Say hello to my big pink friend!

I don't really want to get into a full on review, but here are some of the highlights of the Aussie Floyd show last night:

1. The new Joint at the Hard Rock was an excellent venue for these guys. I searched some info today and realized the capacity of the place is around 3,000, which was nearly full last night! I had my doubts due to the fact that I was able to get two seats 7 rows from the stage one week prior to the concert. Fortunately, they were able to nearly fill the place!

2. Seeing some Floyd tunes performed live for the first time, including Welcome to the Machine, Pigs, One of These Days (I'm going to cut you into little pieces), The Gunner's Dream (off Final Cut, probably the most surprising song of the night) and Astronomy Donime. Seeing Sheep live was also cool, although Roger played that on his tour a couple of years ago, so it wasn't a first live experience for me.

3. I could tell there were MANY Floyd newbies in the crowd, who I am sure were very impressed! Some douchebag kept yelling out "Play Is There Anybody Out There" the entire concert. It was obvious he wanted to hear Comfortably Numb, which he did at the end of the concert with its awesome solo. As good as that solo was, I'd have to say my main highlight of the whole night was the ending solo and sequence to Pigs!! Truly powerfull stuff!!!

4. Of course, their big pink friend shown in the picture above. I guess fans of the band call him "Skippy". I commented to Danielle before the show started that the stage still didn't look big enough for any inflatables. So it was a great surprise when they blew him up during One of These Days. Despite his size, they also made him dance up and down to the beat of the music as well! Really cool stuff!!

5. Despite the excellence of the show, there were a few VERY MINOR downers. I could have done without Run Like Hell as the encore. For some reason, that song has never sat very well with me over the years. I would have much rather heard a song like Have a Cigar or Fat Old Sun instead. The show was basically a "greatest hits" type of show and they pulled songs from the majority of Floyd's catalogue. However, a couple albums that weren't represented were Atom Heart Mother, UmmaGumma, More, and Division Bell. Also, no Echoes, which I'm aware they can play and have played in the past. Dogs was not played, but with Pigs and Sheep in the lineup, I can't complain about that!

I really hope the Aussies make Vegas a regular tour stop in years to come. Especially with the renovated Joint, I can't wait to hear them again down the road.