Radio City Music Hall

Waking up to the perfect sunny spring day in New York put everyone in the mood for the concert at Radio City Music Hall, also known as the Showplace of the Nation. This 6,000-seater iconic venue, built in the Art Deco style, opened in 1932 and still features the famous annual Christmas Spectacular with The Rockettes. Steve DiStanislao, the band’s drummer, causally mentioned that his grandma did a stint as a Rockette: impressive grandma credentials, Stevie.

Last night there were quite a few latecomers and it’s worth bearing in mind that the concert does start at 8.00pm.

The watery couplet of A Boat Lies Waiting and The Blue worked beautifully in this intimate and grand theatre, with its apricot velvet seats and gold drapes adorning the proscenium arch.

The sound of cash registers drew a roar of recognition followed by the famous bass riff, as Money got underway in all its musical greatness. This was followed by Us And Them, a Waters/Wright composition and another track from The Dark Side Of The Moon. The Us And Them film, shown on the giant circular screen, opens with a grey, London day and then cuts to New York, and aerial views of the skyscraper city, perhaps including last night’s venue.

Louise Marshall, Lucita Jules and Bryan Chambers, ‘the glorious singers’, make a huge impact with not only their singing but their synchronised dance moves; last night during the Shine On sax solo they mirrored João’s fingers on the keys.

David’s virtuoso playing during Sorrow drew a standing ovation, and the audience remained on their feet for the encore of Time/Breathe and Comfortably Numb. As David and the band took their final bow, he told them “You’ve been a great New York audience”. Next stop, Madison Square Garden.

Last night’s setlist was…

First Set: 5 A.M.; Rattle That Lock; Faces Of Stone; Wish You Were Here; What Do You Want From Me; A Boat Lies Waiting; The Blue; Money; Us And Them; In Any Tongue; High Hopes.

Second Set: Astronomy Domine; Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts 1-5); Fat Old Sun; Coming Back To Life; On An Island; Today; Sorrow; Run Like Hell.

Encores: Time/Breathe (reprise); Comfortably Numb.