SHARING THE SHOWS
It was a relatively quiet Tuesday at the office, which gave me a chance to get ahead on planning next week’s lessons. It also allowed me some resting time to psyche up for Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets. They were supposed to play at the Anthem last January, but COVID delayed that. Fortunately, Pete informed me of their delay last spring, and I thought, why not? If you were to ask the average person about their experience with Pink Floyd, I’m guessing the answer would revolve around The Wall, Dark Side of the Moon, or Wish You Were Here. The average or casual fan may not be aware of their earlier stuff, particularly the tunes in which Syd Barrett was involved. The Metro ride was an interesting one. A bunch of young women doused in glitter talked about their musical experiences, with Lizzo. Last semester, one of my students discussed how Lizzo is a symbol of female empowerment and body positivity. I support that cause wholeheartedly through my other writings, but tonight, I just had to have my Floyd fix. The Green Line brought me across the street from the Lincoln Theater. I had been there once before with Ellen, when she came into DC for the Society of Neuroscience Conference. We saw John McLaughlin and Jimmy Herring perform there, and it was quite the show. When I got inside, I was doing the “I really have to pee” dance. Once in the bathroom (two urinals and one stall), the line went in a swirl, very appropriate to tonight’s genre. Here’s a rudimentary sketch of how it went: I had gotten a solo seat up top, but there were some empties next to Pete and his crew, Darryl, Mike, and Ernie, so I was able to hang with them for the show. Here’s the setlist. The ones I knew instantly upon hearing:
Obviously, I haven’t listened to enough early Floyd. But this experience has ruined Floyd tribute bands for me. I’ve seen Australian Pink Floyd, The Machine, and Brit Floyd, and they all brought it. But their repertoire included mostly the well-known tunes, and I got a helluva psychedelic experience tonight. I don’t think I can see those other bands again now. Thanks Nick! All half-joking aside, Mason made what appeared to be some passive-aggressive comments toward Waters. “Roger beat the hell out of that song,” he mentioned before the band played “Set the Controls…Sun.” In the second draft, he joked, “No politics here, you don’t have to go to the bar,” which was met with appreciative laughter. This was an allusion to Roger’s declaration last month that “if you don’t like my politics, you can fuck off and go to the bar.” Two thoughts. First, the longer I distance myself from the Waters show, the less I like it. He jammed out, of course, but I wanted a show, not a political lecture, even if our views are aligned (I get enough of that discourse through conversations at work, as well as in my classroom). Ernie and I discussed that at setbreak. Secondly, I had a question: did Mason and Waters get along? I Googled and found an interesting article indicating intraband conflict. Yep, Roger is a dick. But the music is great, particularly the early years, and I’m definitely Team Nick. The Metro ride was home was nice (again, right across the street from the Lincoln). I recapped the show with a dude, and got to see all the Lizzo fans chattering excitedly after their show. The night closed out with an episode of WKRP in Cincinnati before my head hit the pillow. I’m writing this during some down time in my office, and I am feeling the burn. How the hell I do this? Oh well, four more nights till the next show. And a big shout-out to Bob, who I missed, but took some incredible video. Check out his channel, BobJGoPro, for more.
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May 2024
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