October 9, 2023
London Palladium, London, UK
Week: 360
This week’s thing: Guys, this week damn near killed me. I saw six shows on five nights in three different countries. I’m going to use this post mostly to write about a very special show I saw by Roger Waters and will mention the others at the end. For Roger Waters – I am in London for work and happened to see that Roger Waters, whose concerts I’ve been to several times and who puts on some of the most stunning shows I’ve ever seen, was doing two intimate shows in London to celebrate his new version of Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon.” I spent a silly amount of money on a ticket but I really don’t think I could have lived with myself if I didn’t go.
Music: 5/5: I mean, it’s “Dark Side of the Moon.” One of the greatest albums ever made. Some of Roger’s updates to the songs are not my cup of tea, but who the fuck am I? I’m not a musical genius like he is and I’m probably wrong and he’s right. Either way, seeing Roger perform them, in addition to a couple of other of his classics, “The Bar,” and “Mother,” was wonderful
Lighting/backdrop/visuals: 3/5: I am bummed to report that the Roger Waters production I’ve become accustomed to was not really on display for this show. It wasn’t nothing and we did at least get a version of the iconic Dark Side of the Moon the pyramid with rainbow refracted light, but I had hoped he and his art director would take advantage of the intimate venue to do something really amazing.
Overall vibe: 5/5: The crowd was excited to be there and Roger seemed to really be in his element in a smaller theater and with a full band. He was in good spirits and having a lot of fun, telling jokes and as always making plenty of off-the-cuff remarks.
Bonus points:
Stage banter: +1, the first half of the show was basically just banter and a reading from his new book
Fashion: +1 for the classic black pants and black t-shirt look, but with a magenta blazer tonight to boot
Final: 15/15
What else I saw this week:
Theo Katzman at Paradiso in Amsterdam. Shows in old churches with beautiful stained glass will always be good concerts and Theo Katzman’s pleasant music was a nice complement to the beautiful venue.
Cory Wong at the Eventim Apollo. I fucking love Cory Wong and moved heaven and earth to get to his show in London on the last night of my work trip. His playing and his band were on point as always. As soon as I got home, I bought tickets to go see him again in California in February. Watch this space lol.
Dave Chappelle at Lincoln Theatre. Dave escalated his war with the trans community. He was taping a special, and I’m very curious to see how much he winds up keeping and cutting…
Anthony Jeselnik at Warner Theatre. He is a total master of his craft and I love seeing him. He was as smart and sharp as ever.
Trousdale at DC9 immediately following the Jeselnik show. I actually saw Trousdale with Cory Wong in DC a few months ago and thought they were great. I liked their headlining show a lot and really appreciate the band members’ dedication to each always wearing their designated colors (green, pink, and blue like the Powderpuff Girls).