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Rating: The 1977 tour was one of the most troubled: it's obvious that the increase in popularity coincided with the intensification of conflicts within the group, particularly between Waters and Gilmour. This was also the year of Animals: an album with biting lyrics, but with musical content not as impactful as the previous works. Waters was increasingly focused on lyrics rather than music. With this album, Roger’s leadership became more concrete, and his estrangement with the audience grew ever more. During the American concerts, events occurred that would increasingly solidify the wall he wanted to build between himself and the fans, which would later take shape a few years later, on a cold night in Montreal.
As we mentioned, among the numerous American stops that marked the Animals tour, there was also a performance at the Madison Square Garden, where the band played for four nights, from the first to the 4th of July. The July 2nd show, from which an unofficial live recording was taken, showcases performances of the group's last two albums, namely Wish You Were Here and, indeed, Animals. From an audio quality perspective, we can't complain, even if it isn't among the best. The evening was, at times, not very exciting; rather, it was mostly a general turmoil. Indeed, the audience, surprisingly young, was inevitably besides themselves. Young men would regularly stand up, shaking their fists and shouting before collapsing back into their seats, exhausted. Some also brought fireworks to the Garden, and before the concert started, firecrackers began to explode in the back rows. While Roger Waters was playing Pigs On The Wing, a guy set fire to the t-shirt of a spectator five seats away. The fireworks were unnerving to the audience, at least those who could still hear something, just before Pink Floyd managed to completely capture the attention of the 20,000 who packed the Garden. Gilmour showcased all his ability to turn the tension to the advantage of his performance, but Waters could not be happy. He began to lose it: his words resounded clear and loud and continued for almost the entire concert: "Stupid bastards!". This episode probably did not favor an excellent live outcome. Even though it had an unpromising start (a case of "the early bird catches the worm"), eventually a balance was restored, and the show went on smoothly.
The beginning was entrusted to "Sheep", performed without disgrace or praise. David really gave it his all, but Roger's mind was elsewhere (not coincidentally, this tour is probably one of the most difficult of the group’s boundless career). Richard Wright and Nick Mason, however, were not exactly at their best, but their performance was still considerable. An acoustic guitar arpeggio introduced the first part of "Pigs On the Wing", which neither added nor detracted from the quality of the performance. Much better was the second part, longer as it included a mini electric guitar solo that made the piece more rockish. Between these two pieces, we then have the highest point of Animals: "Dogs", as urgent and fast as ever; it highlights the electric guitar even more than the studio version, becoming even distorted... the punk cloud significantly influenced our band, but only in style, certainly not in the way of conceiving music. In the second part, the acid howls of the dogs were accompanied by the strong synthesizer, traveling on wings built by the drums. It all then flowed into the initial theme that reached its peak with a highly distorted guitar solo, probably closing the highest point of the live performance. Immediately after this piece, disturbances began among the public, to the point where "Pigs (Three Different Ones)" was introduced by the noise of fireworks and firecrackers, partially covered by the audience’s screams; after the highest peak of the record, the first slip-up followed soon. The piece, apparently, was performed well, but the continuous din (which would continue until the start of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond I-IV") marred its listening. Better to move on: at the conclusion of Animals, we started with Wish You Were Here (album). Here, we enter the heart of the show: the intro was entrusted to the brightness of the crazy diamond, which continues to shine; the version of the piece is almost identical to the original, the only thing to note is the intro with oriental hints. The same cannot be said for "Welcome to the Machine", much darker and more obscure. The bass was pulsating and oscillating, very prominent, while Roger Waters' voice was hoarse and hypnotic, almost resigned. Then we moved on to "Have a Cigar", introduced by a nice aggressive guitar riff; in the end, there was also room for improvisation, which was much missed until then. A delicate and impeccable version of "Wish you were here", performed with the electric rather than the acoustic, lulled us towards more melodic atmospheres. Notable was Gilmour's good vocal interpretation and the addition of the piano in fading... spine-tingling. The second part of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" heralded itself as a little more psychedelic and experimental than the first, very different from the studio version. Powerful riffs stretched out into the New York sky, leaving all spectators in awe. Subsequently, two pieces from The Dark Side Of The Moon were performed: a lively "Money" and "Us And Them" closed the circle, ending the concert amidst the audience's screams. The group bade farewell to the spectators and exited the stage.
A not very homogeneous live, rather wavering (oscillating between very high peaks and some low tones). Obviously, this is one of the group's last live performances with the original lineup: Roger Waters would leave a few years later. The Wall Tour, given the grandeur and magnificence of the show, consisted of about 5/6 stops, while The Final Cut did not have any subsequent tour. The helm of the Pink Floyd ship would then be left in the hands of David Jon Gilmour.
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