PINK FLOYD:

PERFORMANCE
& TECHNOLOGY
mark cunningham

ANIMAL
INSTINCTS
 PINK FLOYD
PERFORMANCE & TECHNOLOGY
MARK CUNNINGHAM

an omnibus in seven parts

Text, typesetting, layout, editing & design copyright 2017 Mark Cunningham
Published by Bear & Bones Publishing Ltd under licence
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Cover photography: 123ucas

 PART 4

ANIMAL
INSTINCTS

PINK FLOYD PART 4

PERFORMANCE ANIMAL
& TECHNOLOGY INSTINCTS

171
April 1976 -
July 1977
 It distressed me that
TOURING was no longer
about the music. it
had turned into some
strange, ritualistic
thing that I couldnt
identify with...
06 PINK FLOYD | PERFORMANCE & TECHNOLOGY
After their headlining appearance at Knebworth Park
in July 1975, 17 months passed before Pink Floyd
returned to the road. While Rick Wright focused on
domesticity, Nick Mason filled time by supporting the
career of jazz saxophonist Gary Windo as well as
working with Robert Wyatt and Gong. Having already
guided the first recording sessions by a 15 year old
songstress named Kate Bush, David Gilmour also
collaborated with the Sutherland Brothers & Quiver,
the outfit that featured Cambridge friends and future
Floyd sidemen Willie Wilson and Tim Renwick.
Meanwhile, after touring Raving And Drooling
and You Gotta Be Crazy for more than a year, Roger
Waters was spending time developing these songs as
Sheep and Dogs, as well as writing new material for
the Floyds next album.
Loosely inspired by George Orwells Animal Farm,
Animals was Waters bleak narrative on the social con-
dition of the mid-Seventies and, in April 1976, Pink
Floyd reconvened at Britannia Row to begin recording,
using their own newly-built studio facility that Mason
described as minimalist, despite expectations.

Bill Kelsey and Nick Mason in the
Britannia Row control room.
Waters dystopian vision was perfectly timed. Gath-
ering pace during the hottest British summer on record,
the sessions coincided with a period of civil unrest on
Londons streets.
Protests against the wrongful imprisonment of George
Davis, an alleged armed robber, were followed by riots
during the Notting Hill Carnival, the epicentre of which
was a short walk from Gilmours home in McGregor
Road.
In parallel, the frustration of the nations disenfran-
chished youth was channelled into the rising punk rock
ANIMAL INSTINCTS 07
movement. As the year unfolded, the antics of the Sex
Pistols and other tales of spiky-haired rebellion made
their way on to the front pages of the tabloids. The pur-
veyors and champions of prog rock became a prime
target for the punks, who regarded any form of sophisti-
cated art as abhorrent.
In claiming the cultural high ground, however, it was
convenient for them to overlook the superior wit and
intellect of Roger Waters lyrical observations which,
arguably, were more venomous than those of any con-
temporary punk outfit.
08 PINK FLOYD | PERFORMANCE & TECHNOLOGY
Back at the studio, tragic news reached the Floyd.
Midway through the making of Animals, the bands
long-time road manager Peter Watts died, aged 30.
After leaving the Floyd two years earlier, Watts drug
problems became more acute and although the band
continued to offer support, his body was found by his
ex-wife Myfanwy at Gilmours Notting Hill residence in
August 1976, the alleged result of a heroin overdose.
His daughter, Naomi, was just seven at the time. Today,
she is a celebrated screen actress with multiple awards
and nominations to her name.
The bleakness of the partially closed Battersea Power Station was captured in the albums inner gatefold.
As the mixing of Animals was coming to an end,
Storm Thorgerson worked on a cover design and pitched
his first idea to the band. I drew a sketch of a small boy
standing by the door to his parents bedroom where
they were on the bed, in the midst of copulating. Roger
didnt like it, which I found disappointing, but he offered
a very good idea as an alternative, said Thorgerson.
Roger cycled past Battersea Power Station every
day on his way into the studio from Clapham and he
was very impressed by the doomy presence of what
was then still a fully operational building, with smoke

belching from its chimneys. He regarded it as a suit-
able backdrop to his somewhat vitriolic lyrics and had
taken a few snaps to aid his thought process. Roger
had already come up with the idea of using a pig as
an iconic image so we put the two together and went
about sourcing a large, inflatable porker.
The Hipgnosis team tracked down Jeffrey Shaw, the
Australian co-founder of Amsterdam-based Eventstruc-
ture Research Group, to design the inflatable. It was
then constructed by Ballon Fabrik, the German com-
pany responsible for building the Zeppelin airships of
the early 20th century. When inflated with helium, the
pig known to all as Algie measured approximately
30 feet long by 20 feet high.
On Thursday 2nd December, Thorgerson and Aubrey
Powell arranged for a film crew and a team of 11 pho-
tographers including Peter Christopherson, Howard
Bartrop, Nic Tucker, Robert Ellis, Rob Brimson and Colin
ANIMAL INSTINCTS 09
Ready for technical
rehearsals at Olympia.
Jones to arrive at the partially closed Power Station
along with riggers and members of the Floyds own
entourage, then set up their equipment to begin what
appeared to be a straightforward job.
Roger wanted to fly the pig between two chimneys
and so we gave each photographer a different posi-
tion around the Power Station so that every angle was
covered, Thorgerson continued. We believed that we
had just one crack at this so we made sure to be well
prepared.
At Steve ORourkes request, we even hired a marks-
man for a sizeable fee to deflate the pig with a well-
placed shot if it escaped and posed an insurance risk.
Unfortunately, piggy wasnt playing ball there was
some problem with the inflation which slowed every-
thing down.
Aubrey Powell said: Although it was bloody cold
and windy, the sky looked amazing, like a Turner paint-
10 PINK FLOYD | PERFORMANCE & TECHNOLOGY

Rehearsals in motion.
Inset: A state-of-the-art outboard rack
from the Brit Row warehouse.

