Hyde Park, London

Day 2 of the taping vacation. The flight from Prague back to London was easy and uneventful and the first night back in London was an early one. Woke up early the morning of the show and had brunch at a cute little French restaurant. It was the
closest spot and then off to Hyde Park for some pre-show recon. First thing I noticed was walkthrough metal detectors. Since I had lost a custom made cable after the show in Prague I didn't have the luxury of the smaller rig. We found the VIP entrance and didn't see the walkthroughs but sill needed to be prepared. We took the Underground back and it took forever so I got my gear ready and took an Uber back to the venue. This Uber driver was the opposite of my crazy Prague driver.
This guy yielded to shadows and with traffic it took twice as long. I finally said let me out and walked the rest of the way faster. Doors had just opened when I arrived and I beat security with all my gear. Some argument on bringing in more
than one 500 ML bottle of water but it was hot and they relented. I got my wristbands (2) and made my way to the section. The setup was similar to Desert Trip. The dead center back wall was open so I set down my stuff. I got to know the people next to me and went to put on the gear and get hydrated.

First up was Seasick Steve. I thought he started early but I was ready to go. I was not familiar with his music but I liked the set. It included washboard guitars, what else is needed. It was mostly empty due to the heat and it being a Friday so minimal
crowd. I also noticed the sound system was really good, especially for an opener. It was mentioned the drummer was Swedish in anticipation of the World Cup game the following day. Until arrival I had paid no attention but I sort of adopted the England team that night.

During the break one of my neighbors who knew what I was doing asked if I wanted a beer. I said no, just water. If I drank beer I would go down in the heat. After a short break Richard Ashcroft came on. I knew one song of his going in. For the most part I enjoyed his set and got his big hit. There was an odd rant that you just have to hear, its all I can say about it. During the set someone I knew from the Desert Trip group found me and motioned hello. She knew not to talk. Between sets with any changes we chatted, then they left for food. We thought Squeeze was next. We figured they were on another stage when the intro music to Roger's set started.

The crowd filled in as Roger's set was about to start. Not painfully crowded but there was some work preserving our spot. Unlike some shows I knew what to expect with the setlist. Normally I prefer that not to be the case but with Roger its fine with me. As the set started I was absorbed by the music and visuals in a way only Pink Floyd is able to the do. After arenas in the US I was so glad to be at an open air show. We were between the quad speakers in front by 10 feet. If you listen with a good pair of headphones the imaging is audible on the recording. The sound was at least perfect. I don't know how his sound crew does it. As with the previous shows my favorite parts of the first set are One of These Days, Time, Welcome to the Machine and Another Brick in the Wall 2 and 3 with the kids. I also thing the new material is quite good. The delivery of the lines from Picture That "Picture a courthouse with no fucking laws, Picture a cathouse with no fucking whores Picture a shithouse with no fucking drains Picture a leader with no fucking brains, No fucking brains, no fucking brains, No fucking brains, no fucking brains No fucking brains, no fucking brains No fucking brains, no fucking brains" with London's unwelcome visitor this week. When the set concluded there was a collective wow.

Between sets the women from the Desert Trip ground came by with food and water. That was very appreciated. I generally sneak in subsistence food for events like this since leaving my spot to wait for food isn't worth it. We quickly consumed the food since it was close to the start of the second set. By now is was finally starting to get dark so the visual part of the show improved. The set started with the Battersea Power intro. It is much more impressive outdoors. This led into the Animals part of the show which is my favorite. Animals is actually my favorite of the big 3. Dogs and Pigs did not disappoint. The quotes which appear on the video screen have been updated. By this point the crowd thinned out and the only person within 8 feet of me who didn't know I was taping was a security guard facing backwards. Money, with its visuals is classic. The set concluded with Brain Damage and Eclipse with the lasers. I only saw part of it, I can't look up. The encore was limited to Comfortably Numb due to curfew. I know its the same show, but ow but it was just I could see it 10 times. I contemplated going to the Lucca Italy show but in the end flights were primitive unless in was a very early morning or late night flight. So this might be my last chance to see Roger unless the tour continues back across the pond in 2019. As always, when taping in London. After the show is pub time. Two shows down, two to go.

Dodano: 27.10.2019