When David Gilmour went out on the road in promotion of his new solo album in the last few years, he billed himself as “the voice and guitar of Pink Floyd”.  That being said, Roger Waters was everything else in Pink Floyd.  The concepts, the lyrics, the vision.  All of that was in full display during his powerful show last night.

With your eyes closed, it was quite impossible to tell that you were not in front of a very high quality sound system… in your living room.  The renditions of the songs, sound effects and everything else which goes along with a Pink Floyd show were brilliantly executed.  Roger and the band made it all look so simple.

The setlist itself is a great mix of old favorites (”Another Brick in the Wall, Part II”, “Comfortably Numb”), rarities (”Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun”, “Bring the Boys Back Home”), and songs which were all Roger (”Leaving Beirut”, “Southhampton Dock”, “Perfect Sense”).  It would be difficult to leave the show feeling that you did not hear something you needed to hear, as a fan of strictly Pink Floyd or Roger’s solo work.  Playing Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety helps, too.

This is a bit of a tossed-together tour, with only four dates played in the US on this leg: Coachella, Denver, Dallas and Houston.  The Texas dates are interesting, given Roger’s total and utter disdain for the Bush legacy.  The cues were everywhere… lyrically (”I bet that Texas education really fucked you up”), in the high-definition visual background behind the band and even on the giant inflatable pig which made its round around the venue.  He had no fear in voicing his thoughts in prime Bush territory.  But Roger has never, rightfully so, been quiet about politics.

I couldn’t help but think during the show that I have seen Bruce Springsteen, Ministry, Nine Inch Nails and Roger Waters lately all condemn the Bush administration in show and on record very vocally.  Coincidence?

The crowd was an eclectic mix of your typical stoner/burnout, older couples clutching onto their lite beers like elixirs, dads with their very young kids trying to turn them onto the music (”but dad, I’m three”) and random single women on a girl’s night out (stoners/burnouts make great dating material).  It would have been nice to see more teenagers there, the younger generation who needs to understand there is more to music these days than Fall Out Boy.  Music which has something to say, is timeless and puts the human condition in perspective.