L-R: Snowy White joined the touring line-up as back-up guitarist; Dick Parry
returned to deliver his impressive sax breaks; the by-now familiar Mr Screen.
ing, with dramatic cloud shapes hovering above the
building. So while we were waiting, I used the time
to take as many shots of the Power Station as possi-
ble, and asked the other photographers to do the same.
When we realised that the pig wasnt going to inflate,
we abandoned the shoot and arranged to return the
next day to start over.
We were a little disappointed with the sky on the
next day because it wasnt anything like as dramatic as
it had been, commented Thorgerson.
Nevertheless, our pig did take to the helium on the
second attempt and it very slowly painfully slowly
came to life. Everyone took position and waited as the
pig was steered upwards on guide ropes. Expectant
smiles and cheers abounded. Then, suddenly, a freak
gust of wind caused the pig to violently jerk from side
to side. The ring connecting the mooring cable to the
loom attached to the pig twisted and snapped, freeing
the porker to ascend at a fast pace over south London,
leaving our photographers to gaze forlornly at the winter
sky.
Powell: Steve didnt hire the marksman for a second
day, probably on the grounds of expense, so he wasnt
there to take down the pig. Inevitably, it rose higher and
higher, reaching about 20,000 feet, stumbling into the
ANIMAL INSTINCTS 11
flight path of London Heathrow Airport and heading for
Dover. Passing pilots must have thought they were losing
their minds. A police helicopter did give chase but it
wasnt of any help.
Eventually, it deflated of its own accord and landed
on a farm [East Stour Farm in Godmersham, Kent] fright-
ening the living daylights out of the resident cattle. It
couldve been an outtake from This Is Spinal Tap. Some
people claimed it was a publicity stunt, but we never
intended anything of the sort. It was just a shoot that
went out of control.
Undeterred, the Floyds road crew were dispatched
to Kent to rescue the poor piggy and mend its puncture
wounds, ready for our unexpected third day at Batter-
sea, Thorgerson explained. We thanked the Power
Stations management who had obviously taken pity
on our feckless organisation after reading the morning
headlines and agreed to the extended stay as long as
the marksman was re-booked. We were once again
greeted by a blue sky pleasant but boring for our pur-
poses and the pig behaved itself for the entire session.
It wasnt all over yet, however. Back at our office
we pored over a fantastic set of photographs but no
single shot hit the mark. Inevitably, a shot of the pig from
day three was superimposed on to one of the shots of
12 PINK FLOYD | PERFORMANCE & TECHNOLOGY
Above: Making noise about the new album; the Floyd foursome during the Olympia rehearsals.
the building from day one, with its sensational sky. And
Nick did the Animals typography himself by hand.
Some people within the inner circle argued that
we could have avoided all the drama at Battersea
by photographing the pig anywhere and then apply
some graphic trickery but that wasnt
the point. Roger visualised a real-time
event that and he was absolutely right
as usual, plus we did create a bit of a
stir in the weeks leading to the album
coming out.
Since November, the band had
been routining live versions of the songs
at Britannia Row in between the final
album sessions. Planning ahead for
an upcoming tour, the band dispensed
with the female backing vocalists that
had been present since 1973, how-
ever, a new face came into the fold.
Follwing a recommendation from
EMIs Hilary Walker (later to become Kate Bushs per-
sonal manager), Steve ORourke had seen guitarist Ter-
ence Snowy White perform live with Steve Harley &
Cockney Rebel and Al Stewart over the previous year,
and suggested to Gilmour that he would be the perfect
man to recreate the intricate background parts he had
laid down on Animals.
To my embarrassment, I was very unfamiliar with
most of the Floyds music, said White, and I was prob-
ably the only person in the UK who
hadnt heard of The Dark Side Of The
Moon. It was early that autumn that
I was invited over to the studio and I
happened to walk in precisely at the
moment that the engineer accidentally
erased one of Daves solos. You could
cut the atmosphere with a knife, it was
so tense.
Dave ushered me aside and
explained that they were working
towards a tour in the New Year, then
asked me if I would come onboard to
play rhythm, lead and harmony parts
[and also cover bass for Waters when
he moved to acoustic or electric guitar].
I fully expected some form of audition but Dave had
already made his mind up that I was up to the job. I
was hanging out at the studio for a few hours, listening

