Search - Roger Waters - In the Flesh (Live) on DVD

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 12/25/2023...

Outstanding video and audio. Roger Waters shows that his former band Pink Floyd was not needed to sound just as good, if not better on most of their songs. The fill in band instrument players, singers and back up singers were outstanding. A must for Another Brick in the Wall fans and those that want to expand their music listening!

The best I've seen so far.

Blah Mcduh | Kingwood, TX United States | 04/17/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Of the 30 or so concert DVDs I've purchased to date, this is by far the best. This DVD has a very good DD 5.1 sound track. In fact, the sound on this DVD is just awesome. The video production of the concert is also excellent with lots of close-ups of the individual players - for example, of Doyle and Snowy when they're playing their solos. Although I have a lot of respect for David Gilmour, his writing and playing, these two guys do some excellent jamming that fits in perfectly with the particular song they're playing at the time, especially on some of the old favorites like Money, Another Brick ... and Comfortably Numb. Roger Waters put together a first-class group of musicians for this tour and they do a great job on all the Floyd songs. If you like Pink Floyd music, this is a DVD that you'll want to put on, crank up the volume and watch from beginning to end. Every cut is a winner. The behind-the-scenes selection is a plus and I always enjoy reading the band member bios when they're available, as they are on this DVD. I couldn't find anything bad to say about this DVD. It's definitely 5 stars!"

Not like being there....

Brian J. Sleeman | Marquette, MI USA | 01/11/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"No, this DVD is not like being there. I say this because it's physically impossible to sit in the dead center of an arena to get perfect sound and walk around on stage getting the fantastic filming shots this achieves at the same time.What a spectacular DVD: in short, this is the best concert DVD I own. I was slightly disappointed with the somewhat muddy sound quality of the "In the Flesh" audio CD release, but this one blows all of that away. The Dolby digital is great, reproducing as well as can be expected the complexities that went into the sound production of each live show. For instance, during the keyboard/synth solo of the glorious 17-minute performance of "Dogs," the dog barking effects are coming from all different directions. It's as if you're in section 5, dead-center of the floor, with the house sound system coming at you in all directions. Jon Carin's masterful work on keyboards and synth swirl it all into a psychadelic masterpiece. Meanwhile, at stage-center, Roger and his three guitarists (Andy Fairweather-Low, Doyle Bramhall II, and Snowy White) play a game of cards, all of which you can witness from an up-close perspective - so much so that you can hear them ribbing each other.That incredible sound quality I mentioned hits you right from the opening number, "In the Flesh," impeccably reproduced here to mimic the effect those opening chords had on you as you sat in anticipation to Graham Broad's drum cadence, Roger looming in the darkness on the catwalk behind him. It'll have you in awe throughout the performance, from the beautiful voice of Katie Kissoon during "Mother" to the overwhelming arena sing-along of "Perfect Sense Part Two." If that one doesn't give you shivers down the spine, nothing will. Roger pleads with the audience as he marches across the stage, arms out wide, "Can't you see, it all makes perfect sense, expressed in dollars and cents, pounds, shillings, and pence?"To answer any questions you might have about the filming, I couldn't imagine a better job. There aren't too many shots from the crowd's vantage point, there aren't so many close-ups that you forget it's a live performance, there aren't just two or three camera angles as there seem to be in Neil Young's "Red Rocks" disc, there isn't any of the quick-cut editing you'll see in Cream's Farewell Concert. This is a beautiful production that matches up with the music very, very, very well. Cameras sway in between them at the right times, give you enough of an audience perspective to take it all in, and blend mixed shots and fades flawlessly. It's perfect!Now for less technical thoughts: *any* Pink Floyd fan from the curious newbie to the fanatical completist will enjoy this disc. Roger's vocals aren't what they were in 1977, but they're much stronger here than they sounded in 1992's "Amused to Death" album. What you get is an intensely moving sequence of his works from 1968 (Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun, complete with an all-out psychadelic guitar attack courtesy of Mr. Snowy White), through the highlights of Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, and of course, The Wall. Roger's solo material isn't covered in a lot of depth (there is one track from 1984's Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking, none from 1987's Radio KAOS), but what's there is superb. The tracks from Amused to Death have never sounded so fresh, so vital, and oh so good. The title track of that album comes alive here, evidenced by the grin shared between White and Bramhall as they begin the wave of guitars that close out the latter half of the song. Roger's new tune, "Each Small Candle," provides much hope for his next album, which will probably come out in less than 20 years.Those who worry they'll miss David Gilmour will grow to appreciate both the new touch Doyle puts on Gilmour's guitar licks (he hits all the right notes and then some, and his interpretation of the solo in Time makes me want to listen to nothing but this version) as well as his bluesy, silk-voiced vocals. And what's to be said of Snowy White, who does a marvelous job throughout the disc of covering many of the tracks he played with the Floyd in 1977 and 1980, including "Shine On You Crazy Diamond," "Another Brick in the Wall Part 2," and a virtuoso duel on the aforementioned "Dogs" and the show's closer, "Comfortably Numb," which ends with the young gun and the seasoned veteran transcending generations to battle each other and share a few smiles of respect on the catwalk as everyone else looks on. Andy Fairweather-Low is a genius out of the limelight, substituting in on bass for Roger at certain times and nailing the rhythm guitar job. His lead highlight comes during the three-pronged guitar attack in "Money." A look at the faces of Jon Carin, who sits back, folds his hands together and watches with a big smile; and the rest of the bandmembers says enough.I'm rambling too much - now for a quick word on the extras. The lyrics are a nice touch for new fans but for those of us who've known all the words for years, they can be turned off. The still images are all quite nice for the occasional glance, but won't be something I return to as much as I do the rehearsal footage. Now, this isn't the half hour it promises (more like 18 minutes), but what you get is an insightful view from within the band. You share the stage with them as they get their act together in a high school auditorium in New York. You're in the dressing room with them before the show, as Andy defiantly proclaims that he won't go on without socks, Roger sarcastically compliments him on his suit while strumming an old 40s-ish tune, Graham Broad amazes us with his juggling and scooter talents, and Doyle does his best Elvis imitation while wife and backup vocalist Susannah Melvoin tells him he's got "a wig thing going on." Priceless.BUY IT!!!!!!"

