Ft Lauderdale show 1 (part 2)……

So at intermission i went up to find Ralph and Lori and bring them down to the two empty seats on the floor. They were outside smoking a cigarette and told me how bad the crowd were around the, They were not enjoying the show at all, everyone around them ere sat there with their arms folded and just not into the show much at all.i knew when they got down to the floor things would be totally different.

Once sat in their seats another girl had spotted the empty 3rd seat next to Ralph and Lori and made her way there too. She was from Belgium, had seen the show in Washington DC and had brought a picture of Dave K and herself that she was hoping to get signed by Dave after the show.

Ralph and Lori in their 2nd row seats.

  

Everyone sat down as usual for Hey You and then started to stand during Is There Anybody Out There. By the time to hotel room set had finished coming down from the wall and Roger was sat in his chair the whole floor were back to standing up and cheering.

Hassan and Amin were on the rail again with Gary and Debbie next to them and me stood slight behind them, again it was fantastic to see the second half of the show with us all together in one place. Only thing that could have made it better was if Greg and Mike were there along with Maria and Jack but we could see the four  of them from where we were.

I know when i saw the dark side shows with Ralph that Bring The Boys Back Home is his favourite song, seeing this live on the Dark Side tour also gave it another dimension for me, I've never seen something as powerfully performed as it was them. Don't get me wrong, its still good now but i think the Dark Side version was a lot more powerful. I looked over at Ralph as i knew he would be enjoying it so much and seeing how much he was enjoying it and getting into it nearly brought a tear to my eye!!

Lori & Ralph during BTBBH

Roger was in fine form for the In The Flesh track and playing the fascist character just great tonight. The machine gun was on hand when he needed it along with the gunfire sounds which had been missing at a couple of previous shows.

   

   

I tied to position myself on the front rail for when Roger takes off his armband but he walked a bit further across the stage than he normally does and threw it a touch further into the crowd tonight so someone in the second or third row got to take it home tonight!

 

The security were really strict on moving people back in preparation for the wall falling at the end of the show.  lot of people who didn't know about the wall falling down couldn't understand what was going on, they had been lent on the rail all night and then all of a sudden security was telling them to move back and sit down!

The wall got a great wobble on tonight and must have wobbled for a good 30 seconds before the first brick fell from the centre on the top row. The first 4 rows fells forward which was great and we all felt the wall wind as if fell past us all, the next 5 or 6 rows all fell backwards and that left only 2 or 3 rows to fall forward. To be honest i think the crew have really got the wall fall down to an art now and its away much more controlled than it was in the first 10 to 15 shows. its a shame but i guess that's what happens

     

     

I get a bit embarrassed now when I'm stood along the rail for outside The Wall as usually  Jon C, harry, Marky, Robbie, Snowy and Dave all spot me stood there and laugh and smile however tonight as the all walked past each one of them pointed at me and smiled! At the last show Dave stood in front and posed with his banjo but i wasn't quick enough to take a pic, tonight i got him as he was waving though and laughed as he did.

Hassan, Myself and Amir on the rail end of show.       The after show glow!

               

As we were walking through the parking lot i received a text from Hassan that said:

“Hey Si, if you see my car let me know, i cant remember where i parked it”

I replied with:

“hey i found your car with the keys in were driving it now”

his reply:

“please make sure you fill up the tank”

my reply:

“I just sold it for five grand”

His reply:

“Then who's freaking car am i driving and how much is it worth”

You kinda had to be there as the funny thing was when i got the first text i looked at the phone and though “ WTF i don't even know what Hassan's car looks like!!  Was great to see you guys last night and looking forward to seeing you at the bar tonight a bit earlier so we get a chance to chat before the show.

We all had a couple of drinks in the bar before we left for the drive back to the house and within a minute of us all getting in the house we were all tucked up in bed asleep! Its strange as i heard a lot of noise coming from Mikes room last night and noticed my tom-tom was in a different place to where i left it last night!  the words  “turn left” “make a u turn” “turn right” “take the ferry” were heard time after time, I've no idea what time Mike got to sleep but he was the only one with an English woman in his bed last night!!

More pics from the show:

View Full Album

Ft Lauderdale show 1 (part 1)……

So Maria & Jack headed back to their hotel and half an hour later Lori, Ralph, Mike and Greg all got into my rental car and we headed off to the venue, about a 45 minute drive away. We had arranged to meet a couple of people at a bar across the highway from the venue called Bahama Breeze. After the hot English voice of the tom-tom GPS lady took us around the loop road the wrong way and wasted 10 minutes drinking time we finally found the bar. It seems Mike has a crush on the tom-tom GPS lady and I'm sure he set her to go the wrong way just so he could hear her voice for 5 minutes longer!

