In the Flesh (Pink Floyd tour)

Last updated

In the Flesh Tour
Tour by Pink Floyd
Location
  • Europe
  • America
Associated album
Start date23 January 1977
End date6 July 1977
Legs5
No. of shows55
Pink Floyd concert chronology

The In the Flesh Tour, also known as the Animals Tour, was a concert tour by the English rock band Pink Floyd in support of their 1977 album Animals . It was divided in two legs: one in Europe and another in North America. The tour featured large inflatable puppets, as well as a pyrotechnic "waterfall", and one of the biggest and most elaborate stages to date, including umbrella-like canopies that would rise from the stage to protect the band from the elements. [1]

Contents

This was the last tour in which Pink Floyd played songs from Animals live (early versions of "Dogs" and "Sheep" had been performed with different titles during their 1974 and 1975 tours). Pink Floyd would never again play songs from Animals during their tours, but the flying pig still appeared with different designs. Only Roger Waters would continue playing songs from Animals live. This tour was also the only tour where Pink Floyd played the entire Wish You Were Here (1975) or entire Animals (1977) albums.

History

Rotating flower-petal mirror ball, used to reflect spotlights during concerts from 1975 to 1977; displayed at the Pink Floyd: Their Mortal Remains exhibition Pink Floyd Their Mortal Remains - 2017-10-13 - Andy Mabbett - 26.jpg
Rotating flower-petal mirror ball, used to reflect spotlights during concerts from 1975 to 1977; displayed at the Pink Floyd: Their Mortal Remains exhibition

Pink Floyd's marketing strategy for the In the Flesh Tour was aggressive, filling pages of The New York Times and Billboard magazine. To promote their four-night run at Madison Square Garden in New York City, there was a Pink Floyd parade on 6th Avenue featuring pigs and sheep. [2] Although the Animals album had not been as commercially successful as the previous two, the band managed to sell out arenas and stadiums in America and Europe, setting scale and attendance records. In Chicago, the band played to an estimated audience of 95,000; in Cleveland and Montreal, they set attendance records for those venues by playing to about 80,000 people.[ citation needed ] They also set an attendance record in Milwaukee, playing before a reported crowd of 60,000 at Milwaukee County Stadium.

This was the Floyd's first tour since 1973 not to use female backing singers. Augmenting the band were sax player Dick Parry (who occasionally played keyboards out of view of the audience) and guitarist Snowy White, who also played bass on "Sheep", "Pigs (Three Different Ones)" and "Welcome to the Machine". Roger Waters played electric guitar on "Sheep" and "Pigs" and acoustic guitar on "Pigs On The Wing 1-2" as well as "Welcome to the Machine". David Gilmour played bass on "Pigs On The Wing Part 2" during the second and final leg of the North American tour.

In the first half of the show, the band played all of Animals in a different sequence than the album, starting with "Sheep", then "Pigs on the Wing (Part I)", "Dogs", "Pigs on the Wing (Part II)" and "Pigs (Three Different Ones)".

At some venues, paper sheep and pigs designed by Tim Hunkin were fired over the audience and parachuted back to earth. [3] Some venues prohibited this, however. [3]

During "Pigs (Three Different Ones)", Waters shouted the number of the concert on the tour (such as "1–5!" for the fifteenth show) so recordings of the shows would be easy to distinguish from each other. The second half of the show comprised the Wish You Were Here album in its exact running order ("Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I–V)", "Welcome to the Machine", "Have a Cigar", "Wish You Were Here" and "Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts VI–IX)"). This was the first time "Welcome to the Machine" and "Wish You Were Here" were played live, with the latter being played differently than the studio album. It featured an extended guitar solo, a reprise of the second verse and Richard Wright closing the song with a piano solo. The encores were "Money" and often "Us and Them" from The Dark Side of the Moon . At the Oakland, California show on 9 May they played "Careful with That Axe, Eugene" as a second encore, the first time it had been played since 1974 and the last time it was ever performed.

During the tour, Waters began to exhibit increasingly aggressive behaviour, and would often scold disruptive audiences who lit off fireworks, and yelled and screamed during the quieter numbers. [2] In the New York shows they had to use local workers as lighting technicians due to union problems with their own crew. They had several difficulties with the workers; for example, Waters once had to beckon one of the spotlights to move higher when it only illuminated his lower legs and feet while he was singing.

