The Who Got Us Teary & Roger Waters' "Vicious Anti-Trump" Imagery At Desert Trip
"Are you fucking tired or something?"
The Music's Melbourne editor Bryget Chrisfield has roughed out what can only be described as a truly unforgettable time at the second weekend of California's heritage rock festival Desert Trip and on the final night, she was lucky enough to take in massive sets from music icons The Who and Roger Waters.
Here's what went down.
The millisecond we get out of our car in 6LLL car park, a cooked dude approaches. He's chasing shrooms and informs, "They're around, you've just gotta ask." Then a jovial worker directing foot traffic instructs, "Enjoy the show, be rowdy!" Once inside Diamond Lounge we spy a Neil Young lookalike with an eyepatch on (disguise maybe?). Convos such as, "I hear the Roger Waters show's amazing! I saw them in 1971," reflect the Desert Trip spirit as music tragics trade (drunk) history.
We're so pleased to finally arrive in time to check out the Photography Experience today. There's over 200 photos of Desert Trip's billed artists on display, many of which capture candid moments of rock'n'roll royalty in their various natural habitats. While checking out the exhibition, a random announces, "Dude, to be a rockstar in the '60s!" and he's not wrong. Then our gallery visit is interrupted by an announcement: "Ladies and gentlemen. Keep calm. Here comes The Who."
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This is the last show of The Who's two-year 50th anniversary world tour. "Are you fucking tired or something?" Roger Daltrey chastises. "Well that's strange, 'cause we aren't." Who Are You is a set highlight just three songs in. Footage of Keith Moon on the ginormous LED screens gets us all teary. Just when we were admiring the mastery of Ringo Starr's kid Zak Starkey on drums - during I Can See For Miles (and that we can) - in comes My Generation and we collectively lose our shit over Pete Townshend's windmill arm.
We've already seen a bit of what they looked like in their heyday thanks to the Photography Experience, but holy moly! The Who's on-screen footage; such babes! Behind Blue Eyes offers pensive contrast. Starkey wears what appears to be a flannelette cowhide pajama top teamed with tartan pants. Daltrey on the perils of singing in the desert: "It's like singing into a hairdryer with a load of pot being blown into it." Sometimes unbuttoning one less shirt button is recommended for the septuagenarian age bracket (especially once a couple of the bottom ones pop open under pressure). Younger crowd members may recognise Bargain from TV commercials. There's very much a Union Jack colour scheme going on with The Who's visuals during You Better You Bet (Daltrey's blue-lensed sunglasses included). "As Mick Jagger said, I believe, you came to see us croak," Townshend repeats. After pointing out the bands on Desert Trip's bill are "all friends" who have blessed this industry for over 50 years, the guitarist commends, "There's no competition; nobody’s gonna blow anybody else off the stage." Townshend then admits to being "a huge fan of Pink Floyd, since I took Eric Clapton to see them at the UFO Club in the days of Syd Barrett." On the act we're about to see, Townshend jokes, "It's really a flying pig; it's not just the skunk that you're smoking."
A tribute to legends gone too soon graces the screens during instrumental track The Rock. There's a spectacular piano solo and somehow Townshend has a gash on his forehead around Pinball Wizard time. See Me, Feel Me gets us all wistful and Townshend's bleeding, furrowed brow adds gravitas to Baba O'Riley. We've already heard a lotta harp playing at Desert Trip and Daltrey adds to this count with some riffing that calls to mind The Beatles' Love Me Do.
There's nothing more beautiful than a full moon (which we name Keith Moon this evening) rising up over the desert, silhouetted by a palm tree. The wind picks up and we each have our own personal Beyonce fan blowing hair back during Won't Get Fooled Again. Townshend's unstoppable windmill guitar strokes punctuate The Who's final song before he dances off stage like a Wiggle. The Who are undeniably match fit. 
During the break, we're told there's a guy wearing a T-shirt with the universal marijuana symbol on it wandering around selling joints for $US5 a pop - subtle. There's also a fair bit of dodgy wristband swapping going on in Diamond Lounge to help fans gain access into the pit for this final set. When you've got designated seats it sure is fun seeing the same people over multiple days in various states.
A huge moonscape decorates the screens in preparation for Roger Waters. The Dark Side Of The Moon's opener Speak To Me fittingly kicks off Waters' set and surround-sound speakers are all encompassing. Money clinks into the set in all its clunky cash-register glory. We sway blissfully along to Us & Them and look behind us, paranoid, every time the surround-sound makes sirens and helicopters seem all too real. "This is for all of us, we are all brothers," Waters shares. Shine On You Crazy Diamonds (Parts I - V) is a defining festival moment and then Welcome To The Machine kicks off the terror ("It's alright/We told you what to DREAM!!!!"). Wish You Were Here is greeted by mass cheers.Mother is super-euphoric thanks to matchy-matchy backing vocalists, Holly Laessig and Jess Wolfe from Lucius and a lung-busting sustained note leaves us shaking our heads in disbelief. When Waters alters lyrics to, "Mother should I run for president?" all yell out their encouragement. Loads of lightweights in the Platinum section leave before 11pm, probably hoping to beat the traffic.
There's appropriately vicious anti-Trump imagery throughout Pigs (Three Different Ones) - including "Trump Is A Pig" in ginormous font covering the giant centre LED screen - and even the floating pig is emblazoned with the presidential candidate's face together with words such as "racist", "ignorant", "lying", "sexist" and "Fuck Trump and his wall". "It's rare somebody like me gets a platform like this, so I'm going to use it," Waters explains before reading a poem that pays tribute to the people of Palestine. Then out comes a chorus of kids wearing black T-shirts bearing a Spanish slogan "Derriba el muro" ("Tear down this wall"). They spread out evenly across the front of the stage, resembling the chorus from Oliver!, and Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2) rings out ominously. There's visuals of zombie kids brandishing smartphones during this song and a beam of light shines down on the stage, seemingly from outerspace (a drone?) to freak out the trippers. Perfectly focused multi-coloured lasers lower and define the endless sea of heads behind us.
While introducing his band, Waters observes the Lucius girls' voices are "like an extended tuning rod for our souls". Visuals then transport us back to Battersea Power Station, which references Pink Floyd's Animals album cover. "Hello, is there anybody in there?" We're left mesmerised. Comfortably Numb whether or not shrooms were consumed.
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