The bar was packed with people going to the show, i guess everyone had had the same idea as us and after all it was a Saturday night. We found a place to stand outside and and looked around for friends who were due to meet up. I was unable to find my friend Gary whose house i was staying at this coming Monday but i had his contact details and address so if i didn't see him we would speak soon anyway.

Mike, Lori, Ralph and Greg                  Ralph and Lori                            Myself, Greg Jack, Lori, Ralph, Maria, Mike

    

A friend of ours (Robert) and his buddy that we met up in Chicago with joined us plus we had a chat with a guy who says he taught Rogers kids to swim in Florida in the mid 80’s he couldn't remember their names and when i mentioned harry and India he was pretty adamant that wasn't their names so who knows!

Myself with Robert and friend

 

Greg made a toast while we were at the bar to Mike Alexander,AKA Floydianleaf,  Mike was a HUGE fan whom some of us had met in Florida on the Dark Side tour 3 or 4 years ago and had passed away so young, he will always be in my heart when i see the shows and i know he’s looking down on us in spirit.Shine on Mike:) Would appreciate if everyone takes a couple of minutes and remembers Mike by watching the video below he really was a great guy.

 

We started to walk over to the venue around 7:15, Maria and Jack had to pick up their tickets from Will call as did Greg and Mike. After picking up tickets, getting into the venue we all headed down to take our seats. Lori and Ralph were in the rear section of the hall about 10 rows up from the floor, Greg and Mike were 7th row right and Mari and Jack were 3rd row stage left on the block off the floor.

Walking over to the venue

   

I was  at Greg's seats when a shout from the front row of “SIMON” caught my attention , it was my friend Gary who i was supposed to meet up with in the bar and who's house i would be staying at on Monday, We had never actually met but i met his wife briefly in 2000 at the pre show meet up in Vegas and after a few years of not being in touch we had reconnected six months ago. he had recognised me from my blog so i made my way round and had a good chat with them before the show.my friend Jim from Atlanta had told me his friend Fritz and his wife would be at the show, i had met them briefly in Atlanta on the Dark Side shows and his wife had spotted me and came down to say hi! Sorry we didn't get more time to talk but was great to see you again!

A good friend of min e Hassan was also at tonight's show and we had been texting for the last couple of hours, he was running late for the meet up and even later for the show! he text me at 8pm that he was just getting in the venue, i asked him where his seats were and lo and behold they were right next to my friend Gary and his wife Debbie where i was standing!! amazing how these things happen! Gary and Hassan had never met but had posted on the Roger Waters message board I've run for the last  few years.

Gary and I                                                  Mark Lennon and Gary

    

With 5 minutes to go i walked over to see Maria and Jack before the show, they were amazed at how good their seats were and couple wait for the Nobody Home part of the show where Roger comes down in the hotel room set, it would be like Roger was performing just for them they were that close!

I was standing on the rail tonight next to Hassan and his brother and Gary and Debbie, i also said i would have a look round on the floor to see if there were any vacant seats during the first set that Ralph and Lori were able to use for the second set.

The instant that In The Flesh started i thought holy crap this is loud!! it was unbelievably loud the bass was going right through my chest within the first few notes and that wasn't the loudest part of the show by far! It was fantastic to be on the rail with such great friends. I had spoke to Gary earlier about watching out for the plane crash at the end of ITF and tapped Gary on the shoulder just as a reminder. Its amazing how many people don't see this happen till its too late and i like the fact that when i turn around to watch the plane say 15 seconds before its due to crash that a lot of people around me wonder what I'm looking at and turn around to see, its only then that they see the plane and watch it as it comes down the wire and crashes into the wall.

   

The kids during Another brick were fantastic, one came out right in front of Roger playing air guitar and really went for it, Roger was laughing to himself as he watched her writhe around on the floor mimicking the guitar actions of Dave as he played his solo. Two other kids right in front of me came out and did their own dance routine as did two other further down the line.At the first few shows i thought this show dance thing was a bit cheesy but I'm beginning to like this part of the show more and more.

It was great to see Hassan and Gary's face during the first half, it was pure delight, it was the first time they had seen the show and i know Gary had stayed away from any spoilers that had been put online and it was so paying off doing that now, he was having the time of his life.

