Concert #4 was Pink Floyd at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta, GA. Prior to this, I had experienced 2 shows at the Omni, and one at the Lakewood Exhibition Center. The scale of Bobby Dodd dwarfed all of those. I had never been to any sporting event beyond a few High School football games, so a venue of this size was otherwordly.
I was a dishwasher at Park Place Restaurant in Dahlonega, GA during these years. I worked with another Pink Floyd fanatic named Mike. I always think about Mike because he was a perfect example of the typical Pink Floyd fan. He loved the daylights out of Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, and the Wall. He was very polite when I brought in Syd Barett and pre-Dark side-era cassette tapes, but at the same time would not request Atom Heart Mother to provide the soundtrack for the dinner rush. It was a little strange that a band was simultaneously super mainstream and also had an entire history as an underground act. I guess that’s a part of their staying ability. That and the great album art!
Mike was kind enough to offer my carless ass a ride to the show. His wife and baby tagged along as well. I clearly remember the weather as overcast and a little chilly. We ate at the Varsity which was within walking distance of the venue, and that was a first experience as well. Still, the best and greasiest onion rings in history. Even now I can almost smell this place. Surely it deserves its own blog…
This was in that magical age before the internet spoiled tour setlists, so I was genuinely shocked by the Astronomy Domine opener. I imagined it was a pre-show tape or something for a full minute. This was also my first experience with the evening with format where one act fills the night with 2 sets instead of having a support act. So, after the Syd Barrett throwback, the majority of the first set was populated with material from the 2 David Gilmour albums up to the set closing One of These Days. This Meddle instrumental is notable for its 2 bass arrangement and the revelation of the inflatable pig. This one did not fly over the crowd like a balloon but rather pokes out of an area above the circular video screen. All of this enormous stage production was and is still very impressive.
There is a 15-minute set break, but I am a little overwhelmed by the massive crowd (maybe 40,000?), and I also didn’t want to miss a note of the next set. so I stayed put.
The second set is heavier on the 1970s classics starting with Shine on you Crazy Diamond (parts 1-3, 5) and then a bunch of Dark Side of Moon material including Time, Great Gig in the Sky, and Us & Them. The set closes with material from The Wall including Comfortably Numb and Run Like Hell. Later in this tour they would play DSOTM in its entirety as heard on the official live release PULSE.
I was unaware at the time, but this would be my first and last Pink Floyd show as the touring version of the band quietly disbanded after this tour in 1994. So in light of that, I am even more grateful to Mike (if only I could remember your last name!) for getting me there and back safely. Pink Floyd would certainly stand as one of my longest running influences. I remember when my friends and I were choosing instruments out of a hat in the 8th grade, I was really wanting a keyboard so I could play like Richard Wright. Nick Mason is the only drummer whose fills I can accurately replicate with my mouth. So, this one holds strong in the memory all these years later.
There is a recording of the show I saw on YouTube, but the sound is pretty bad. The next day has a recording with better audio, and the setlist and likely performance are exactly the same.
Pink Floyd Concert Setlist at Bobby Dodd Stadium, Atlanta on May 3, 1994 | setlist.fm