to some of the album, when Roger asked
if Id like to play something. So he got me
to replace Daves missing solo on Pigs On
The Wing and he seemed very happy.
When Animals came out, Pigs On The
Wing had been edited into two pieces
and my solo was nowhere to be heard. It
wasnt until someone pointed it out to me
later on that I discovered it on the 8-track
cartridge version, which featured the origi-
nal mix.
FLESHING IT OUT: JANUARY 77
With the Christmas and New Year festivi-
ties out of the way, the Floyd transferred
to Olympia Exhibition Hall in West Kens-
ington for technical production rehearsals
ahead of the 29-date European tour now
dubbed In The Flesh.
Layers of warm clothing compensated
for the harsh chill inside the vast, reverber-
ant, 90 year old hall as the Brit Row crew
loaded in and readied the space for the
band.
ANIMAL INSTINCTS 13
The tour gets underway in Dortmund.
As head of the lighting operation,
Graeme Fleming chose to suspend lighting
elements from pneumatic telescopic towers
either side of the stage, while fixtures lined
the perimeter of the circular screen.
On the first day at Olympia, prior to
the bands arrival, the crew also tested
another lighting concept: the hydraulic
system designed for a pair of cherry pick-
ers. Fitted with a pilot cockpit, the cherry
pickers carried a laser-guided follow
spot and had PAR cans, pyro and flares
attached. They travelled individually on
45ft trucks and each of them was mounted
on a 10 metre tractor unit to be driven into
position each side of stage. The smooth
hydraulics made it possible extend the arm
and cage/cockpit over the entire stage at
a relatively fast speed.
Crew member Chris Cockram described
the process on Floyd fan site A Fleeting
Glimpse. He said: The pilot sat in a racing
car seat and operated a single joy stick
at his right hand. On the left were all the
14 PINK FLOYD | PERFORMANCE & TECHNOLOGY
ROAD CREW 1977
Mick Kluczynski tour manager
Warwick McCredie tour manager
Arthur Max production manager
Robbie Williams head of sound
Phil Taylor backline technician
Bernie Caulder PA/stage technician
Nigel Taylor PA/stage technician
Nick Rockford PA/stage technician
Chris Cockram stage technician
Alan Conway quad technician
Brian Humphries front of house engineer
Seth Goldman monitor engineer
Graeme Fleming lighting director
Mick Marshall lighting technician
Robin Murray lighting technician
Peter Sheriden lighting technician
Peter Revell film projectionist
Rocky Paulson rigger
switches for lights and flares; the follow spot was mounted
to a swivel plate and sat just above his right shoulder like
some bloody great rocket launcher. These things would glide
in to position in silence, completely blacked out. The two
pilots wore black, with balaclavas and gloves, and then they
would burst into view in a blaze of light and fly across the
stage.
There was a point in the show when David Gilmour
started off on pedal steel guitar and the cherry pickers were
positioned high over the stage. This thing would drop into
position about three metres above his head. The pilot was
flying blind in a straight drop and I would count him down
on the headset.
On some nights, the cherry picker lifted off in a blaze of
white light and David would appear from within it, the heat
from the lights turning his sweat to steam. But it was danger-
ous, my countdown had to be right, but it was all up to the
guy in the drivers seat. David handled it all really well, but
there were nights when his look would say it all too close,
boys!.
After three intense days at Olympia, the crew shipped the
production to Germany for the opening show at Dortmunds

Westfalenhalle on January 23rd, the same day that Ani-
mals hit the record shops. Within just over a week it
had debuted at No.2 on the UK chart. The European
tour, which ran though West Germany, Austria, Switzer-
land, the Netherlands, Belgium and France, went on
to include five shows at Wembley Empire Pool and a
further four at Staffords New Bingley Hall, ending on
March 31st. A former livestock market, approproately,
the Floyd were the first in a long line of acts to play con-
certs at New Bingley Hall.
Invariably, the first half of each show focused entirely
on Animals, albeit with the songs in a slightly dif-
ferent order: Sheep / Pigs on the Wing (Part
WRIGHTS GEAR 1977
I) / Dogs / Pigs on the Wing (Part II) / Pigs
(Three Different Ones). The Wish You Were Here
album filled the second half and, generally, Dark
Side highlights Money and Us And Them com-
prised the encore.
Later, during the American leg of the tour,
Careful With That Axe, Eugene was a surprising
addition for one night only, in Oakland on May
9th.
ANIMAL INSTINCTS 15
PORK TALES
The infamous pig of album cover fame retired from duty
after putting in an appearance at the Power Stations
Sports & Social Club on evening of January 19th, when
the album was previewed at a press reception, with
the Floyd members typically absent. Powell had been
charged with finding a new designer to create a tour-
worthy replacement. Powells first contact was art direc-
tor Andrew Sanders, an art director with a considerable
network of colleagues in the theatre business, one of
whom was the doorman at the Palace Theatre in London.
KEYBOARD RIG
Hammond B-3 Organ w/Leslie 122 cabinet
Rhodes Suitcase 73/88 Mk I Electric Piano
Mini Moog Model D Synthesizers
ARP Solina String Ensemble Synthesizer
Steinway Baby Grand Piano
Hohner Clavinet D6
16 PINK FLOYD | PERFORMANCE & TECHNOLOGY

Above: Staging plan for the European tour.

The [touring]
Re-enter Mark Fisher Somehow, I had become quite pro-
lific in the design of inflatable objects such as a bed for Harrods

pig had a more

and a sleep balloon for the Glastonbury Festival, said Fisher in
2010.

sinister appear-
Around 1974, I made an inflatable doll for a one-man
show by Barry Humphries [as Dame Edna Everage] at the

ance, especially
Palace Theatre. Upon delivering it, the man at the stage door
reception asked for my business card, presumably to add to the

when it rose
hundreds of others on his noticeboard from suppliers of theatri-
cal wares.

above the mix

Out of the blue, I got a call about two years later from
somebody who had spotted my card. It was Andrew and he

position to snort
was after an inflatable pig for Pink Floyd. After the pyramid
escapade it was good to forge ties once again.

at the audience. The pig, a reference to enforced authority, was a slightly

different animal to the one on the album cover. It had lights
ANIMAL INSTINCTS 17
18 PINK FLOYD | PERFORMANCE & TECHNOLOGY

18

Above: Mark Fisher and assistants with the inflatables; the pig rises in Frankfurt.
fitted for its eyes and had a more sinister appearance,
especially when it rose above the mix position to snort
at the audience during Pigs (Three Different Ones). But
we actually had two of them. Our main pig slid down
a cable [measuring up to 1,300 foot
long at larger venues] from the back
of the venue and over the audiences
head lifted at each end by a mobile
hydraulic crane before returning to
its bunker behind the stage.
The second pig of which there
was obviously a considerable stock
ANIMAL INSTINCTS 19
Facing page: The inflatable nuclear family in America.
was a cheaper, disposable version that I filled with
helium. It also had an internal bag of propane and an
igniter. As it rose above the stage, I pressed a remote
ignition button and our pig exploded rather dramati-
cally, much to the worry of local safety
officials in pretty much every city on
the itinerary.
Things got out of hand at the Mil-
waukee County
19
Stadium in June at
the start of the second run of North
American dates, when Fisher and
his colleague (winch chief) Richard
20 PINK FLOYD | PERFORMANCE & TECHNOLOGY

20

Culture clash: Polar opposites vye for front cover space.

