K.A.O.S. On the Road was a concert tour performed by the English musician Roger Waters in 1987 in support of his second solo studio album Radio K.A.O.S. (1987).
The shows included material from the album as well as songs from well known Pink Floyd albums such as The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975) and The Wall (1979). The tour started in North America on 14 August 1987 and ended on 22 November 1987 with two performances at Wembley Arena in London, England.
The show included designs by Mark Fisher such as circular screens, quadrophonic sounds, back projections and in some cases introductions to the show by radio DJ Jim Ladd. A telephone booth allowed the audience to direct questions at Waters.
Performers and presentation Unlike The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking tour in 1984, the Radio K.A.O.S. tour established The Bleeding Heart Band. A number of these musicians would continue to play or be involved with Roger Waters over the next 20 years. Both Doreen Chanter and Katie Kissoon had performed on the 1984 tour.
Also unlike Waters's previous solo tours (or his last several tours with Pink Floyd), the Radio K.A.O.S. concept and storyline was presented with fan-favourite Pink Floyd material integrated into the set list, rather than dividing the show in two, with the new album played in its entirety and in its precise running order. "Going to Live in L.A.", a b-side to the single "Radio Waves", was also performed, as well as live exclusive "Molly's Song", which was also released as a b-side to the single "Who Needs Information" after the tour.
Some of Waters's older Pink Floyd songs were significantly revamped, with the female backing vocalists taking a more prominent role, Paul Carrack singing David Gilmour's parts in a "blue-eyed soul" style, funk-style bass playing from Andy Fairweather-Low, and saxophone solos added to songs like "Welcome to the Machine".
With a few exceptions, the Pink Floyd songs Waters chose for his set list were those written by him alone, rather than material like "Comfortably Numb", or other songs co-written with David Gilmour or Richard Wright. However, in response to requests from fans using the telephone booth, he promised to include "Comfortably Numb" in future tours.
Personnel The band featured:
Roger Waters – vocals, bass guitar and acoustic guitar Andy Fairweather Low – rhythm guitar, bass guitar and backing vocals Jay Stapley – lead guitar and backing vocals Paul Carrack – keyboards and vocals Graham Broad – drums and percussion Mel Collins – saxophone Doreen Chanter – backing vocals Katie Kissoon – backing vocals Clare Torry – lead vocals on "The Great Gig in the Sky" on 26 August at Madison Square Garden and on 21 and 22 November at Wembley Arena
Setlist First set "Tempted" (Paul Carrack solo performance) "Radio Waves" "Welcome to the Machine" "Who Needs Information" "Money" "In the Flesh" "Have a Cigar" "Pigs (Three Different Ones)" "Wish You Were Here" "Mother" "Molly's Song" "Me or Him" "The Powers That Be" Second set "Going to Live in L.A." "Sunset Strip" "5:01 AM (The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking)" (dropped after 6 September) "Get Your Filthy Hands Off My Desert" (added from September 8 onward) "Southampton Dock" (added from September 8 onward) "Arnold Layne" (video "played" by Billy for the audience) "If" "5:06 AM (Every Strangers Eyes)" "Not Now John" "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 1" "The Happiest Days of Our Lives" "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2" "Nobody Home" "Home" "Four Minutes" "The Tide Is Turning" Encore "Breathe" "The Great Gig in the Sky" (performed at both Wembley Arena shows and at Madison Square Garden, New York) "Brain Damage" "Eclipse" "Outside the Wall" (performed at The Forum, Inglewood, California)
Note – "In the Flesh", "Have a Cigar", "Pigs (Three Different Ones)" and "Wish You Were Here" were performed as a medley.
Tour dates + List of 1987 concerts Date City Country Venue Tickets sold / available Revenue 14 August ProvidenceUnited States Providence Civic Center 8,512 / 9,400$140,448 15 August Hartford Hartford Civic Center 17 August Vaughan Canada Kingswood Music Theatre 19 August Cuyahoga FallsUnited States Blossom Music Center 20 August Buffalo Buffalo Memorial Auditorium 22 August 1987 Mansfield Great Woods 24 August Philadelphia The Spectrum 26 August New York City Madison Square Garden16,000 / 16,000$300,000 28 August Saratoga Springs Saratoga Performing Arts Center 30 August Landover Capital Centre 2 September Atlanta The Omni 4 September St. Louis Fox Theatre 5 September Indianapolis Market Square Arena 6 September Columbus Battelle Hall 8 September Clarkston Pine Knob Music Theatre 9 September Hoffman Estates Poplar Creek Music Theater 10 September Minneapolis Met Center 12 September Denver McNichols Sports Arena 14 September Austin Frank Erwin Center5,275 / 6,091$77,364 15 September Dallas Reunion Arena 17 September Phoenix Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum8,344 / 12,195$137,676 20 September Inglewood The Forum 23 September San Diego San Diego Sports Arena 26 September Oakland Oakland Arena9,028 / 11,000$157,990 28 September Seattle Seattle Center Arena 29 September Vancouver Canada Vancouver Expo 3 November PortlandUnited States Cumberland County Civic Center 4 November East Rutherford Brendan Byrne Arena13,517 / 14,953$233,334 6 November MontrealCanada Montreal Forum 7 November Quebec City Colisée de Québec 9 November Ottawa Ottawa Civic Centre 10 November Hamilton Copps Coliseum8,768 / 10,800$121,826 13 November MilwaukeeUnited States MECCA Arena 14 November Chicago Arie Crown Theater 16 November Worcester The Centrum9,212 / 9,274$161,210 21 NovemberLondonEnglandWembley Arena 22 November
Critical reception The Los Angeles Times, "It looks as if Waters is more than willing to leave Floyd’s former mysterioso image to his old bandmates/new rivals--without, of course, letting go of his title as reigning champion and king of rock-as-theater. Even with a show as uneven as this one, it’s a hefty mantle."
The Courier-Post, "Last night's multimedia presentation definitely had its moments and was overall, a far-better-than-average program of rock music. But it nonetheless fell far short of Waters' estimation."
References
External links Radio K.A.O.S. Tour Book