Welcome To The Machine - Live Performances

Live Performances

The song was performed for the first time live on Pink Floyd's 1977 "In the Flesh" tour. Gilmour and Waters shared lead vocals, although in initial performances, Gilmour sang on his own with some backing vocals by Waters. Also for the 1977 live performances, David Gilmour played his acoustic guitar parts on his Fender Stratocaster while Waters played an Ovation acoustic guitar and Snowy White played bass guitar. The live renditions of the song were complex because music had to be synchronized with the backdrop film and its sound effects. As a result, the band had to wear headphones and listen to a click-track which, in turn, meant that there was very little room left for jamming and improvisation. Pink Floyd would play the track again on its 1987/88/89 Momentary Lapse tours when Tim Renwick played lead guitar, while Gilmour played a 12-string acoustic guitar. These renditions were not synchronized to the film, which is why David Gilmour keeps looking at the screen on videos. The song was performed by Roger Waters during his Pros and Cons 1984/1985 tour, on the 1987 Radio K.A.O.S. tour, with Mel Collins as saxophone soloist. All of these performances were perfectly synchronized to the film. These live versions deviated significantly from the album version. It was also played on the 1999–2002 "In the Flesh" tour (only stills from the animation were used) and appears on the In the Flesh concert DVD and CD.