 ANIMAL INSTINCTS 21

Harman experimented by replacing propane with a mix These additions were completed in time for the start
of acetylene and oxygen. of the North American leg of In The Flesh, which com-
The results couldnt have been worse if Keith prised of 26 dates split into two halves (April
Moon had been given the 22nd - May 12th and June 15th - July 6th).
job, laughed Fisher. When There was a major difference of opinion
I hit the ignition that night, between Roger and I over the sizes of the
there was a massive flash inflatables, continued Fisher. The band
and a deafening explosion were playing vast stadiums in America and
that seriously rattled the band I impressed on him the need to go larger
and the crew, especially Jon- than life with this objects, but he wanted
athan who had been man- them to be to scale and that would have
ning one of the guide wires. rendered them fairly invisible to the punt-
The pig just disintegrated into ers at the back of the venue. I was particu-
a mass of flaming particles, larly concerned about that because of the
damaging the vinyl roofs of meaning that these figures represented,
cars outside the stadium, and so we compromised a little and conse-
Steve ORourke went ape-shit. quently neither of us were satisfied, but
I wasnt aware that he had such is life.
agreed to a strict noise limit We designed the inflatables to be
because there was a nearby flown, and so I brought in Jonathan Park
veterans hospital, so it wasnt to help us with the engineering side of
surprising when he told us in no the rigging and control mechanisms that
uncertain terms to never be so moved the inflatables. It was our first major
irresponsible again. collaboration on a rocknroll tour.
The family and their wares appeared fully inflated
FLYING THE FAMILY during Dogs and Jonathan Park had the difficult task of
Brought to life by built-in industrial fans, the Floyds inven- controlling the height of each item in the group. There
tory of inflatables expanded when Sanders and Fisher were limitations in terms of we could achieve back them
were commissioned to design an average English with the electric winches and motors, he said. I had
nuclear family comprising a father/businessman, his designed some grooved drums for the cables that did a
frumpy wife perched on a sofa, a son, daughter and a reasonable job but it could be a struggle.
half child. Their first appearance was at Wemb-
ley on March 15th.
MASONS KIT 1977

It was a tongue-in-cheek reference to the 2.5

children that was average for families in the UK, Katsushika Hokusai-style painted
explained Fisher. And, of course, they wouldnt Ludwig 7-piece drum kit with Remo heads;
be complete without some household goods, so Paiste cymbals: 2 x Hi-Hats, 3 x Crash,
we were also asked to design and build a refriger- 1 x Ride, 1 x China;
ator that contained very phallic-looking sausages Remo 5-piece Roto Tom21set
and a TV set, plus a glorious pink Cadillac, all of
which were fitted with internal lighting fixtures.
22 PINK FLOYD | PERFORMANCE & TECHNOLOGY
Midway through the 17-minute number, the family
were deflated and left in situ before expanding again,
and eventually deflating at the end of the song where
they descended, crumpled, over the band and landed
behind the stage.
Fisher: Andrew and I worked together on sculpting
models of the inflatables using Styrofoam. We projected
them on to a wall so that we could make enlargements
on tissue paper, from which we could form cutting pat-
terns. We then gave these to Rob Harries who stitched
together the resulting products.
A former student at Hornsey
College of Art, Harries had pre-
ONE FALSE
viously established the commu-
nity arts company Harrys Big
MOVE AND ROGER
Balloonz, famed for its inflatable
creations that invaded village
WOULD GIVE US
fairs.
With the Floyd experience
HELL... I CANT
behind him and a relation-
ship struck with Fisher, Harries
LISTEN TO
founded Air Artists and went
on to create inflatable curios for
DOGS WITHOUT
The Rolling Stones, Elton John,
Queen, Cher, Bryan Adams,
MY FINGERS
Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Prince
and many other touring acts.
TWITCHING!
Added to the menagerie
were half a dozen four feet wide
sheep that made their entrance
on the opening number. Manu-
factured from the same type
of paper used to produced tea bags, the sheep were
weighted and six were fired in sequence by pyrotechni-
cian Wilf Scott from cannons behind the stage. With
the aid of holes in their feet to slow their descent, they
floated over the audience.
The effect did not always meet with the bands
approval, especially when,22on one occasion, Scott took
it upon himself to use up all of his spares, resulting in
a confused and angry Roger Waters, who questioned
why the tea bag ruminants were still landing amongst the
crowd during the following song, Pigs On The Wing
(Part I).
Most of the show was so reliant on cues that we had
to devise some signals between us because we couldnt
recognise the music from where we were backstage,
commented Jonathan Park. One false move and Roger
would give us hell after and sometimes during the
gig. He would give the impression that only he knew
how the show should pan out and maybe there was
some truth in that because he was such a control freak.
I was reminded of one
incident in Cleveland when
something didnt go exactly to
plan and Roger dedicated the
next number to the crew, who
wouldnt know a cue if it fell on
their fucking heads! And actu-
ally, because of the memory of
that nervousness, I cant listen to
Dogs without my fingers twitch-
ing! So usually we were at the
mercy of one of the sound engi-
neers to flash a light or do some-
thing discreet but obvious to us
when we had to cue the pig, or
any of the other props.
Aside from lighting and the
screen, there was further stage
dcor in the form of white cotton
umbrellas designed by Ted Hap-
pold and Frei Otto for the out-
door shows on the North American leg. Ranging from
4.5m to 7m in height, the umbrellas rose from underneath
the stage and unfurled like flowers. Fisher recommended
them after seeing images of similar work by Happold
and Otto at the 1971 Garden Festival in Cologne, and
tested them in London ahead of the trip to America.
The umbrellas looked interesting but they also func-
tioned to keep the bands stage equipment cool on
excessively hot days, explained Fisher.

