James Avery’s blog

May 23, 2008

Roger Waters - Dark Side of The Dome

Filed under: Music, Uncategorized — admin @ 2:13 pm

Having seen Roger Waters in Hyde Park in 2006, and again at Earls Court last year, I had particularly High Hopes for this show, even if the set list would be virtually identical to these two performances.

I saw two concerts at the newly opened 02 Arena (former millennium Dome) last year, but there was always going is something special about seeing Roger Waters playing “Time” in a venue that is effectively at the centre of time, being so close to the Greenwich Meridian.  If you’ve ever flown over The Dome (the view from London City airport is particularly good), you will know that it is supported by 12 pylons, effectively turning it into a giant clock face with a little bit of imagination. 

Does all this matter, considering that the O2 arena is buried firmly inside The Dome?  Maybe it wouldn’t for Take That, but Pink Floyd’s work has always been full of grandiose symbolism, so seeing Dark Side of the Moon played inside such a big white tent was always going to be an epic performance.  As with many previous Pink Floyd shows, Waters’ stage was designed by Mark Fisher, who has also created stage sets for The Rolling Stones and the U2 amongst many others.

The set list, and set pieces (my personal favourites were “Perfect Sense”, “Time”, “Money” and “Comfortably Numb”) might have changed little in the last two years, but inside the O2, everything just sounded that much crisper, and felt that much more impressive.  Dan [Fell, Flightmapping colleague] managed to catch Comfortably Numb on his camera, and he has put this on You Tube - the sound is amazing, considering that his camera is no bigger than a cigarette packet.

Dan reckoned he had just witnessed the best show he had ever been to, whereas the Scouser standing behind me promise that he would take this memory to his grave.  I’ll just settle with saying that I was completely blown away by this performance — maybe not the great Gig in the Sky, but certainly the combination of Waters and the riverside dome made Perfect Sense, even if this post doesn’t.

Set One 
 
In the Flesh
Mother
Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun
Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts II - V) (abridged)
Have a Cigar
Wish You Were Here
Southampton Dock
The Fletcher Memorial Home
Perfect Sense (Parts I - II)
Leaving Beirut
Sheep

Set Two (The Dark Side of the Moon)

Speak to Me / Breathe
On the Run
Time / Breathe (Reprise)
The Great Gig in the Sky
Money
Us and Them
Any Colour You Like
Brain Damage
Eclipse

Encore

The Happiest Days of Our Lives
Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)
Vera
Bring the Boys Back Home
Comfortably Numb

May 22, 2008

Why I’m not signing any fuel price petitions

Filed under: Politics, Trains, Transport — admin @ 12:23 pm

I’ve lost count of the number of people who have tried to get me join Facebook groups, or sign petitions against the recent fuel price rises.  There are two very simple reasons why the price of fuel is so high — one is a simple combination of supply and demand, which as a free marketeer I can’t complain about, and the other is the rate of duty the UK government imposes on petrol and diesel.

Many people might quite reasonably argue that fuel duty is extortion, but our government needs to get its money somehow, and just as we haven’t really heard how a Conservative government would reinstate the 10p tax bracket, I’m not really convinced that anyone has any serious proposals to reduce the tax rate on fuel, without a commensurate increase in other taxes, such as income tax.  So to anyone who is protesting about the cost of fuel, I have one simple question — which would you rather have higher income tax, or higher tax on fuel? Personally, I’ll take the tax on fuel any day, for one simple reason — it is much easier for most people to avoid fuel tax than it is to avoid income tax.

Having listened to the the news today, it seems that Gordon Brown will do everything he can to tap on other international leaders’ shoulders, and deflect attention away from his own government’s contribution to the high cost of fuel, so whether we like it or not, high fuel prices are going to be with us for a long time coming.  People can protest all they want, but even if there are reductions in fuel duty, these are only likely to knock a few pence off the cost of fuel at the pumps. Across The Pond, It also looks like Hillary Clinton’s promise  of a fuel tax holiday will shortly die a death, along with her presidential campaign, and I’ll have to say that I wish a good riddance to them both.

I know it is easy for me to say that people who really want to reduce their fuel bill should buy a smaller car, or convert to LPG, but I think it is far more sensible to try and leave the car at home and try walking or cycling.  Try doing this for just one week, and you might well find that there is a lot more on your doorstep than you might think.  Apart from the money saved, there are huge health benefits to be gained from cycling even just a few short miles each day, not to mention the environmental benefits that any self-powered transport brings.  For longer journeys, I’ve always felt that going by train is a much better use of time, especially when travelling to and from London where congestion alone makes driving there unthinkable, long before any additional charges come into account.

Powered by WordPress