As Jimmy Page is the keeper of the flame for fans of Led Zeppelin, so Roger Waters is for Pink Floyd. Waters, however, would bristle if he thought people considered his stage shows and tours nostalgia fests, and he has a point. There are many songs on Pink Floyd's most seminal albums – typically Dark Side of the Moon, The Wall, and Wish You Were Here – that address all-too-relevant mental health issues, while Waters has been tackling his own socio-political loves and hates – US President Donald Trump, the Black Lives Matter movement, poverty, the refugee crisis – on this concert tour.
Added to the songs, however, is Waters’s long-established adherence to giving the fans as much an immersive, decidedly state-of-the-art visual experience as an aural one, via as true hi-fi quadrophonic sound as you’ll hear in a venue of this size). He has been touring this show since last year – his two dates in Dublin are as part of the European leg – and has been stacking up the plaudits from country to country and city to city.
Sectioned into two parts (there is a 20-minute intermission), Waters doesn't sing all of the songs; he is assisted in this area, and, crucially, on those liquid David Gilmour guitar lines, by Jonathan Wilson, an American musician and songwriter who played on Waters's latest solo album, Is this the Life we Really Want? Expect too several songs from the album to get an outing.
What to exactly to expect? Here's this from a review of a Us + Them concert on consequenceofsound.net: "Another interstellar experience that will crash your Snapchats, your Instagrams, your Facebooks, what have you. Once again, Waters has orchestrated a completely transformative experience, one that embellishes every essential quality of his catalogue."
Are tickets still available?
Yes. Tickets are available on Ticketmaster in the range €76-€131. Avid Pink Floyd/Roger Waters fans can avail of various "hot ticket" packages.
- Bronze Hot Ticket Package: Standing ticket with early entry before general admission ticket holders; a limited edition set of Us + Them Tour lithographs. The tour lithographs are designed exclusively by Roger Waters, with each set hand numbered and an official certificate of authenticity; exclusive Roger Waters merchandise; souvenir Roger Waters tour laminate and lanyard; designated check-in with on-site event staff.
- Gold Hot Ticket Package: One top reserved floor ticket in the front five rows; a limited edition set of Us + Them Tour lithographs. The tour lithographs are designed exclusively by Roger Waters, with each set hand numbered and an official certificate of authenticity; exclusive Roger Waters merchandise including a time capsule designed exclusively for "ultimate and gold" package purchasers; souvenir Roger Waters tour laminate and lanyard; designated check-in.
What time does everything kick off?
- Doors: 6.30pm.
- Start: 8pm (approximately).
- Finish: 10.30pm (approximately).
- There is no support act.
Can I leave the venue and pop back in?
No – there is a strict no re-admission policy.
What is he likely to play?
The Us+Them tour focuses on four Pink Floyd albums – Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, The Wall, and Animals. A few tracks from Waters's latest solo album will also be aired. The setlist for the Us + Them concert at Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam, June 19th, was as follows:
- Speak to Me
- Breathe
- One of These Days
- Time
- Breathe (Reprise)
- The Great Gig in the Sky
- Welcome to the Machine
- Déjà Vu
- The Last Refugee
- Picture That
- Wish you were Here
- The Happiest Days of our Lives
- Another Brick in the Wall Part 2
- Another Brick in the Wall Part 3
Intermission
- Dogs
- Pigs (Three Different Ones)
- Money
- Us and Them
- Smell the Roses
- Brain Damage
- Eclipse
- Encore: Mother, Comfortably Numb
How do I get there?
Parking is available in the Point Village car park and can be prebooked, via Ticketmaster for €12. If you arrive in the 3Arena area early enough, there is ample on-road parking (payable until 7pm). Concert-goers, however, are advised to leave their cars at home and to avail of Dublin Bus (the 151 operates at 10-minute intervals during rush hour and stops on Castleforbes Road, the closest stop to the venue). The Red Luas line stops directly outside the back entrance of the venue.
Mobility Impaired Access
3Arena is a good venue for mobility-impaired access. To book accessible tickets (people with mobility issues are advised to purchase tickets in the 'Flat Seating' area or in the Lower Tiered seating Block A - Block G) either contact Ticketmaster or email the venue directly via its website. The venue has two designated viewing platforms with easy access to lifts, bars, and bathrooms. Staff are on-hand to direct people to their seats (this information, however, isn't on the venue website).
What about security?
If you have to bring along a bag, remember that it needs to be no bigger than A5 size (11.45cm x 15.25cm or 4.5 in x 6.0in), which is approximately paperback book size, enough to carry some money, cards, phone, and essentials such as inhalers, medicine, etc. Bags of A5 size and under will be subject to a search, which will result in unnecessary queuing. Any article that may be used as a weapon, any person deemed to be offensive or abusive or who may compromise public safety, will not be admitted and be reported to gardaí.
What can I bring into the venue?
Prohibited articles and items include professional video cameras and audio recording devices such as iPads/tablets, bottles, cans, glass vessels, illegal substances, umbrellas, selfie sticks, belt chains, laser pointers, large posters (A3+), large flag poles, alcohol, drinks, and food. Bar and catering facilities are available at 3Arena – all the bars in the venue are over 19s, and a valid photo ID may be requested for sale of alcohol.
Where can I get the latest event details?
Each of these websites carries up-to-date information: aikenpromotions.com and ticketmaster.ie