Happold and Ottos elegant umbrellas served a dual purpose.
AUDIO EXPANSION
Two years before the Floyd embarked on In The Flesh,
Rick Wright said: I think the bubble will burst fairly
soon. Its already burst in the States where Joe Public
has decided hes not going to pay such enormous ticket
prices any more. I dont agree with these huge shows in
front of tens of thousands of people. Wembley Empire
Pool is the biggest place you can play before you lose
the effect.
Nevertheless, promoters in North America were now
capitalising on the growth in the bands popularity by
booking them into stadiums and adding multiple dates
at giant arenas.
In many cities on the In The Flesh itinerary, they were
at least doubling the size of their audiences. In parallel,
ANIMAL INSTINCTS 23
this required a notable increase in the size of the Floyds
PA system.
For the 1977 tour, Bill Kelsey designed a four-way
active system, which comprised of Kelsey bins, 2 x 15
blue fibre glass front-loaded mid cabinets, Altec horns,
and JBL 075s. Augmented by additional horns and bins
depending on the sizes of venues, this formed the core
of the Britannia Row rig a standard that would also be
taken on the road by countless rental clients.
Karl Dallas praised the sound in Melody Maker,
writing in his review of a January show at Frankfurts
12,000-capacity Festhalle: It all adds up to the clearest
sound I have ever heard in a23hall this size.
On the eve of the North American leg of the tour,
Kluczynski and Graeme Fleming made an advance
24 PINK FLOYD | PERFORMANCE & TECHNOLOGY
visit to the first outdoor venue on the itinerary, Atlanta
Stadium, to gauge the extent of the PA equipment and
sound power required.
Kluczynski: I walked down on to the field and started
looking upwards, and up, and up... I suddenly went
into a blind panic. There was absolutely no way that we
could do a show here with the gear we had. I couldnt
wait to get on the phone to Robbie Williams in London
to tell him to double what wed ordered!
WATERS GEAR 1977
BASS GUITARS
Fender Precision basses (black & sunburst)
GUITARS
Ovation Legend 1619-4 electro-acoustic guitar
Fender Stratocaster (black)
24
AMPLIFICATION
Hiwatt Custom 100 DR103s and
WEM Super Starfinder 200 4 x 12 cabinets
The actual configuration of the PA and the mix pass-
ing through it signified a change of direction one that
borrowed much from The Grateful Dead and their Meyer
Sound system. Rather than rely on conventional amplifi-
cation, the Dead placed PA columns along the back of
the stage and gave a final mixed feed directly to the
FOH engineer. Each column of the PA amplified one
instrument, and then each group of columns would be
repeated along the PA stacks in a huge wall of sound.
EFFECTS
Pete Cornish Custom Pedal Board containing:
Pete Cornish volume pedal
MXR Phase 90 pedal
EMS Studio-System Vocoder 5000 (for Sheep)
+ output for Conn Strobotuner
HEADPHONES
Beyerdynamic DT100

We adapted that idea, but instead of having a wall
of columns along the back of the stage, we split our
system left and right and made that the basis of our PA,
recalled Kluczynski. This meant we were up to 36 feet
high to gain the projection required, whereas until then
we had been stacking horizontally simply because of the
nature of the venues. Our quad development paralleled
these changes. We previously had four points, but we
now eliminated the irrelevant back point, after realising
that the sum of the three quad stations should equal the
whole PA, so there was equal volume level throughout.
The equipment and technical rider for the tour rec-
ommended that each of the three quad towers should
be two metres high by four metres long by two metres
deep, with three metres overhead clearance.
Used by the Floyd since the early 70s, the Phase
Linear 400 and 700 amps were re-racked at the end of
1974 by Bill Kelsey and Peter Watts, who had replaced
the Phase Linear front panels with new engraved signs
that read Pink Floyd Power Amp.
ANIMAL INSTINCTS 25
In preparation for the In The Flesh tour, the band pur-
chased the new and more powerful Phase Linear Dual
500s, and Nigel Taylor supervised their custom rack-
ing inside a Brit Row-built 19-inch cube-shaped chassis.
Each chassis housed two amplifiers and was designed
to enable simple disconnection of wiring for servicing on
a workbench.
Meanwhile, a major change was happening in the
console department. In November 1976, Midas, whose
key players were Chas Brooke (later the co-founder of
Brooke Siren Systems, or BSS, with Stan Gould), Geoff
Beyers and Dave Kilminster, began designing a new
custom-designed double console for Pink Floyd that
Mick Kluczynski described as a radical step forward
for front-of-house control.
Completed just in time for its Dortmund dbut, this
console was formed of two
25 separate mirror-imaged
desks, each containing 20 channels but operating as
one large 40-channel board. In total, there were eight
stereo sub-groups and eight effects busses, and each
26
 27
The Midas Pro5 console.
Note the appearance of PF 01 on every channel strip.
28 PINK FLOYD | PERFORMANCE & TECHNOLOGY
input had three controls, which could be assigned to
any of the effect busses via the buss transfer electronics.
The left-hand desk had inputs 1-20, effects returns
1-4, and aux masters 1-4, while the right-hand board
had inputs 21-40, effects returns 5-8, and aux masters
5-8. All channels had routing switches to sub-groups
(S1-8) and six quad sub-groups (Q1-6). EQ was three-
band with various switchable frequencies. In between the
two boards sat a new Midas quad board with joystick
panners for each of the quad sub-groups. This separate
board had four four-channel returns for effects, each of
which featured trim levels and a diamond-shaped mute
switching layout.
Robbie Williams poetically described this desk pack-
age as being the dogs bits for its time. He added: It
wasnt the traditional Midas grey either it was finished
in a lovely aubergine colour and really was a splendid
piece of kit. By the time we ordered the Midas desk, we
were already operating Brit
28 Row as a rental company,
so we had our eyes on the future.
Even more impressive was its multicoloured screen-
printed graphics, which were applied with ultraviolet
inks. A UV light unit, fitted over the meter bridge, flooded
the work surface, enabling the desk to shine brilliantly
(and allow foolproof operation by the engineers) in the
darkness of an auditorium.
It looked absolutely stunning, said Chas Brooke.
No one had done that before, and probably no one
since with a live analogue desk, because it cost a for-
tune. Manufacturing such an elaborate console meant,
of course, that it was impossible to make any money out
of the exercise, but it was definitely worth the effort.
The quality of this unusual console package owed
much to its state-of-the-art op-amp, the Philips TDA 1034
the forerunner of todays 5532 and 5534 op-amps.
Said Brooke: This was a very expensive, ground-
breaking, military specification linear op-amp in a metal
case [unlike todays more common plastic-cased vari-
ety], and we decided that Pink Floyd deserved it for this
console. As such, this was one of the very first to use it.
Seth Goldman mixed the bands monitors on a stand-
ard Midas 24:12 console, which he also remembers
using in America with a variety of bands throughout
1979 as part of Britannia Row Incs hire stock. Use of
 ANIMAL INSTINCTS 29