The final night of the tour on 6 July at Montreal's Olympic Stadium ended with Pink Floyd performing a second encore of "Drift Away Blues" as the roadies dismantled the instruments in front of the insatiable audience who refused to let the band leave the stadium. David Gilmour sat out the final encore as he was unhappy with the band's performance that night. Snowy White played a bluesy guitar solo in Gilmour's place. A small riot at the front of the stage followed the band's eventual exit. Earlier that night, Waters spat in the face of a disruptive fan; [4] The Wall grew out of Waters' thoughts about this incident, particularly his growing awareness that stardom had alienated him from his audience. [5] "It was a funny gig," recalled guitarist Snowy White. "It was a really weird vibe… I used to just do my job. But it was interesting to look across the stage and see Roger spitting at this guy at the front… It was a very strange gig. Not very good vibes." [6]

Personnel

Pink Floyd:

Additional musicians:

Set list

First set – Animals

  1. "Sheep"
  2. "Pigs on the Wing, Part 1"
  3. "Dogs"
  4. "Pigs on the Wing, Part 2"
  5. "Pigs (Three Different Ones)"

Second set – Wish You Were Here

  1. "Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Parts I–V"
  2. "Welcome to the Machine"
  3. "Have a Cigar"
  4. "Wish You Were Here"
  5. "Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Parts VI–IX"

Encore

  1. "Money" (Not played on 19 March)
  2. "Us and Them" (only performed on 23 January, 1 February, 16 March, 18 March, 19 March 22 April, 26 April, 30 April–1 May, 4 May, 9–10 May, 25 June–6 July)

Second encore

Tour dates

List of concerts showing date, city, country, venue, attendance and gross revenue.
DateCityCountryVenueAttendanceGross
Europe – Leg 1
23 January 1977 Dortmund West Germany Westfalenhallen ——
24 January 1977
26 January 1977 Frankfurt Festhalle Frankfurt
27 January 1977
29 January 1977 West Berlin Deutschlandhalle
30 January 1977
1 February 1977 Vienna Austria Stadthalle
3 February 1977 Zürich Switzerland Hallenstadion
4 February 1977
Europe – Leg 2
17 February 1977 Rotterdam Netherlands Rotterdam Ahoy ——
18 February 1977
19 February 1977
20 February 1977 Antwerp Belgium Sportpaleis
22 February 1977 Paris France Pavillon de Paris
23 February 1977
24 February 1977
25 February 1977
27 February 1977 Munich West Germany Olympiahalle
28 February 1977
1 March 1977
Europe – Leg 3
15 March 1977 London England Empire Pool ——
16 March 1977
17 March 1977
18 March 1977
19 March 1977
28 March 1977 Stafford New Bingley Hall
29 March 1977
30 March 1977
31 March 1977
North America – Leg 1
22 April 1977 Miami United States Miami Baseball Stadium ——
24 April 1977 Tampa Tampa Stadium
26 April 1977 Atlanta Omni Coliseum
28 April 1977 Baton Rouge LSU Assembly Center
30 April 1977 Houston Jeppesen Stadium
1 May 1977 Fort Worth Tarrant County Convention Center
4 May 1977 Phoenix Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
6 May 1977 Anaheim Anaheim Stadium
7 May 1977
9 May 1977 Oakland Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena
10 May 1977
12 May 1977 Portland Memorial Coliseum
North America – Leg 2 [7] [8] [9]
15 June 1977 Milwaukee United States Milwaukee County Stadium 60,000 / 60,000$540,000
17 June 1977 Louisville Freedom Hall ——
19 June 1977 Chicago Soldier Field 67,000 / 67,000$670,000
21 June 1977 Kansas City Kemper Arena 12,115 / 12,115$120,778
23 June 1977 Cincinnati Riverfront Coliseum 14,500/14,500$127,425
25 June 1977 [lower-alpha 1] Cleveland Municipal Stadium ——
27 June 1977 Boston Boston Garden
28 June 1977 Philadelphia Spectrum 30,500 / 30,500$269,085
29 June 1977
1 July 1977 New York City Madison Square Garden 58,000 / 58,000$608,000
2 July 1977
3 July 1977
4 July 1977
6 July 1977 Montreal Canada Olympic Stadium ——
Notes
  1. ↑ The concert in Cleveland on 25 June 1977 was part of the World Series of Rock music festival. [10]

Related Research Articles

<i>Animals</i> (Pink Floyd album) 1977 studio album by Pink Floyd

Animals is the tenth studio album by English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 21 January 1977 through Harvest Records and Columbia Records. It was self-produced at Pink Floyd's Britannia Row Studios in London throughout 1976. The album continued the long-form compositions that made up such previous works as Meddle (1971) and Wish You Were Here (1975).

