Roger Waters (Pink Floyd) took my flag!!!

[babs 5,093]

Ok sistrens, as I promised, here's story time  it's a little long but y'all bitches are here so read up 

I have been a huge Pink Floyd fan since I was around 12. I would save all my pennies to buy all of their releases and merch. No other band or artist means this much to me, I am who I am because of them.

Anyways, since the situation in my country is so difficult I had already mentalized myself years ago that sadly no matter how much I saved and how much I loved them, I would never be able to see them live. I managed to feel at peace with it after some years.

Earlier this year, just like many other venezuelans, I was struck by the crisis set by the dictatorship and at my worst I could only afford to eat 2, sometimes only once a day.

Since around 2013 / 2014 I started heavily protesting back in my country. I even joined an opposition political party as a communications manager in my state. I have never liked politics nor did I have aspirations in it, but I joined because I believed I could and I wanted to make a real change in my country. The thing blew up, I met many famous politicians there, but that's another story. At the end I decided to leave my country because there was a time where I decided I had a lot of life to live and I didn't want to get consumed by my country's situation.

Anyways, when I went out and did protests there was always one thing, among some others, that I used to take with me all the time to the streets, and that was my flag.

I went through a sh*t ton of things with it, and as a result, it's current state was a little bit deteriorated and dirty, but nonetheless I carried it with me to this day because it had many stories on it, both from my friends and me.

Well remember how I though I would never go to a Pink Floyd show? Well, life is funny. After I left my country, I managed to save enough to get a ticket to see Roger Waters, my hero. I was so f*cked in the head that this was even happening to me. I had to give up getting somethings for a while but I managed to get a fifth row ticket!

I had been patiently waiting all this time for the show and I would go everyday thinking about it. Fast forward to a week before the show, this radio station was giving away tickets for the show the day after mine. At this point I had already tried some other contests to win those tickets for weeks but to no avail, but I found out about this other one and I thought "Well meh why not"

I ENDED UP WINNING A PAIR OF THIRD ROW TICKETS. This meant TWO (!!!!) Floyd shows that I would be going to. HOW IS THIS EVEN MY LIFE?! 

Well. The day of the first concert came around. I decided I was gonna take the flag with me, since this show is heavily political and about resistance, so I figured I would raise it a few times while I was there.I went in, got some merch, and enjoyed the show. I cried about half of the show and danced and sang through the other one (This wasn't like the culture of many americans around me who are not used to the latinamerican ways, but I think most of them ended up loving me. I hope ). As a fan, I knew that Roger would go down to the audience on the last song so I figured "well I'm on fifth row I can sneak and get pretty close and say hi to him!!!"

WRONG BITCH.

Like 5 security guards came around me and told me to stay in my place  Like the bad f*ck that I am I though I'd wait until he was close to my area and run to him but by the time I got to the border he didn't notice me and just went by. Oh well. "This is harder than I thought"

Anyways, I met this guy on the show who I became friends with on that day, and I had the extra ticket I had won for the next day so I decided to give it to him and we would go together the next day. He was a huge fan like I was and could not believe he would be going on third row too! He kept on thanking me and we were bot stoked for the show.

So the next show came around. Same as the previous one, singing and dancing, but since I had already cried myself out the day before I managed to appreciate this other show more than the previous one. I had my flag with me as well. Me and my friend were so close to the stage it was crazy!!!! Roger (we think) noticed me a couple times on the crowd since I knew all the lyrics to everything (including, and specially, the new stuff which most of the people there didn't care about nor knew of) and I would jump and scream the lyrics (which made me easy to spot given the american standard for excitement at concerts ) and he would keep on looking at me and singing at my direction. 

So the final song came around. me and my buddy we tried to get upfront again before it began. Didn't work. I was like "Well whatever, I will just enjoy this final song and that's that". However, my friend was determined in getting me close to Roger, since he kinda knew my story and also he had met Roger that day (waited for him at the hotel, lucky bastard  I couldn't because I was still on the train heading to the city). He spotted two guys who were at the 2nd row going out of the show at the beginning of the song and ran up to them and asked for their tickets. He came back, gave one to me and we came up to the security guards like "hey, we're second row, let us through". IT WORKED, THEY LITERALLY HAD NO OTHER CHOICE HAHA.

We got to the middle of the second row and as soon as Roger got off the stage my friend goes "Ok go NOW NOW!!!" And I jumped the seats to the front row and stood there waiting for Roger. I decided to wrap my flag against my finger hoping perhaps he would notice it when I greeted him with a fist bump. One of Roger's personal security guys comes by me, grabs my flag, takes a look at it and nods and smiles to me, and I smile back. Then Roger frigging Waters comes around, the fist bump happened, and what happened next had me ****ed up to the point of breakdown. This felt way more slow-mo irl than how it looks here:

He grabs my flag and TAKES IT. At the moment I didn't want to give it away and held on to it (that's why it looks like he pulls a bit) but then I figured "This is frigging Roger waters" And I let go.

I was not prepared for that. At all. I started bawling my eyes out while I leaned my body down. Like, real ugly crying. I won't even attempt at describing again all the feelings that were going through my mind and body, but based on all I wrote here, you do the math. I couldn't control myself.