BY THE TIME WE
outboard equipment for live concerts was beginning to
grow, and the front-of-house racks now included Klark

ORDERED THE MIDAS

Teknik DN27 graphic equalisers.
Robbie Williams also recalled that one of the first

DESK, WE WERE
truly influential items of outboard equipment made its
debut with Floyd on the In The Flesh tour: the Eventide
Harmonizer. We got hold of it because one of Even-
tides guys was a die-hard Floyd fan and he had made ALREADY OPERATING
this huge piece of equipment. Gradually, noise gates
and more and more outboard began to appear, until BRIT ROW AS A
it looked like we were taking a recording studio on the
road with us. RENTAL COMPANY, SO
IMAGERY WE HAD OUR EYES
The extraordinary animation package created for the
1975 shows by Gerald Scarfe was used again for this
ON THE FUTURE
tour, and featured an additional piece to accompany
Welcome To The Machine. In this footage, a metallic, blood that, in turn, evolved into hands that appeared to
robot-like insect Godzilla figure was seen in a geomet- worship a blank monolith. 29

ric landscape along with scurrying rat-like creatures and Kluczynski, who on this tour handed his effects tapes
a decapitated head that slowly decomposed. A futuris- responsibilities to studio engineer Brian Humphries and
tic city of building shapes was enveloped in waves of took on the role of production manager, commented:
30 PINK FLOYD | PERFORMANCE & TECHNOLOGY
This was the first tour we did where we had to use click
tracks and the music synchronised to the film, hence
Roger needed to wear headphones.
Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts VI-IX) signalled
the end of the second set with a winged mirror disc
rising and spinning in front of the circular screen, reflect-
ing shards of blinding light into the audience.
In rehearsals at Olympia, this set piece underwent
some practical modifications. Said Chris Cockram: We
THE GILMOUR RIG 1977
GUITARS
Fender Stratocaster, a.k.a. The Black Strat
1969 black alder body with a black
pickguard, 1963 rosewood neck and
Fender 1971 neck and middle pickups
and a DiMarzio FS-1 bridge pickup.
Fender Telecaster Custom
1959 model30 with three colour sunburst
alder body, rosewood neck and fitted with
a custom Stratocaster neck pickup.
Tuned down one step (D G C F A D)
for Dogs.
rehearsed assembling the bottom wings on to the mas-
sive mirror ball, as it appeared from under the stage. It
was too big to fit under in one piece, so we assembled
it as it rose.
One night, one of the wings wouldnt go on it had
been bent during the last pack-down and there fol-
lowed a frantic scramble for cable ties and Gaffa tape.
It was a race against time as we fumbled our way
through, trying to get it on. These things weighed a lot
Jedson Lap Steel (red)
Played on Shine On You Crazy Diamond
(VI-IX) with open G tuning (D G D G B E).
AMPLIFICATION
Two Hiwatt DR103 all-purpose 100W heads
with 4 x Mullard EL34 power tubes and 4 x
ECC83 pre-amp tubes.
One Marshall late-60s Super Lead Model 1959
100W head with 4 x EL34 and 4 x ECC83 tubes.
Two Yamaha RA-200 revolving speaker
cabinets powered by an Alembic F-2B tube pre-
amp.
 ANIMAL INSTINCTS 31

steel frame, two metres long, and thick board

with a thousand or so mirrors. Just holding it up
was hard and, as it started to rise, we stuck
three or four cable ties in each bolt hole, and
slapped Gaffa across the frame.
When it started to spin, we all said a silent
prayer, and just hoped it would hold because
Nick Mason was underneath it. Thankfully, it
did!