<i>Wish You Were Here</i> (Pink Floyd album) 1975 studio album by Pink Floyd

Wish You Were Here is the ninth studio album by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 12 September 1975 through Harvest Records in the UK and Columbia Records in the US, their first for the label. Based on material Pink Floyd composed while performing in Europe, Wish You Were Here was recorded over numerous sessions throughout 1975 at EMI Studios in London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">In the Flesh (Roger Waters tour)</span> Series of concert tours by Roger Waters

In the Flesh was a series of worldwide concert tours by Roger Waters that spanned three individual tours over the course of three years. Returning from a 12-year-long hiatus from the road, In The Flesh was a showcase of his best known work from his days with Pink Floyd, with that material dominating shows. Songs were also performed from Waters' most recently released solo album, 1992's Amused to Death, being played live for the first time. The tour's name is an allusion to the 1977 Pink Floyd tour for the Animals album, as well as the two songs so titled on the album The Wall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shine On You Crazy Diamond</span> 1975 composition by Pink Floyd

"Shine On You Crazy Diamond" is a nine-part Pink Floyd composition written by David Gilmour, Roger Waters, and Richard Wright, which was first performed on Pink Floyd's 1974 French tour and appeared in Pink Floyd's 1975 concept album Wish You Were Here. The song is written about and dedicated to founder member Syd Barrett, who departed from the band in 1968 after dealing with mental problems and substance abuse.

"Sheep" is a song by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on the Album Animals in 1977. It was performed live on tours in 1974. It was written by bassist Roger Waters.

<i>David Gilmour in Concert</i> 2002 David Gilmour solo concert DVD

David Gilmour in Concert is a DVD of Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour's solo concert that took place at the Royal Festival Hall, London in June 2001, as part of the Robert Wyatt-curated Meltdown festival. It also features footage filmed during three concerts at the same venue in January 2002. The track selection includes several Pink Floyd songs, in addition to Gilmour's solo works. Guest appearances are made by Floyd colleague Richard Wright, as well as Robert Wyatt and Bob Geldof. It includes the first performance of "Smile", a track that would appear almost five years later on Gilmour's third solo album, On an Island. Gilmour also plays two Syd Barrett songs.

<i>Live Frogs Set 2</i> 2001 live album by Colonel Les Claypools Fearless Flying Frog Brigade

Live Frogs Set 2 is the second set of live recordings by Les Claypool's Frog Brigade, released on July 24, 2001. The album is a complete performance of the Pink Floyd studio album Animals. It is introduced at the end of Live Frogs Set 1 as "more Pink Floyd than any human being should ever withstand", as the band's version of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" comes to an end.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snowy White</span> English guitarist

Terence Charles "Snowy" White is an English guitarist, known for having played with Thin Lizzy and with Pink Floyd, and more recently, for Roger Waters' band. He is also known for his 1983 solo offering "Bird of Paradise", which became a UK Singles Chart Top 10 hit single.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Have a Cigar</span> 1975 single by Pink Floyd featuring Roy Harper

"Have a Cigar" is the third track on Pink Floyd's 1975 album Wish You Were Here. It follows "Welcome to the Machine" and on the original LP opened side two. In some markets, the song was issued as a single. English folk-rock singer Roy Harper provided lead vocals on the song. It is one of only three Pink Floyd recordings with a guest singer on lead vocals, the others being "The Great Gig in the Sky" (1973) with Clare Torry and "Hey Hey Rise Up" (2022) with Andriy Khlyvnyuk. The song, written by Waters, is his critique of the rampant greed and cynicism so prevalent in the management of rock groups of that era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pigs (Three Different Ones)</span> 1977 promotional single by Pink Floyd

"Pigs (Three Different Ones)" is a song from Pink Floyd's 1977 album Animals. In the album's three parts, "Dogs", "Pigs" and "Sheep", pigs represent the people whom Roger Waters considers to be at the top of the social ladder, the ones with wealth and power; they also manipulate the rest of society and encourage them to be viciously competitive and cut-throat, so the pigs can remain powerful.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Welcome to the Machine</span> Song by Pink Floyd

