Although, note: TEN stars for the song sound presentation: just over half (6) for the whole shebang ...
Rog's latest gig brought to the screen by the same team / pair - Rog himself with Sean Evans - as successfully did his prior concert screen rendition of his 'The Wall' (back in 2014), this is similarly superb as either a memory of, or chance to savour if you didn't get to see, his latest tour gig performances: songs played pristinely and occasionally interestingly tweaked (no plot spoilers, but wait for 'Money' being unexpectedly, ah, 'interrupted', plus 'Machine' and 'Pigs' marginally for those fans who know.), of which Rog is shown demonstrating well - and rightly proudly - that it was his bass riffs that drove this as especially so almost immediately in with e.g. 'One of These Days', all shown in a pleasing to the eye slow enough, fluid camerawork style to appreciate what's going on, as opposed to too often of gig footage fast cut editing.
But for this one the - BIG - downside is that it would seem that Rog's legendary ego (may have) got the best of him (and / with Sean?) in this one as there are just far - far! - too many close-ups of Rog's grizzled and unkempt hirsuite* frequently almost manic grimacing features to the detriment of the overall show's visuals' presentation. The most egregious for me was having to tolerate the umprteenth close-up shot of his frankly recoiling features during the 'Welcome to the Machine' rendition, which otherwise had in the background screen the original (first used c.1975 / 7) Ian Eames' mechanical dinosaur animation, all but obscured* to be lost to any who had not seen / known of it before, which is a great pity as it visually aptly augments the song's lyrics, of course.
But back to the filmic rendition: one of the most interesting aspects of the tour is well and faithfully shown of the presentation of the now lost to gentrification London Battersea power station, the original to become unwittingly of iconic status to the (Floyd) 'Animals' ('77) album - and that especially so for the playing of that album's 'Dogs' performance here, which then also captures for those long term fans what Rog coincidentally - (if not may even have been deliberately) - with its mid section band champagne imbibing, seemed to obliquely reference right back to his erstwhile bandmates on stage culinary interludes of the early seventies (e.g. with preparing 'breakfast' during 'Alan's Psychedelic' performances, or even latterly, with Rog and co playing cards during ...); yet of which, becomes curious that from this is now also captured on celluloid (yes, I know, now really, pixelated digitalisation, or the likes) is the incongruity of now - (also deliberate?) - close up of when Rog then spit-sprays the champagne over the front row audience; i.e. either in keeping with Rog's reputation to indicate contempt, or - I suppose we must assess, in view of his heartfelt 'there is no 'them', we are all 'us' / 'we are all one' exhortations at the gig's end - an ironic of in the extreme kind play on his very own former infamous 'spitting' incident on the same track's '77 Floyd tour, which then eventually 'inspired' the whole Wall oeuvre! Point is, this aspect / part of otherwise just a tiny bit of the whole gig, is focused close up and up towards Rog's aforementioned well grizzled visage on the huge cinema screen which thus now makes this - surely, unintentional? - otherwise tantamount to insult to the adulating audience (still) stand out so viscerally!
:DVD 2020 issue update: of interesting note, this is now missing, relegated into the accompanying extras *Fleeting Glimpse' featurette: (it's just 15 minutes):
Of whom - those adoring audience: now, presumably, anyone who gets a ticket AND gets favour to be in the front rows of the gig, are - OBVIOUSLY - besotted fans and presumably will enjoy the occasion, joyously gesticulating, feeling requisitely moved (to tears!) and naturally singing along with their idol's lyrics: but do we need to constantly see them, rather than the famed theatrics / huge screen depictions shown on the stage? I did NOT pay my cinema ticket price to see adoring fans in close up CONSTANTLY throughout the screening, thank you very much!
So, although, true on the whole, those famous (polemic) 'visuals' that Rog wanted to augment his songs with, are reasonably well shown (again no spoilers for those who didn't see the original gigs, but the hooded 'ISIS' reference prisoners came, er, 'off' well): but by which through the sitting in an NON-impassioned cinema audience does then tend to give far more time to consider Rog's well known polemics through showing refugees and the oppressed, along to such audience 'singalong', means now comes across as possibly, if not outright, incongruously offensive, as the happy singalong accompanies being shown on the huge screen references to e.g. military eye-in-the-sky death from above footage, and (if not, is actually of?) the notorious tragically shore stranded dead child the media recently whipped up for outrage. (But really "is this not we expected to see ...", yes, I know, Rog.)
:N.B. DVD 2020 resissue update: likewise now appears to be 'absent' ... curiouser and curiouser!:
Nevertheless, still, indubitably, a most superb souvenir of the sounds (be aware / warned; on this theme of Rog polemics outrage, he does insert some of his own solo career compositions, but of which, 'Picture That' fits the bills seamlessly.)
N.B. Ending oddity, coda: 'what's all this?', incongruous letdown! There is a short coda offered; 'A Fleeting Glimpse', a sort of (very) brief 'backstage / making of': which Rog considers this so important, there's an exhortation right at the beginning of the main show = i.e. when in the CINEMA (this is now in the DVD extras) presentation that you should remain seated at the end, to catch (don't leave during the credits as most usually / would / might otherwise do): BUT: in its short duration, this struck me as odd because:
1) it merely seems to cement the idea that Rog is an old guy almost out of touch, curmudgeon, that latter as of his (otherwise unfair?) reputation,
2) more importantly, unkindly teasingly, it features rehearsals for not only one of Floyd's most recognisable songs, BUT is one that is most associated with his erstwhile, now estranged, still (apparently) equally grumpy over Floyd matters, bandmate David (not Dave!) Gilmour's guitar solo in it (yep, 'Comfortably Numb' from Rog's baby, 'The Wall'): BUT, IT IS NOT PLAYED IN THE FILM - so the cinema audience now not only gets NOT to hear this classic but only mere tantalising snippets of his version of it, but it's almost like a 'F. you' to it, too, in that Rog sends us off with: 'Here, hear this? Well you're not gonna hear it in full ...' usual misery approach to his erstwhile loyal Floyd fan followers (these audiences are 'new': although in the cinema I saw it in, before me flowed out a sea of grey barnets!) And this is not beyond my own older guy grumpiness suspicion: throughout those aforementioned interminable close ups of Rog, he is frequently shown giving the (U.S. worst insult!) finger ... in the direction of his audience! (Yes, of course, I know, it's indicative of towards those pilloried in the songs, yes ..., I know ... but, so many times in close up towards us Rog (Sean)?);
:N.B. DVD 2020 issue update: its' now there in full in the extras.:
and finally 3) this then means that ten minutes after the exhilarating happy sing-song show has played out, the cinema lights THIS audience is in go up to leave, you are leaving with a sort of deflated feel .. (any 'space cadet glow' fully dissipated by his coda.) Again, well now, is that Rog's intention? (Ya didn't buy a (vastly costly 'ohh, by the way') ticket to the show, so F ....)
Still, thanks Rog: for preserving this for those that never saw it, even more so for those that did. (= TEN stars for the songs: just over half (6) for the whole shebang)
* not by clouds (!) but by Rog's unkempt visage YET again, since, really, come on - KNOWING (having (co!) directed it!) you're gonna be the close up focus of a film, for an artist of such stature AND wealth ('Money'!) is it really so de rigueur to appear sooooo unkempt, rather than can't afford to get some semblance of haircut grooming? Or is it the standard for aging blokes, couldn't care less? (Yet he wears shape flattering black, which the coda extra shows, well ... there is some vanity there - well, perhaps, for surely, 'hah, hah' Rog, you would never be any charade to us fans, huh?)
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