Two Yamaha PE 200A 200W heads Pete Cornish Tone pedal

(Reduced to one for the American leg.) Pete Cornish volume pedal
Four WEM Super Starfinder 200 cabinets MXR Noise Gate/Line Driver
with 412 Fane Crescendo speakers.
Additional units:
EFFECTS Electro Harmonix Big Muff Rams Head
Pete Cornish Custom Pedal Board (above right) Electro Harmonix Electric Mistress V2 18V
containing: Heil Talk Box
Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face (BC109) Binson Echorec II 31
Pete Cornish Custom Fuzz P-1 MXR Digital Delay System I
MXR Phase 100 Univox Uni-Vibe Morley EVO-1 Echo Volume (Europe only)
Colorsound Power Boost Cry Baby Wah Wah Conn Strobotuners
MXR Dynacomp Reference: gilmourish.com
32 PINK FLOYD | PERFORMANCE & TECHNOLOGY
REFLECTION // REDEMPTION
With the benefit of hindsight and maturity, the more
approachable, 21st century, humanitarian Roger Waters
has heavily criticised the 33-year-old model of himself
that toured Animals with the Floyd. He isnt alone.
On that 1977 tour, Roger was definitely becoming
32
unpredictable and was changing a lot as a person,
observed Robbie Williams. The last gig was pretty
awful, because he was shouting abuse at the audience
when they wouldnt shut up during
the quiet numbers.
Waters has often gone to
great lengths to explain the chain
of events that led to a virtual break-
down at the bands last date of
the tour at the Olympic Stadium in
Montral on July 6th.
The success of Dark Side was
so great that we ended up almost
exclusively playing stadiums and it
only took a few of those concerts
to realise I didnt enjoy that experi-
ence, he said in 2011.
Box office figures were sud-
denly being prioritised over the
creativity of writing and producing
music, and I started to get increas-
ingly upset and frustrated over the
course of that North American tour.
By the time we reached Montral
[where Pink Floyd still hold the
Olympic Stadiums concert attend-
ance record 78,322], it was like
we were in a zoo, with around
80,000 people stretching out into
the far distance, chain-link fences in
front of the stage and kids scream-
ing wildly as soon as we played
the first note.
A lot of people were there
just because it was the thing to
do. They were having their own
little shows all over the place, beating each other up
and things like that. It distressed me that touring was no
longer about the music. It had turned into some strange,
ritualistic thing that I simply couldnt identify with at that
time in my life.
I was just starting a number the second half of Pigs
On The Wing when I heard the crack of a firework
go off. By then Id become seriously pissed off by some

of the people in this crowd who had been shouting all
the way through some of the quiet bits, but this noise
stopped me in my tracks and I saw red.
Then I saw this kid screaming as he climbed up this
fence in front of me and I got so angry with this that I
spat at him, and instantly regretted it.
Rick Wright: I was almost convinced that this tour
might be our last. I think we started it as one band and
finished it as a very different one, and I wasnt sure
that wed be able to sustain Rogers
mood swings. He had been grow-
ing more and more authoritarian
since we began the album and we
were having to carry all this on our
BOX OFFICE
shoulders.
David Gilmour: On the surface,
FIGURES WERE
the In The Flesh tour didnt feel very SUDDENLY
BEING
different to the Dark Side tour, other
than it felt much longer with very few
PRIORITISED
breaks in activity from the begin-
ning of the year up until July. We
OVER THE
had been doing stadiums and mul-
tiple nights in large arenas as soon
CREATIVITY OF
as The Dark Side Of The Moon
became popular in America, and
it marked a big change of gear for
the band because wed never seen WRITING AND
audiences of that size. It was a real
shock to the system. PRODUCING
Previously, we were used to play-
ing to fairly reverential audiences
MUSIC.
who sat quietly in their seats, listen-
ing to the music and paying close
attention to what we were doing.
But now, as soon as they heard the intro of Money,
they were up on their feet, yelling their lungs out.
Nick Mason: There was a sense of restlessness at
the Montral show and maybe a few others that even
I could detect from behind the drum kit. Stadiums were
still a new phenomenon to us. We typically didnt have
a support act of any kind and because the stadiums
ANIMAL INSTINCTS 33
opened their doors several hours before they did at
arenas, the audience had very little to occupy them
before we came on. Add a dash of alcohol and maybe
a few pharmaeucticals to the mix, and its no wonder
that youll get some rowdy individuals.
Gilmour: I dont remember being aware of Rogers
growing frustration during the tour but it was patently
obvious that something was wrong by the end. That last
date was such an anti-climax because you always hope
to go out on a high and have some
good memories to take home with
you, but Montral was nothing like
that. It was bloody awful.
For our last number we did some-
thing very untypical of the Floyd at
that time, which was to play out with
an extended slow blues jam. But I
couldnt be arsed so I walked off and
headed out to the mixing desk, leav-
ing Snowy to cover for me. Bizarrely,
the crew started to dismantle all
the stage gear, incluidng Nicks kit,
while they played. Yeah, it was very
strange.
Waters: After the show, I was in
turmoil. I couldnt believe what Id
been reduced to but, most impor-
tantly, I really began to struggle with
what had happened to the relation-
ship between us as a band and the
audience out there.
I felt more and more alienated
from the people we were supposed
to be entertaining. I realised that I
must have been close to a breakdown during that last
leg and I had to confront it.
That night in Montral, Waters imagined building a
wall between the band and its audience. It was a vision
33
that would inform the next chapter of Pink Floyds story
and, from thereon, ultimately dominate the rest of his
career.
 Steve ORourke
October 1st 1940 October 30th 2003

