Pink Floyd live trivia question

Norm Apter

I was just watching Pulse (DVD) for the first time in a while and could not help but be bowled over by "One of these Days" -- both aurally and visually. Its a standout performance on the DVD, IMO.

Seeing them back in '94 on The Division Bell tour I was also particularly struck by those huge bobbing inflatable pigs with laser-beam eyes. I remember even before I bought my tickets that spring my friend mentioning something about the pigs (which leads me to believe that they had already been part of the repetoire).

So here's my question...anybody know how far back the pigs have played a role in their live performances? Anybody see them back in the 70s and 80s AND remember whether or not pigs were present?

BlueFox

Norm Apter wrote: »

So here's my question...anybody know how far back the pigs have played a role in their live performances? Anybody see them back in the 70s and 80s AND remember whether or not pigs were present?

Pigs have been a standard item since Animals in the late 70s. I saw them in 74-75, and they didn't have a pig at that show in DC, but they did have a plane (on a wire) fly across the arena and crash into the stage. Better than a pig IMHO.

comfortablycurt

As Bluefox said, they've been around since Animals. They were widely used in the live performances of The Wall as well.

Factoid-On the cover of Animals, with the picture of the pig between two smokestacks, they were unable to get an actual picture with the real inflatable pig due to wind conditions. They had to matte the pig onto a picture of just the factories. All of the other pictures in the Animals insert use a real pig though.


I've never seen Floyd, due to being to young to have been on any of there tours. A fact that I very greatly regret...They're my favorite band.

I've always clinged to a hope of them having a reunion tour, but it doesn't look to likely. Now with Richard Wright being gone, any chance I have of getting the full on Pink Floyd experience is gone...:(

Hardtail67

I'm a huge Floyd fan too but after Rodger Waters left they kind of became a Pink Floyd tribute band. The magic was gone.

I don't think either of those guys made very interesting music on their own.:(

Fongolio

comfortablycurt wrote: »

I've never seen Floyd, due to being to young to have been on any of there tours. A fact that I very greatly regret...They're my favorite band.(

Curt, just curious as to why you would feel "regret" about being too young to have seen Floyd live. It's not your fault you were born when you were. Disappointment perhaps....but regret?

george daniel

I do not recall a pig in the 80's shows,,a plane yes,,BTW,the band had a "blimp" that went from city to city with the Division Bell tour,as it floated by my workplace,,pretty cool.

miner

A few years ago I believe one of the 'pigs' broke loose from the mooring and drifted away. PF offered a $10K reward, the pig was found.

george daniel

Interesting link about the blimp

http://www.pinkfloydz.com/divisionbelle2.htm

Norm Apter

george daniel wrote: »

I do not recall a pig in the 80's shows,,a plane yes,,BTW,the band had a "blimp" that went from city to city with the Division Bell tour,as it floated by my workplace,,pretty cool.

Thanks for the link on the blimp. BTW, I saw them at Raleigh Durham on that tour. I see that you are from Georgia -- did they play in Atlanta? Maybe that was the preceeding or next scheduled concert date.

The venue where I saw them was an outdoor one and there was an incredible light show (standard fare, of course) on a clear warm May night (there had been a solar eclipse earlier that day, I recall) but I don't remember offhand the plane. Its been 15 years (next month...wow time flies) so it may just have slipped from memory. In fact, when I was watching Pulse last night (from the tour) I noticed that they did feature the plane during the track "On the Run", though it seemed to crash into the upper reaches of the indoor stadium and not the stage, as Blue Fox noted from his concert experience in the 70s.

comfortablycurt

Fongolio wrote: »

Curt, just curious as to why you would feel "regret" about being too young to have seen Floyd live. It's not your fault you were born when you were. Disappointment perhaps....but regret?

Well, I suppose disappointment may have been a better term to use. The point is the same though.

george daniel

Norm Apter wrote: »

Thanks for the link on the blimp. BTW, I saw them at Raleigh Durham on that tour. I see that you are from Georgia -- did they play in Atlanta? Maybe that was the preceeding or next scheduled concert date.

The venue where I saw them was an outdoor one and there was an incredible light show (standard fare, of course) on a clear warm May night (there had been a solar eclipse earlier that day, I recall) but I don't remember offhand the plane. Its been 15 years (next month...wow time flies) so it may just have slipped from memory. In fact, when I was watching Pulse last night (from the tour) I noticed that they did feature the plane during the track "On the Run", though it seemed to crash into the upper reaches of the indoor stadium and not the stage, as Blue Fox noted from his concert experience in the 70s.

Yep,, played at Ga. Tech's football field,, it was foggy that night(higher up elevations) and the lasers "pulsed" a colored hue over I-75,, as far as stadiums go,it was smaller than your normal one,,which made the show more intimate,,and what an event it was,,indeed.:cool:

george daniel

He, he,,bump

whgarrett1394

Saw Floyd at Vanderbuilt Stadium in Nashville, TN for the Division Bell tour in '94. I remember an enormous mirror ball egg thing during Comfortably Numb and giant lasers for Sorrow. It was great.

I saw Roger Waters at the Gorge in Washington State during the late 90's. It was a tremendous show as well. He began the show with a real jet buzzing the crowd. It was magical.

leftwinger57

Reading Nick Mason's book was a great insight into the band and their gear. Ever wonder why Floyd never was booked for a weekend ? Well Bill Graham had no idea who they were and was not going to give up an entire weekend for a band and all that gear. BG proposed that they play an off night like Tuesday or Wednesday and they get the gate and the Fillmore gets the concessions. Also at Roosevelt Stadium those great looking light towers were just heavily camoed scissor lifts w/ a heavy dose of smoke. The best effect for me was the Super Trooper computer controlled lights that were timed when the largest mirrored ball in concert history opens up like a flower,starts to spin then climaxes in Comfortably Numb. Yes it's true that Pink Floyd's entire 1st set is different for every show and because of effects and timing the 2nd set does work off of tapes and is totally computer controlled.My 1st show was Town Hall N.Y.C. w/ spkr towers set up every 10 rows or so. We were so wasted that when the keyboard player rotated the sound w/ a joystick as it passed our row WE ALL Ducked out of the way...

decal

Saw them in Munich,Germany in '76, the pig was in in flight.

11tsteve

May 18, 1988.... Momentary Lapse Of Reason tour.... the pig flew.

[Deleted User]

I saw them play at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Md. sometime in the 70's and they were doing the surround sound effect and playing at high volumes. It was during the end of the concert and fans found a huge stack of, I'm sure expensive, sod to repair any damaged lawn areas after the show. People started sailing the sod over everybody's head, pure pandemonium broke out. Frisbees of sod flying through the laser trails looking like night time bombing of London, combined with Floyd's music was memorable to say the least.
The result was that Merriweather stopped rock concerts for several years and stuck to less threatening music.

Mike Reeter

No pig present on Nov.11, 1972, but I did experience a lot of other "things" floating around.

Second set was the entire DSOTM album, which was'nt released until the following March.