Here's my Roger Water review that will run in the Loaf that hits newsstands Thursday. I lucked out and watched the spectacle from about 10 rows back. Events Editor Leilani Polk witnessed the concert from the rowdy lawn area. Mid show, I got a text from her that read: "Down with the pig!" The pink inflatable got stuck on a screen right in front of where she was seated. Look for her take on the concert in the comments section.

Photo by Phil Bardi.

Pink Floyd guru Roger Waters dazzles the Ford Amp crowd.

Concert Review

By Wade Tatangelo

Roger Waters, Sat., May 19, Ford Amphitheatre, Tampa.

Roger Waters had always struck me as cold — a morose type more inclined to scowl than smile, the kind of performer content to merely stand center stage all night, resistant to the even slightest hint of showmanship.

But when Waters performed Saturday in front of a sold-out crowd of 20,000 at Ford Amphitheatre in Tampa, it was clear from the get-go that the man was in good sprits and anxious to entertain. Yeah, Waters and his squad of seasoned guitarists, keyboardists, saxophonist, drummer and backup singers enthusiastically re-created The Dark of Side The Moon, the 1973 Pink Floyd opus for which Waters wrote all the lyrics and a good chunk of the music. The band also treated the audience to a slew of favorites from The Wall and Wish You Were Here, the two other Floyd albums that have wormed their way into the consciousness of a (mostly) male demographic that ranges from disaffected teens to nostalgic baby boomers.

Saturday’s concert began with a bang. The ominous, opening strands of “In the Flesh?” — the same tune that kick-starts The Wall — whipped around the venue, eliciting screams from the audience. Waters adjusted the strap on his bass guitar and bounced up and down on the balls of his feet. The trim, 62-year-old rocker with a mane of gray hair flashed a smile, looking younger than his years in black slacks, shirt and a matching sport coat that he quickly shed. “So you, thought ya might like to go to the show?” he sang in fine voice. “To feel the warm thrill of confusion — that space cadet glow?”

One could feel the audience accepting the invitation. The Wagnerian opener was followed by another cut from The Wall, the coming-of-age saga “Mother.” Here Waters switched from bass to acoustic guitar and once again took lead vocals. While he asked such familiar yet timeless questions as “Mother, should I trust the government?” an enormous screen showed a young man alone in his messy bedroom with a radio, a whiskey bottle a pack of smokes and a notebook for his poems. The image could’ve been interpreted as a representation of Waters in his youth and probably a good percentage of the young men who have identified with his songs over the years.

This article appears in May 16-22, 2007.