34
 Storm Elvin Thorgerson
February 28th 1944 April 18th 2013

35
36 PINK FLOYD | PERFORMANCE & TECHNOLOGY

IN THE FLESH
1977
TECHNICAL
RIDER >>>

36
 ANIMAL INSTINCTS 37

37
38 PINK FLOYD | PERFORMANCE & TECHNOLOGY

38
 ANIMAL INSTINCTS 39

39
40 PINK FLOYD | PERFORMANCE & TECHNOLOGY

40
 ANIMAL INSTINCTS 41

41
42 PINK FLOYD | PERFORMANCE & TECHNOLOGY

42
 ANIMAL INSTINCTS 43

43
44 PINK FLOYD | PERFORMANCE & TECHNOLOGY

IN THE FLESH
1977
TOUR
DATES >>>

44

23 January 1977 - 6 July 1977..... 55 SHOWS

 ANIMAL INSTINCTS 45

22 February
Pavillion de Paris, Paris, France
23 February

EUROPE
Pavillion de Paris, Paris, France
24 February
Pavillion de Paris, Paris, France
23 January 25 February
Westfalenhalle, Dortmund, West Germany Pavillion de Paris, Paris, France
24 January 27 February
Westfalenhalle, Dortmund, West Germany Olympiahalle, Munich, West Germany
26 January 28 February
Festhalle, Frankfurt, West Germany Olympiahalle, Munich, West Germany
27 January 1 March
Festhalle, Frankfurt, Olympiahalle,
West Germany Munich, West Germany
29 January 15 March
Deutschlandhalle, Empire Pool,
West Berlin, West Germany Wembley, London, England
30 January 16 March
Deutschlandhalle, Empire Pool,
West Berlin, West Germany Wembley, London, England
1 February 17 March
Wiener Stadthalle, Empire Pool,
Vienna, Austria Wembley, London, England
3 February 18 March
Hallenstadion, Empire Pool,
Zurich, Switzerland Wembley, London, England
4 February 19 March
Hallenstadion, Empire Pool,
Zurich, Switzerland Wembley, London, England
17 February 28 March
Sportpaleis Ahoy, Rotterdam, The Netherlands New Bingley Hall, Stafford, England
18 February 29 March
Sportpaleis Ahoy, Rotterdam, The Netherlands New Bingley Hall, Stafford, England
19 February 30 March
Sportpaleis Ahoy, Rotterdam, The Netherlands New Bingley Hall, Stafford,45England
20 February 31 March
Sportpaleis, Antwerp, Belgium New Bingley Hall, Stafford, England
46 PINK FLOYD | PERFORMANCE & TECHNOLOGY

12 May
Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon, USA
15 June

NORTH AMERICA
County Stadium, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
17 June
Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky, USA
22 April 19 June
Miami Baseball Stadium, Miami, Florida, USA Super Bowl of RocknRoll, Soldier Field,
24 April Chicago, Illinois, USA
Tampa Stadium, Tampa, Florida, USA 21 June
26 April Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri, USA
The Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia, USA 23 June
28 April Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati, OH, USA
Assembly Center, Louisiana State University, 25 June
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA World Series of Rock, Municipal Stadium,
30 April Cleveland, OH, USA
Jeppesen Stadium, University Of Houston, 27 June
Houston, Texas, USA Boston Garden, Boston, MA, USA
1 May 28 June
Tarrant County Convention Center, Spectrum Theater, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Fort Worth, Texas, USA 29 June
4 May Spectrum Theater, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 1 July
Phoenix, Arizona, USA Madison Square Garden, New York City,
6 May New York, USA
Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, 2 July
Los Angeles, California, USA Madison Square Garden, New York City,
7 May New York, USA
Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, 3 July
Los Angeles, California, USA Madison Square Garden, New York City,
9 May New York, USA
Oakland Coliseum Arena, 4 July
Oakland, California, USA Madison Square Garden, New York City,
10 May New York, USA
46
Oakland Coliseum Arena, 6 July
Oakland, California, USA Olympic Stadium, Montral, Qubec, Canada
 ANIMAL INSTINCTS 47

47
48 PINK FLOYD | PERFORMANCE & TECHNOLOGY

48
 ANIMAL INSTINCTS 49

CREDITS
>>>

With thanks to... For their images & memorabilia References:

Mark Fisher Pink Floyd: The Black Strat
For Bear & Bones Publishing Storm Thorgerson by Phil Taylor
Richard Bennett Phil Taylor Animals songbook
Svetlana Boulei Aubrey Powell Inside Out: A Personal History of
Tony Bloomfield Nick Mason Pink Floyd by Nick Mason
Mick Kluczynski Pigs Might Fly: The Inside Story of
For Liveculture Laurie Lewis Pink Floyd by Mark Blake
Chrissy Cunningham Peter Christopherson Pink Floyd: In The Flesh
Howard Bartrop by Glenn Povey & Ian Russell
Interviewees: Nic Tucker Mark Fisher: Staged Architecture
Mark Fisher Rob Brimson by Eric Holding
Roger Waters Colin Jones Rock Sets by Sutherland Lyall
Nick Mason Bob Ellis Brain Damage
David Gilmour Rob Harries Neptune Pink Floyd
Phil Taylor Klaus Hiltscher A Fleeting Glimpse
Storm Thorgerson Elliot Tayman Gilmourish
Mick Kluczynski Jill Furmanovsky Melody Maker
Robbie Williams EMI Records New Musical Express
Graeme Fleming Pink Floyd Records Sounds
Rob Harries Pink Floyd Music Publishing Mojo
Seth Goldstein
49

All efforts have been made to contact the owners of copyrighted images and provide due credit.
If any images have been used without permission,
please contact info@load-ininternational.com
50
51
52 PINK FLOYD | PERFORMANCE & TECHNOLOGY

PINK FLOYD
PERFORMANCE
&
TECHNOLOGY >>>

THE SEVEN-PART OMNIBUS

BY MARK CUNNINGHAM

Part 1 Part 4
THE EARLY YEARS ANIMAL INSTINCTS
(1965-1968) (1976-1977)

Part 2 Part 5
ECHOES BUILDING THE WALL
(1969-1971) (1978-1982)

Part 3 Part 6
SHINE ON DELICATE THUNDER
(1972-1975) (1987-1990)
Part 7
DIVISION & REUNION
(1994-2005)

52
 ANIMAL INSTINCTS 53

This series is published as a set of individual parts.

Coming next in the series:

Part 3 Shine On (1972-1975)

The Dark Side Of The Moon project,
graduating to larger arenas,
France & the UK 74,
Wish You Were Here and Knebworth.

53
54 A bear & bones DIGITAL PUBLICATION

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED