Is This the Life We Really Want?

Last month I was fortunate enough to see Roger Waters on his Us + Them tour. I saw him both in London, and the following night at Birmingham which was undoubtedly the best night of my entire life. I was second row from the front and being so physically close to him made the experience feel incredibly intimate, it was easy to forget the other tens of thousands of people behind. I even got to touch Roger's hand as he passed by the audience during the final track. To be so close to one of my biggest living idols was a completely surreal experience, and if I didn't have photographic evidence I'd be half convinced it was all a dream!














Despite the show being to promote his most recent album, most of the set list was based around Pink Floyd's tracks which felt amazing to hear live, especially as many of my favourites were included such as One of These Days and Pigs (Three Different Ones). Most of the show was rooted in the 1977 album Animals which is my favourite after Piper at the Gates of Dawn. Despite being a fan for so many years I hadn't been able to see Roger on any of his previous tours which were mostly based around The Wall, so it felt extra special that the shows I should see borrowed so heavily from my personal favourite album.

I'm seeing Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets in September which I'm sure will be another emotional night, especially as Nick's my favourite and it's based more around Syd's era of the band. I can't believe this year I'll have gone from seeing none of Pink Floyd in the flesh, to two of them!

I also vlogged about my experience seeing Roger, which you can watch here:

Roger, Nick, and upcoming adventures

A few days ago my ticket arrived for one of the Roger Waters shows I'm going to over summer! I'm going to London and Birmingham, and it's the two days before my birthday so it felt like the perfect way to celebrate. I'm not sure why my ticket arrived so early, they don't usually get delivered until a week before but I did get it presale for attending BST Hyde Park last year when I saw The Killers so perhaps that's why. It was actually a really miserable experience last year and led to my first and only ever panic attack, I swore I'd never go back but I have to for Roger! I upgraded my ticket so hopefully I'll have a less claustrophobic time, plus the crowd will probably be a bit older.



These two dates will be my first time seeing Roger live despite being a fan for well over a decade. The draw back of being the only person in my circle (including family!) into older music is that it leaves me with no one to attend things with. I always thought one day I'd meet someone with the same interests as me, but when David Bowie died it was a sharp reminder that these people aren't immortal and waiting around until I met someone to go with was wasting time. Last year I began going to shows alone and I've never looked back! I'm never going to allow myself to miss out on things I want to do ever again.

I am however disappointed that I'm going to have to miss out on seeing Nick Mason performing next month! It was announced today and I was so gutted seeing the dates as I could literally go any other time. Nick is (along with Syd) my favourite band member, and the early years is my favourite period so I'm sure you can imagine how disappointed I am to have to miss this! I really hope demand pushes him to add an extra date or two.

The secret is now revealed... Nick Mason's Saucerful Of Secrets will be playing early Pink Floyd at four intimate live shows across London, next month. The tickets go on sale from 10am today at https://t.co/aP1uA85fbV - #PinkFloyd #NickMasonDrums #SaucerfulOfSecrets pic.twitter.com/5KxXl6ILN6

— Nick Mason (@nickmasondrums) April 17, 2018

I do have a good reason to be missing it though; I'm off to Italy! I'm going to see Their Mortal Remains before it closes in Rome, I'm really excited as I saw it three times in London so it will be interesting to see any changes. I know they've added some things that are specific to the bands history with Italy. I almost didn't get to make it as I had to rearrange my trip to the end of May when I'd originally planned for the middle of the month, and I forgot the exhibition would of ended by then! The very last day of the exhibition is on my first day in Italy, so I've reconfigured my trip. I've changed my flight so I now go to Rome in the early hours of the morning, then I can stash my bags at Roma Termini while I spend the day at the MACRO. Then I'll catch the train to Naples to check into my hotel that night and begin my trip as originally intended. I'm mostly going to Naples so that I can visit Pompeii. There's so much Floyd history in Italy and I'm really looking forward to exploring it all. Also my dad is Italian and he died a long time ago now so I want to get to experience and understand his culture better. Now if only I can wrap my brain around the language basics before I go!