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Rating: It's 9 o'clock sharp, and the Mediolanum Forum is packed to the brim. The lights dim, and in the darkness a reassuring little tune starts... But it's an illusion: the powerful opening chords of "In The Flesh?" are heard, the stage fills with the famous flags featuring the two hammers. Waters enters dressed like a Nazi general to announce the start of the show, followed by a flurry of fireworks and a model airplane is flown across the Forum amidst pyrotechnics and lights.
This is just the beginning of 2 hours of pure spectacle: the beauty of the album is connected to the spectacle of the images and special effects; the famous ten-meter high, over twenty-meter long wall is gradually constructed, and on its surface, images of war, fallen soldiers, and the famous drawings by Gerald Scarfe are projected. The show continues, and in a kaleidoscope of lights and sounds, "The Thin Ice", "Another Brick In The Wall (Part I)", "The Happiest Days Of Our Lives", are performed, leading up to the famous "Another Brick In The Wall (Part II)", complete with a giant puppet of the teacher lowered from above and an extended instrumental part. Before "Mother" Roger greets everyone (in Italian), and introduces the song; great respect for him, when at the line "Mother, should I trust the government?" the wall displays the words: "NO WAY!"
The emotions don't stop; in fact, I almost start crying when I hear "Goodbye Blue Sky", because drawings of airplanes bearing Christian, Islamic, Jewish, capitalist, and communist symbols are projected on the wall, dropping bombs, all equally bringing death and destruction. After "Empty Spaces" and "What Shall We Do Now?", enriched by Gerald's drawings, also present in the film, we arrive at the triad "Young Lust", "One Of My Turns", "Don't Leave Me Now": the wall is almost complete, the atmosphere becoming dark, suffocating, and claustrophobic; during "Another Brick In The Wall (Part III)" televisions broadcasting speeches by various politicians are virtually broken, and by "Goodbye Cruel World" the wall is complete.
INTERMISSION
After the break (during which images of assassinated people, like Garcia Lorca and Gandhi, are projected), the second part begins with the beautiful and haunting "Hey You". The wall is complete, the band plays behind it, everything is dark and depressing. A small opening is made during the next song "Is There Anybody Out There?", while during "Nobody Home", a section of the wall opens, and Roger appears comfortably seated in an armchair. "Vera" and "Bring The Boys Back Home" pass while the wall displays touching images of children reuniting with their parents.
Here it is: "Comfortably Numb". Guitarist Snowy White does not let Gilmour's absence be felt thanks to his two solos (extended compared to the original), and the wall is colored with a rainbow, in a whirl of colors. Subsequently, the surrogate band appears, performing "The Show Must Go On" and "In The Flesh", during which the famous flying pig appears. During "Run Like Hell" and "Waiting For The Worms" hammers appear everywhere, culminating in the climax of the march of the hammers... More and more hypnotic and more and more compelling. "Hammer! Hammer! Hammer! Hammer!"
"Stop", Roger shouts suddenly, better to finish all this! Indeed, Pink's puppet is brought down from the wall, while "The Trial" is projected on it, with the poignant drawings from the film, and Roger alone in front of the wall playing the lawyer, the teacher, the wife, the mother, and finally the judge.
"TEAR DOWN THE WALL!", everyone shouts. And in the end, the wall collapses, and amidst the rubble, the entire band appears to play the final "Outside The Wall".
Beautiful. I sincerely don't know how to describe that concert... Chills running up and down my spine, emotions, screams, various arm-wavings. The whole audience, myself included, was an integral part of the show and participated actively. An experience I will always remember. Thank you, Roger.
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