Surrogate band - the Wall Live shows in 80/81

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Surrogate band - the Wall Live shows in 80/81

Post by space triangle »

This is a question and topic primarily for those who were fortunate enough to attend The Wall 80/81 live shows.

Could someone explain to me how the surrogate band worked in the Wall Live shows in 80/81? Each member of the Floyd had a surrogate, right? Andy Bown, Snowy White etc Did they perform w/ Pink Floyd for most of the show? All of it, or only on the oppening song 'in the flesh'? Were there some songs that were performed ENTIRELY by the Surrogate Band, w/out any performance by Pink Floyd?

fhanks/
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Re: Surrogate band - the Wall Live shows in 80/81

Post by drafsack »

So at the start of the show the equipment on the stage was really sparse - 1 small keyboard, 1 Guitar, 1 Bass and a very small drum set. Above them was one long strip of lights. The surrogate band came on with the life masks on, and they were really effective and they started playing In The Flesh? The real band are hidden behind a black curtain behind the surrogate band. Andy Bown (who is normally status quo's keyboard player) was playing Roger and he mimed to Rogers singing. At the end of ITF Roger shouted Lights, action etc and a Stuka flew down over the audience and crashed into the wall with a huge fireball. At this point the surrogate band freeze and are lowered down into the stage while the real band are illuminated behind them start playing The Thin Ice. The surrogate band then join the Floyd on stage about half way through The Thin Ice and stay on the stage for the rest of the show. When you get to the second version of ITF the surrogate band wore the life masks again and stood next to the band member they are impersonating.
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Re: Surrogate band - the Wall Live shows in 80/81

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Re: Surrogate band - the Wall Live shows in 80/81

Post by space triangle »

drafsack wrote: Sat Feb 15, 2020 6:05 pm So at the start of the show the equipment on the stage was really sparse - 1 small keyboard, 1 Guitar, 1 Bass and a very small drum set. Above them was one long strip of lights. The surrogate band came on with the life masks on, and they were really effective and they started playing In The Flesh? The real band are hidden behind a black curtain behind the surrogate band. Andy Bown (who is normally status quo's keyboard player) was playing Roger and he mimed to Rogers singing. At the end of ITF Roger shouted Lights, action etc and a Stuka flew down over the audience and crashed into the wall with a huge fireball. At this point the surrogate band freeze and are lowered down into the stage while the real band are illuminated behind them start playing The Thin Ice. The surrogate band then join the Floyd on stage about half way through The Thin Ice and stay on the stage for the rest of the show. When you get to the second version of ITF the surrogate band wore the life masks again and stood next to the band member they are impersonating.
Thanks a lot for the nice explanation, draf.....very interesing.
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Re: Surrogate band - the Wall Live shows in 80/81

Post by space triangle »

Thanks, azza200. :)
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Re: Surrogate band - the Wall Live shows in 80/81

Post by Kerry King »

The surrogate band were there to find out where you fans really stand.
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Re: Surrogate band - the Wall Live shows in 80/81

Post by drafsack »

Kerry King wrote: Tue Feb 18, 2020 2:33 am The surrogate band were there to find out where you fans really stand.
But it was an all seating venue
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Re: Surrogate band - the Wall Live shows in 80/81

Post by DarkSideFreak »

Apart for ITF, they were basically similar in function to the additional musicians on the post-Roger tours (Renwick, Carin, Wallis), inasmuch as they helped to fill out the sound. Of course Snowy had already filled the rhythm guitar role on the Animals tour and Dick Parry had played some keyboard bits on the same tour.
drafsack wrote: Sat Feb 15, 2020 6:05 pm Andy Bown (who is normally status quo's keyboard player) was playing Roger and he mimed to Rogers singing.
Andy is actually a multi-instrumentalist, he also plays guitar and harmonica, and writes interesting songs. But not a particularly good singer. :?
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Re: Surrogate band - the Wall Live shows in 80/81

Post by Kerry King »

DarkSideFreak wrote: Thu Apr 02, 2020 3:19 pm Snowy had already filled the rhythm guitar role on the Animals tour
He played some great bass on that tour as well.
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Re: Surrogate band - the Wall Live shows in 80/81

Post by DarkSideFreak »

Kerry King wrote: Fri Apr 03, 2020 1:29 am
DarkSideFreak wrote: Thu Apr 02, 2020 3:19 pm Snowy had already filled the rhythm guitar role on the Animals tour
He played some great bass on that tour as well.
Yeah, forgot about that. Of course Roger is funny that way, a bass player that often doesn't even play bass \:D/