On the hundreds of occasions I’ve heard the classic Pink Floyd track ‘Wish You Were Here’, not once have I been swayed by the obvious sentimentality of the song. Until Roger Waters played it in Cork’s Marquee that is, with the 4,500 strong crowd singing along. Having seen Nick Cave and Bob Dylan radically deconstruct some of their finest numbers in the venue, it was a relief to find Waters – and later guest drummer Nick Mason – treating the Floyd back catalogue with note-perfect respect.
The first set drew heavily from The Wall and Wish You Were Here (‘Mother’, ‘Have A Cigar’, ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’, ‘Perfect Sense’) before Waters & Co embarked on the stunning Dark Side Of The Moon in its entirety. A quadrophonic sound system installed in the Marquee guaranteed a fantastic aural experience, while the choice of visuals ensured a spectacular backdrop to a spectacular show.
A clearly exuberant Waters concluded the night with a selection from The Wall, ‘Comfortably Numb’ being the icing on the cake. That good? That good.