Second best live Pink Floyd album

kireviewer | Sunnyvale, Ca United States | 08/30/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a DVD from Roger Waters 2000 concert tour. The music itself is about 2 and a half hours long. It has the exact same track listing as the 2 CD set of the same name. For special features, there is a very short biography on each member of the band, a gallery of still pictures and a 15 minute video of the group preparing for the tour. The video isn't very insightful, except that it shows how well scripted the concert is. Even the "thank yous" between songs are planned in advance.The is a very good DVD, but it isn't the best concert DVD I have seen. For instance, King Crimson's Deja Vroom is better technically, artistically and has better features. In The Flesh does come in stereo or Dolby 5.1. The sound quality is excellent. The picture is high resolution, but the camera work isn't that spectacular. It doesn't give you that feeling of being immersed in the concert. It is more like you are sitting in the back row. The camera focuses on the wrong parts of the groups and the wrong time. Someone will be doing a solo, while someone else is featured in the video. But, the important thing on a concert video is how good is the music. This is the second best live album put out by any members of Pink Floyd. It is better than Pulse or The Delicate Sound of Thunder, and on a par with Ummagumma. The best Pink Floyd live album is "Is There Anybody Out There".The unfornate thing is that none of the best Pink Floyd live material is available anywhere. They were simply amazing and creative during the seventies. They were constantly experiementing with the material. Dark Side of the Moon was originally played as a suite called "Eclipsed". Later, the group did a 60 minute version of Dark Side of the Moon, where they really strectched out the material in amazing ways (not like the lame version on Pulse). Animals and Wish You Were Here were first played in concert before turning up on record. Roger Waters has done a better job playing many of these songs on his earlier tours in 1982 (with Eric Clapton) and in 1987. David Gilmore's solo tours were better than his tours with Pink Floyd in the eighties and nineties. There are some very good tracks on this DVD. The real stand out is Set The Controls For the Heart of the Sun. Then there are tracks that aren't that spectacular. The studio versions of the songs from Amused To Death are much better.In 1999, Waters got up the courage to tour again. He was worried about touring again because his 1987 tour was a moderate flop, only half filling arenas. But it was different in 1987. He had just released the horrible "Radio KAOS", which turned off many fans. Plus, Pink Floyd was touring at the same time. It turned out that Waters played more real Pink Floyd songs, and did them better, for the most part. Now it is 1999. He just released "Amused to Death", which was the best Pink Floyd album since "The Wall". He had no competition from Pink Floyd, which hadn't toured in 5 years, and the word of mouth got out on how good his 1987 tour was. Waters rapidly sold out the small concert halls and had to switch to medium sized arenas.In 1999, his show was around 2 and half hours (slightly longer than 2 CD's). In 2000, Waters modified his set list. He dropped some songs and added a few others and ordered everything so it would now fit nicely on two CD's. The change was for the better. He dropped some unnecessary songs like the Powers That Be, but some good ones like Another Brick in the Wall Part 1 and What God Wants. But he made up for it with adding Set Your Controls For the Heart of Sun (the best thing on the CD) and the new song Each Small Candle (which is about 8 minutes long). For this tour, Waters has a good supporting band, of a guitar onslaught (three guitartists), keyboards, saxophone and backup singers. Some people complain because the guitarists don't sound like David Gilmore. Well, that is good. It adds new dimensions to the songs. When I buy a live CD, I don't want to hear a duplication of the studio song. When I want to hear David Gilmore, I will listen to the real thing. Waters does a nice job of playing the Pink Floyd classics, but he has done it better before. In 1987 he combined Another Brick in Wall Parts 1 and 2. Here he just does Part 2 by itself, leaving off the fantastic guitar intro from Part 1. His 1987 version of Welcome to the Machine was the best I have ever heard, with a very powerful machine driven beat. Alot of reviewers praise the version of Dogs, but I found it to be too close to the studio version to be anything special.There are a number of winners on this CD. Shine on You Crazy Diamond is especially good. I like that he plays it as a complete piece, as Pink Floyd first did in 1975. The version ofMoney is refreshingly different. In summary, this is a very good live DVD, but it could have been better. Too much of the material is too close to the studio version. Waters and Pink Floyd have played some of these songs much better in the past. The real treat would be getting Pink Floyd live material from the seventies. Before releasing Dark Side of the Moon, they had an experimental version called Eclipsed. After Dark Side of the Moon was released, they stretched it out to an hour in concert and played experimental versions of Sheep and Dogs called Raving and Drooling and You've Got To Be Crazy and were evolving Shine On You Crazy Diamond, with soaring keyboard solos."