Inflatables

[drafsack]

Pink Floyd have used a number of inflatables during their live shows. The first known one to be used was at Crystal Palace Bowl on 15th May 1971 this was a giant Inflatable octopus that rose out of the lake during Return of the Son of Nothing with it's tentacles extending up the bank. It also killed a large number of the fish in the pond. Other inflatables include a large inflatable balloon was suspended above the audience and during the 1973 tour which then had pictures of the moon projected on to it. During the 1975 tour of the US a large Inflatable pyramid was constructed which had a top section that could detach itself and float away. It was used only once at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on 20th June 1975. During inflation it tilted side?ways and escaped and then crash-landing in a nearby car park.

Their most famous inflatable was created for the album cover of Animals and was subsequently used on the Animals tour. As with most of their inflatables something went wrong and that was certainly the case with a certain inflatable Pig. During the photo shoot for the cover it escaped and caused chaos to Air traffic control as it floated over London.
For the Animals concerts in 1977 the pig was joined by an inflatable nuclear family consisting of a businessman, his wife (on a sofa), their son, daughter and half a child. There was also a tele?vision set, a refrigerator with the door open and worms coming out and a Cadillac.

During the Wall concerts of 1980 and1981 the inflatables included a Mother, a Teacher and a Wife. The pig also made an appearance ? this time it was grey with the crossed hammers insignia on the side and had spotlight eyes

During the Momentary tour only inflatable pigs were used and they had changed sex. Rog moaned that pigs were his idea and therefore they would have to pay to use the idea so they attached a pair of nads and hey presto it?s now a bore. Two different types of pigs ? sorry bores were used, at some shows a large one hovered above the stage and at other shows a smaller version sailed across the audience on a cable.

During the Division Bell tour two inflatable pigs heads emerged from the top of the light?ing towers on each side of the stage and gyrat?ed to the music of One of These Days.

On Rog?s Pros and cons tour an inflatable barman appeared during 4:37 AM - Arabs with knives?
And finally during the Berlin Wall shows an inflatable Teacher who was 12 mtrs high and had an arm span of 32 mtrs and a 15 mtr high pig was used

[CleverName]

I was thinking there was some big serpent thing in the water from the Mojo special, but it turns out it was the octopus. I had to pull the magazine out and when I went to put it back in I hit it against my drawer and it damaged the top of the magazine! I blame this soley on you, draf!!!!

[Cluster One]

The only inflatable I've got came in a box...

[Damn!t]

There's a nice big photo of that inflatable octopus in Nick's Inside Out.

[Alternative 4]

Thanks draf, i never knew about the inflatables on the 73 tour.

Was the teacher on Rogers solo wall the same as the one from the wall?

[drafsack]

Alternative 4
Was the teacher on Rogers solo wall the same as the one from the wall?

The one from the Berlin wall was a lot bigger

[fat_old_sun]

The first known one to be used was at Crystal Palace Bowl on 15th May 1971 this was a giant Inflatable octopus that rose out of the lake during Return of the Son of Nothing with it's tentacles extending up the bank. It also killed a large number of the fish in the pond.

the fish were actually killed by the excess of volume used there. the octopus wouldn't have killed them. but thanks for the info draf.

btw, where did u learn about all the different things on the animals tour??? that was one i didn't know.

[J Ed]

The only inflatable I've got came in a box...

eww yuk thanks for sharing

nice essay Drafsack sir!
so if all the inflatables were used during the 1st set of the 77 tour
whutd they have for a followup in the 2nd set?

and were there no inflatables before Echoes?
I know they had a guy in a gorrila suit stomp through the audience
during the Man and the Journey
and lots of other theatrical-type flourishes
but they obviously got into balloons bigtime after 71

reminds me of one Floydcritique that says
you cant understand the song without the floating pig!

J Ed

[drafsack]

nice essay Drafsack sir!
so if all the inflatables were used during the 1st set of the 77 tour
whutd they have for a followup in the 2nd set?

During Shine On You Crazy Diamond Parts I-V they used some gerald scarfe animation of a man falling and turning into a leaf - which was simular if not the same as the scarfe animation used durng the Trial from the wall shows

Welcome To The Machine had the animation of the robotic insect walking over the alian landscape

Have A Cigar - no real effects apart from the lights

During some of the shows just before Wish You Were Here Rog put a radio next to a mic and scanned the airways.

At the end of Shine On You Crazy Diamond Parts VI-IX a massive mirror disc with mirrors around the outside was raised infront of the screen

And finally during Money the usual back drop film was used

[CleverName]

What kind of lighting/animation stuff happened during Pigs? Especially during the guitar solos... I'd love to know that. Was there a spotlight on or behind Dave? What about during the quiet part after the second solo? And what about during the last intense part? I wish I could've seen them back then...

[Freddie Mercury]

There was also that flying monster at some AMLOR shows...I've seen a pic of it on the net but don't know what song it was for.

Where did the pig fly on the AMLOR tour? I know it came out from the left side of the stage...did it go out to the audio booth?

I've also seen an inflatable of a bed used as a promotional thing in a picture (different that what was used in the AMLOR shows).

[fat_old_sun]

During some of the shows just before Wish You Were Here Rog put a radio next to a mic and scanned the airways.

i read somewhere whether it was an interview or not i cant remember but it was definitly Nick who did the scanning and it was every show cos each shows "radio sequence" is difference.

come to think of it, imagine if a radio station was playing floyd at the time!!! lol that would've been a crack up!

[drafsack]

There was also that flying monster at some AMLOR shows...I've seen a pic of it on the net but don't know what song it was for.

Where did the pig fly on the AMLOR tour? I know it came out from the left side of the stage...did it go out to the audio booth?

The flying monster was Icarus and during "learning to fly" on some of their shows it flew from the stage over the audience to the top of the stadium. If they didn't use icarus they used a plane instead. The pig came out from the side of the stage but just loitered above the crowed close to the stage.

What kind of lighting/animation stuff happened during Pigs? Especially during the guitar solos... I'd love to know that. Was there a spotlight on or behind Dave? What about during the quiet part after the second solo? And what about during the last intense part? I wish I could've seen them back then...

There was no animation during Pigs and the lighting was general concert lighting until the pig appeared from behind the PA stack. Then there was lots of smoke and the pig just about cleared the horns on top the PA and shot out over the crowed on a wire. While it was flying around the stage was vertually dark and coloured spot lights followed the pig on its travels over the audience.