"Welcome to the Machine" is the second song on Pink Floyd's 1975 album Wish You Were Here. It features heavily processed vocals, layers of synthesizers, acoustic guitars as well as a wide range of tape effects. Both the music and lyrics were written by bassist Roger Waters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pink Floyd live performances</span>

Pink Floyd's sound, lighting and other stage technology set standards in the music industry. The band developed innovative use of sound effects and panning quadrophonic speaker systems in live performances from the mid-1960s until their final concerts decades later, including use of immersive live visuals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pigs on the Wing</span> 1977 song by Pink Floyd

"Pigs on the Wing" is a two-part song by English rock band Pink Floyd from their 1977 concept album Animals, opening and closing the album. According to various interviews, it was written by Roger Waters as a declaration of love to his new wife Carolyne Christie. The song is significantly different from the other three songs on the album, "Dogs," "Pigs" and "Sheep," in that the other songs are dark, whereas this one is lighter-themed, as well as also being much shorter in duration, with each part at under a minute and a half while the others are all at least 10 minutes in length.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pink Floyd</span> English rock band

Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experiments, philosophical lyrics and elaborate live shows. They became a leading band of the progressive rock genre, cited by some as the greatest progressive rock band of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Dark Side of the Moon Live</span> 2006–08 concert tour by Roger Waters

The Dark Side of the Moon Live was a worldwide concert tour by Roger Waters, lasting two years. Waters and his band performed the titular album in its entirety at each show, beginning at the Rock in Rio festival on 2 June 2006.

K.A.O.S. On the Road was a concert tour performed by Roger Waters in 1987 in support of the album Radio K.A.O.S. (1987). The shows included material from the album as well as songs from well known Pink Floyd albums such as The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975) and The Wall (1979). The tour started in North America on 14 August 1987 and ended on 22 November 1987 with two performances at Wembley Arena in London, England.

The English rock group Pink Floyd played two tours in 1974. As well as performing the hit album The Dark Side of the Moon live, the band introduced new material that would eventually be recorded on the albums Wish You Were Here and Animals. Part of the tour was sponsored by the soft drink company Gini.

The Wish You Were Here Tour, also referred to as the North American Tour, was a concert tour by the English progressive rock band Pink Floyd in 1975 in support of their then-forthcoming album Wish You Were Here. The tour was divided in two legs in the United States, West Coast and East Coast, and a gig in the UK at the Knebworth Festival.

A Momentary Lapse of Reason Tour was two consecutive concert tours by the English rock band Pink Floyd. The A Momentary Lapse of Reason tour ran from September 1987 to August 1988; the Another Lapse tour ran from May–July 1989. Both tours were in support of their album A Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987). The tour was the band's first since The Wall tour in 1981, and also the first without the band's original bassist Roger Waters. The band later reprised the setlist and stage show of this tour for their performance at Knebworth Park in 1990.

Live at the Empire Pool is a live concert recording by the progressive rock band Pink Floyd, recorded by BBC Radio 1.

References

Citations

  1. ↑ Schaffner 1991, pp. 216–217.
  2. 1 2 Schaffner 1991, p. 218.
  3. 1 2 "Pink Floyd's Flying Pigs and Sheep". Tim Hunkin . Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  4. ↑ Maben, Adrian (Director) (18 April 2000). Pink Floyd Shine On: Interviews (VHS). Frantic Films. ASIN   6305855730.
  5. ↑ Schaffner 1991, p. 219.
  6. ↑ Turner, Steve: "Roger Waters: The Wall in Berlin"; Classic Rock No. 148, August 2010, p78
  7. ↑ "Top Box Office" (PDF). Billboard . Vol. 89, no. 26. 2 July 1977. p. 44. ISSN   0006-2510.
  8. ↑ "Top Box Office" (PDF). Billboard . Vol. 89, no. 27. 9 July 1977. p. 40. ISSN   0006-2510.
  9. ↑ "Top Box Office" (PDF). Billboard . Vol. 89, no. 28. 16 July 1977. p. 39. ISSN   0006-2510.
  10. ↑ Bornino, Bruno, "Stadium rocks inside and out," Cleveland Press, June 27, 1977, p. B-2. "Rock concert goers litter downtown," Cleveland Press, June 27, 1977, p. A-4.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.