With That Axe Eugene.
In one sense, Roger knew that he was having troubles reaching his
audience and for one moment, the band played a song from a happier time
and were, for 10 minutes, the pre-Meddle Floyd. What I am led to
believe is the "premier" show in Floydian history. Also to hear Snowy's
solo on Pigs On the Wing. The band seemed happy with this show. So
should I be! Because it's the best performance I have ever heard from
Floyd. Probably the most relaxed show of the tour, as well as the
Careful With That Axe Eugene as an extra encore! I love Animals, and
would love to see it played live. Love Careful With That Axe Eugene,
and would like to see how it changed through the years, and how the
crowd reacted to it being played. I suppose that I would be happy
seeing any show on the Animals tour, but since they added Careful With
That Axe Eugene for the encore, this would be the best one to see.
- *The Coliseum, Oakland, California, May 10, '77: I think
everyone and their brother who is into live Pink Floyd knows the
legendary May 9, 1977 show by heart because of its widespread
availability. For me, being transported back to see the show on the
10th would be more important because I'm curious to hear how the Floyd
would follow up what had clearly been a very good night for them.
- Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio, June 25, '77: Yet another great performance, and this time it's outdoors.
- *The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA, June 28, '77: This was the
first rock concert I ever attended. The experience of Pink Floyd
performing both Wish You Were Here and Animals was awesome, and for me
the concert has never been surpassed.
- Madison Square Garden, New York, July 2, '77: Great Wish You Were Here set.
- *Olympic Stadium, Montreal, Canada, July 6, '77: [10] The
spitting incident. I need to be in the front row... I'll climb the
fence and scream louder than the other guy, hopefully to elicit "that"
response from Roger, subsequently being able to say it was because of
me that The Wall was written! Considering my love of The Wall, I need
to see how it all began. No self respecting Floyd fan would not want to
see this. It is the Genesis of the Wall, and one of the more important
events in rock history. Not to mention it was an Animals show... In my
opinion the last 'real' Pink Floyd concert with Roger. Again, slightly
historical (but I wouldn't go to see the spitting incident). I'd be
right in front of the soundboard. For me the 1977 tour represents the
pinnacle of the live Pink Floyd performance, and Montreal was a pretty
interesting gig. Despite all that's been said about Roger's actions at
this show, I think the band sounds particularly laid back during this
show. Loved to have seen how Roger got pissed. History in the making.
I'd also like my seat to be right next to the kid, so I can see Roger's
spite firsthand, as closely as any human being can without marrying him
and/or being the target. Also maybe I can catch some, bottle it, and
sell it for a huge profit. (Hell, I could do that right outside the
stadium. Wouldn't need the time machine...)
- *The Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California Feb. 7, '80: [3]
The Wall Live, the burning curtain, the Wall Live, debut, oh did I
mention that it's The Wall LIVE!!! The Wall has always been my
favourite album, so any performance would be a treat. The first show
seems historic.
- Nassau Coliseum, New York, Feb. 27, '80: The Wall tour, best performance.
- Nassau Coliseum, New York, Feb. 28, '80: [2] Must have been
a real spectacle. The Wall shows are just too classic to miss seeing
again. By their final show they must have been playing the material
especially well.
- *Earls Court, London, Aug. 4, '80: [4] The first UK Wall
show. The Floyd seem to play better in London than when in the U.S.
They had the U.S. dates to work out the kinks. Plus, Earls Court holds
many Floyd memories and I’ve never been there. I chose this date
because the opening night at any venue tends to be the most
enthusiastic crowd, and Snowy White was with the band at that point
still. Too much to pass up! I chose Earl's Court because it is more
likely a smaller venue than Nassau or LA Sports Arena.
- Westfallenhalle, Dortmund, Germany, Feb. 19, '81: I wanted
to include a Wall show. I've seen the band at Earls Court, and I
wouldn't want to go to the Nassau Coliseum. So why not the
Westfallenhalle?
- Earls Court, London, June 17, '81: A good time was had by all. Waters made an appearance. I heard the front act was a lot like Pink Floyd!
- JFK Stadium, Philadelphia, PA, Sept. 19, '87: They played
Echoes at this show, plus they played One Slip and I like that song in
concert. The bass solo is cool. The 1987 tour revamped a lot of songs,
some for the better, some for the worse. I would just like to hear how
this song sounds more than 15 years after its inception. Best live
version of Echoes from 1987 tour.
- *RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C., June 1, '88: My first Floyd show, wouldn't trade it for anything.
- The Palace, Versailles, France, June 21, '88: I'd loved to have seen that pig fly over the palace.
- Moscow, Russia, June 3, '89: A performance in Russia, where I'm from!
- The Grand Canale, Venice, Italy, July 15, '89: Man what a
show! David Gilmour's guitar flames and screams... super sound... super
show... and they had these songs down-pat by this time. Too bad the
plaza subsided and all those people were fired.
- The Knebworth Festival, June 30, '90: [2] Great Floyd. Great
opening acts. It wouldn't be anything if not memorable... Led Zeppelin
(sort of), Eric Clapton... the list goes on.
- Alameda County Stadium, Oakland, California, April 22, '94:
One Slip is one of my favourite songs, and hearing it live would just
be awesome, especially with the boys playing as well as they were on
the last tour.
- *Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia, PA, June 2, '94: My first
(and only) Pink Floyd show. It was such an amazing experience that I'd
love to be able to see it again to see the stuff I missed the first
time.
- *The Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan, July 15, '94: First Dark
Side since whenever... I picked this one because this was, as of now,
my first and only time seeing Pink Floyd. Therefore this is the only
show that I know exactly what I would be feeling if I attended, as
opposed to guessing. And I can say from experience that I wouldn't
trade that feeling for anything in the world.
- Valle Hovin, Oslo, Norway, August 30, '94: [2] Typical
Division Bell show, but with Marooned and Poles Apart, my faves from
The Division Bell. Marooned is an incredible song... the '94 tour was
incredible....I’d have to see at least 2 shows from this tour. Wanna
see the Whale Video.
- Earls Court, London, Oct. 14, '94: This one's personal. I
managed to schedule a business trip to London around the Floyd's
14-show stand at Earls Court. Arrived on the morning of the 13th,
booked a room, caught a nap, scalped a ticket, enjoyed a concert. On
the 14th, I was thrown into a tizzy by the unexpected appearance of
"High Hopes" in the first set, then my grip on reality was severed by
the onset of the Dark Side second set. So that's why this show makes
the list - I was there! Sorrow and Another Brick just blazed. And of
course Learning to Fly from Pulse is a real teaser.
Solo tours
SYD BARRETT:
- The Olympia, London, June 6, '70: Extravaganza '70; Syd's first solo outing!
DAVID GILMOUR:
- National Stadium, Dublin, March 31, '84:
First show of the About Face tour. Gilmour is my God. I shall worship
no other Gods than He. And I'd love to hear Him play His solo stuff.
- The Brixton Academy, London, Nov. 1, '85: Pete Townshend's
Deep End show with Dave playing lead guitar. Reason I picked this one:
Pete and Dave on one stage....'nuff said!
ROGER WATERS:
- Earls Court, London, June 21, '84:
The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking is one of my favourite albums. This
was far enough into the tour to have all the wrinkles worked out, but
early enough that Clapton was still enjoying himself.
- *Palais Omni Port de Bercy, Paris, France, July 6, '84: The Pros and Cons Live...
- Wembley [Arena], London, Nov. 21, '87: I managed to sneak in and see the soundcheck as well.
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