   

There was so much energy coming off the stage tonight, it was a combination of the people i was with, the loudness of the show, the performance and the position i was in. It was turning out to be THE nest show I've seen on the tour so far and i know i say this after every show but this was seriously the best so far!

I had noticed a couple of seats free  dead centre second row, i kept an eye on these the whole first set and no one came and sat in them at all. I made a mental note and carried on watching and enjoying the show.

To be continued…….

Florida Day 2…….

Having a great time here at Ralphs house, here's the view from his yard!!

So i did the sensible thing  last night and went to bed around 1am, i kept waking every hour and hearing the others partying away, this was till 5am when i woke and i heard silence!

I woke around 10am and surfed around on my laptop for an hour or so before getting up and putting on my running gear. 5 minutes before i headed out of the door Mari and Jack arrived. Everyone was still asleep so Maria and Jack went to check out the local stores as she wanted to buy a new camera and a GPS and i left for my run.I'm not used to running in such heat, it just about 78` which might not be real warm for people that live here in Florida but for someone who lives in the UK where were lucky if it gets up to that in the summer and where all the seasons roll into one season that only the UK has and calls it “Damp”! then its pretty warm! plus the humidity while not as bad as here during the summer its still high for me! i got 20 minutes down the street and i could tell it was a lot harder than i was used to. It was hard to get my breath and felt like i was getting no air while running! i managed about 35 minutes before i gave up and walked the rest of the way back to the house. My friend Gail from Phoenix had called me just as  set out so i called her back on my way back and chatted for 15 minutes. looking forward to seeing you and Joe in Vegas in 11 days time!!

By the time i got back Lorri, Ralph, Mike and Greg were all up and awake, Greg was so disappointed that he had missed the run with me, i could see in his eyes he was upset id left without him!! don't  worry Greg we have this morning and tomorrow:)

Ralphs house,right on the water!

    

I took a shower and sat down with Lori and Greg for a chat, i then remembered the cold pizza in the fridge and had a couple of slices for brunch! nothing like cold pizza the day after! Lori, Greg and Mike were feeling a touch worse for wear after their 5am bedtime however i gotta say they all looked great and there's no way id have looked that good had i stayed until that time, in fact i don't think I've ever stayed up till that time in the morning, i didn't even know there were two 5 o clocks in a day!!

Maria and Jack arrived back shortly and we all sat on the porch talking about tonight show, it was Mikes first time seeing the show so we had to try stay away from talking about any spoilers which we all managed pretty well. After me beating Jacks ass at darts Ralph decided to make another couple of fresh pizzas for lunch.

Ralph aking pizza

The pizzas were even better than yesterday! Ralph said this was due to the sauce being made a couple of days and having a lot more flavour. We all chilled out after lunch, Maria and Jack didn't have tickets for the show yet so i started looking on Ticketmaster around 2pm. They ALWAYS release tickets for the show the day of the show without fail and today was no exception. Up until around 2:45 there was nothing at all available and the gig was sold out but sure enough i hit refresh one more time and the tickets were released. First of all they released the side block right next to the stage. What happens is the day of the show after the stage set is all built up they then work out which area at the side they have to cordon off for the wall falling down and they then put the tickets for the seats that are left online. I knew there would be better ones available so just kept trying and within 20 minutes Jack and Maria had two of the best seats in the house. The second block to the side, 3rd row up and 2 seats on the aisle. They absolutely loved these seats!!

After getting the tickets Maria and Jack could relax and decided to drive back to their hotel about 45 minutes away so they could get ready for the show, they would meet us at Bahama Breeze bar before the show for drinks and we would all then walk across to the venue which was no more than a 15 minute walk and we all started to get ready for the show, i relaxed on the bed in my room for half an hour, the others took a shower and 45 minutes later we were all ready to head out to the venue

Leaving for the show              With Christina                     “Maria” myself and “Jack”     Myself and Christina

     

Maria and Jack left before we  took the above pictures however Maria had brought a big bag of pretzels from the store and jack had been drinking Coors light all morning hence the picture above of myself with “Maria & Jack” Lori and Ralphs daughter Christina wasn't going to the show but couldn't wait for us to all leave so she had the house to herself, i joked that i would call her 20 minutes before we would get home just so she could get everyone out of the house and hide any evidence of the party:) She had been getting me to say American words earlier on that she knew would sound strange in my English accent, things like toast, water and butternut. She was kinda surprised at how good my American accent was for saying these words though! that's just something that’s  come with practice after hanging out with Kami and her friend Jesse and a few other people!

More pics from day 2

View Full Album