Roger and band took the final bow. I tried collecting myself, thanked my friend for what he had done, said goodbye and I left the arena to the train station. There I found a place away from everyone else and resumed crying for about 20 minutes lmao. I was sad and happy at the same time, but overall I was content and whole, that such a personal and intimate item of mine, but that also carried the energy of my country, was now in the hands of the man that helped me shape myself. The one who continues to be a voice for those in distress by unfair governments and societies through his music.

A few days have gone by and I'm still in shock writing this. I find myself not knowing what to do knowing one of my dreams came true while also carrying some unexpected things with it. The usual post-concert blues amped up x1000.

Will I ever be able to top this concert-going experience? I doubt it. 

 

[RainingOnMe 7,252]

That's cool and all but Roger Waters is a horrible person.

[JustaMonster 4,909]

Omg I love Pink Floyd! I got to see David Gilmour a few years ago  I just wish I could have seen them all play together though  I think Roger and David still hate each other and its impossible to see them all together now that Richard Wright passed away a while ago 

[babs 5,093]

1 minute ago, Latoyah Jackson said:

That's cool and all but Roger Waters is a horrible person.

Sure.

[babs 5,093]

2 minutes ago, JustaMonster said:

Omg I love Pink Floyd! I got to see David Gilmour a few years ago  I just wish I could have seen them all play together though  I think Roger and David still hate each other and its impossible to see them all together now that Richard Wright passed away a while ago 

Same!!!!!! I think they have talked out whatever happened between them but they are just not compatible as people. I'm glad they sometimes reunite and give us the occasional surprise though!!! 

David is a way harder ticket than Roger! he doesn't do a lot of touring, so yeah, lowkey jealous here haha. I just want them to live forever  

[TheRoof 21,600]

wow that's really an interesting experience , i'm so happy for you , i love Pink Floyd too..... also it's sad what it's happening in Venezuela

i can't imagine how could it feels been so close to a Living legend like Roger Waters 

[JustaMonster 4,909]

4 minutes ago, babs said:

Same!!!!!! I think they have talked out whatever happened between them but they are just not compatible as people. I'm glad they sometimes reunite and give us the occasional surprise though!!! 

David is a way harder ticket than Roger! he doesn't do a lot of touring, so yeah, lowkey jealous here haha. I just want them to live forever  

I know right. They are so old already. Its crazy to think that their first albums were fom the 60's. And yeah the tickets were a birthday present for me and my sister and we had to drive all the way to canada to see him  It would be awesome if they got along well enough to go on a tour together 

[TheRoof 21,600]

42 minutes ago, Latoyah Jackson said:

That's cool and all but Roger Waters is a horrible person.

[babs 5,093]

6 minutes ago, JustaMonster said:

I know right. They are so old already. Its crazy to think that their first albums were fom the 60's. And yeah the tickets were a birthday present for me and my sister and we had to drive all the way to canada to see him  It would be awesome if they got along well enough to go on a tour together 

It would be weird without Rick but I can't deny I still dream about it. Let's keep praying sis 

[Adakam 2]

Congrats! Roger is an amazing person, an activist for the right reasons, and one of the smartest minds in the industry.

I managed to meet him twice, at his hotels both times he came to Mexico, he was amazing and signed EVERYONE waiting.

We even drew on our hands the line numbers, we were like 150 and he signed everyone.

True legend! Not like other "legends" that are praised here

[NIghtmareElm 2,606]

Went to his show in Louisville earlier in the summer.  Incredible show.  He's still such an awesome performer and very powerful.  Loved his anti Trump visuals during the Pigs segment.  

[babs 5,093]

1 minute ago, Adakam said:

Congrats! Roger is an amazing person, an activist for the right reasons, and one of the smartest minds in the industry.

I managed to meet him twice, at his hotels both times he came to Mexico, he was amazing and signed EVERYONE waiting.

We even drew on our hands the line numbers, we were like 150 and he signed everyone.

True legend! Not like other "legends" that are praised here

Yassss!!! I have seen so many pics of people who met him in Mexico! He really loves his latinamerican crowd. Actually, after my friend met Roger he also got to speak and hang with his guitarist Dave Kilminster and asked him about the Boston crowd, and said they were dissapointed at how some people booed when he kneeled and did the Colin Kaepernic speech. (It wasn't that much people but yeah you could hear some boos). He said that their favorite crowds were the latinamerican crowds, like the mexican ones (there's you bragging rights buddy, get 'em).

I tried getting to meet Roger at the venue, since he always stops for a few moments to greet the fans and sign stuff, but the eBayers thing has gotten so heavy that they're sort of keeping track of them and since there were some eBayers waiting along with us there they didn't stop, I was so mad! I wish this people realized they're ruining it for everyone else!

 

[babs 5,093]

4 minutes ago, FloatWithME said:

Went to his show in Louisville earlier in the summer.  Incredible show.  He's still such an awesome performer and very powerful.  Loved his anti Trump visuals during the Pigs segment.  

One of my favorite parts of the show was looking around when the Trump thing happened and trying to spot the disdained faces

Not a lot of them, but hilarious still, the few of em 

[TheRoof 21,600]

i hope he  will add some dates in south america 

do you think is possible?

@babs

[babs 5,093]

5 minutes ago, MarlonBrando7 said:

i hope he  will add some dates in south america 

do you think is possible?

YEAH!!! I have no doubt he will. He hasn't missed SA on any of his tours since 2002. The stage would have to be adapted because of all of the props hanging from the ceiling and stuff, but I have no doubt he'll make it

And then hopefully he'll come back to NA again