A giant inflatable pig has been one of the staple props of Pink Floyd live performances since 1977 when the album was released. After Roger Waters departed Pink Floyd in 1985, he continued to use the pig as a show element during his solo live performances.
The Dark Side of the Moon Live tour 2006/2007
Roger Waters used inflatable pigs at many shows on his 2006-2007 tour The Dark Side of the Moon Live, specifically, when he performed the song concluding the first part of the show. The pigs used on tour were decorated with slogans and pieces of song lyrics, and with various drawings. During select performances at open-air venues the pig was released to fly away.
2006 European tour dates
No inflatable pig on this leg of the tour. Introduction was on September 6th on start of the US tour.
2006 North American tour dates
*September 6 2006, at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey, USA: The pig was led around by a small group (four handlers and security); from what was witnessed it looked as if one of the cables used to guide the helium-filled pig around the arena had broken when they reached the garden seating section. What looked like a planned launching of the pig actually was unintended; this was confirmed by Waters's exclamation at the end of the show, "I lost my fucking pig!"
*September 9 2006, in Mansfield, Massachusetts, USA: a helium-filled pig was again brought out by handlers and walked around the Tweeter Center, but was then released intentionally during the last minute or two of the song "Sheep", from the album Animals. The timing was impeccable and the pig could be seen for some time as it floated in the sky towards the moon. According to newspaper reports, the pig was used in the same manner on September 8 in Mansfield, as well as at the Nikon at Jones Beach Theater on September 15, where another pig was adorned with graffiti and reports said it could be seen from the expressway nearby.
*September 16 2006, at the Tweeter Center in Camden, New Jersey, USA: a pig was again walked around during "Sheep", and again was released at the end of the song. This pig had several lyrics to the song written on it, as well as "Don't be led to slaughter, Vote Nov. 2nd." "Impeach Bush Now" was written on the rear end. Also, "Habeas corpus matters a lot", with the "O" in "corpus" in the shape of a peace sign, was written on the side.
*September 20 2006, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada: the pig's right rear hoof was decorated with the Mercedes-Benz symbol, which bears a close relation to the likely intended candidate, a peace sign. This may have been the case at multiple shows.
*September 23 2006, near Washington, D.C., USA, and September 24 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA: the pig was decorated once more with "Don't be led to slaughter, vote Nov. 2nd," along with several other slogans, including "Habeas Corpus matters, a lot!" and "Kafka Rules OK!" The pig was set free during "Sheep" and was tracked by a searchlight.
*September 29 at First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre in Tinley Park, Illinois, USA: use of the pig was repeated from the previous September 23 show.
*September 30 2006, at Verizon Wireless Music Center in Noblesville, Indiana, USA: the pig was decorated with many of the slogans from the September 29 show, with the addition of "Impeach Bush Now" on the pig's backside.
*October 5 2006, at the Hollywood Bowl in Hollywood, California, USA: a pig was walked around by strings and released. Some of the slogans decorating the pig were "Kafka Rules OK!" on the pig's side, "Impeach Bush Now", on the pig's backside, and "Free at Last", written on the pig's underbelly. As viewed from the Bowl, the pig seemed to head straight for the moon, which was a few nights away from being a full moon. Afterwards, authorities informed Waters that he would face charges if the pig release stunt was attempted again. On the remaining two dates, the pig was kept on a line.
*October 10 2006, at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California, USA: a pig was released into the crowd during a performance of "Sheep". The slogans on the pig read, "Kafka Rules OK!," "Impeach Bush Now," "Don't Be Led To Slaughter," "Free At Last," "Vote Nov. 2nd," and "Habeas Corpus Matters A Lot!" There was also a scrawl of an American flag with a hammer and sickle in place of the stars, as well as a peace symbol. The pig soon ascended into the atmosphere. Waters jokingly exclaimed after the song, "Has anybody seen my pig?"
*October 12 2006, at KeyArena in Seattle, Washington, USA: a remote-controlled version of the same pig was piloted around the arena during "Sheep".
2007 Australia, New Zealand & Asian tour dates
*January 25 2007, at Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia: the same remote-controlled version of the pig was piloted during "Sheep". A new slogan decorating the pig read "Bring David Hicks home".
*January 29 2007, at the North Harbour Stadium in Auckland, New Zealand: a pig was walked through the crowd and released during "Sheep". Slogans on the pig included "Kafka Rules OK!", "Impeach Bush Now" written onto the posterior, "Free At Last" under the belly of the pig, and "Habeas Corpus Matters A Lot". In addition to these almost-standard slogans, there were a number of others, including "Tino Rangatiratanga" (self-determination in MÄ?ori) "Cut Along The Dotted Line" with an arrow pointing to the pig's neck, and a on the left front leg. The pig ascended into the night sky at the end of the song.
*February 5 2007, at Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Brisbane, Australia: a remote-controlled pig was piloted during "Sheep". Slogans on the pig included "Bring David Hicks Home", "Kafka Rules OK!", "Impeach Bush Now", "Habeas Corpus Matters A Lot," and the same "Cut Along The Dotted Line" with a dotted line and arrow. The pig was tracked by spotlights as it flew.
*February 9 2007, at Members Equity Stadium in Perth, Australia: the pig was again walked through the audience, then released, apparently deliberately. It was decorated with many slogans, including "Bring David Hicks home." It was followed by spotlight as it rose through the night sky and eventually landed in a swimming pool about 15 kilometres away.
*February 15 2007, in Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, the messages on the pig included "Impeach Bush" and in Chinese, "You can repeat history, but cannot change it."
*February 18 2007, at MMRDA Grounds in Mumbai, India: the inflated pig hovered amidst the crowd before being released into the sky during "Sheep". In addition to slogans like "Free At Last", "Impeach Bush Now", "Habeas Corpus Matters", "Kafka Rules OK!" and the "Cut Along the Dotted Lines" mark, it had a slogan in Hindi: "Sarv Jaati Ek Hai," (all castes/races are equal). "Abolish the Caste System" was also written on one of the pig's sides.
2007 Latin American tour dates
*March 3 2007, in Guadalajara Jalisco:at 3 de Marzo stadium the show featured a pig with the messages (in Spanish): "Bush Cerdo, derriba el muro fronterizo" (Bush pig, tear down the border wall), "Kafka Rules OK!" "Habeas Corpus Matters," and "Libres al Fin" (Free at last).
*March 6 2007, in Mexico City: the show featured a pig with the messages "Bush Cerdo, derriba el muro fronterizo" (Bush pig, tear down the border wall), "Kafka Rules OK!" "Habeas Corpus Matters," and "Libres al Fin(Free at last)." Also featured on the belly was a graphic of the Aztec Piedra del Sol. The pig was released at the end of "Sheep".
*March 9 2007, at Parque Simón Bolívar in Bogotá, Colombia: the pig featured the following slogans: "El patrón Bush visita el rancho Colombia" (The landlord Bush visits the Colombian ranch), a clear reference to Bush's visit to the country only two days later, "Libres al fin" (Free at last) on the pig's belly, "El Miedo construye Paredes" (Fear Builds Walls), and "Kafka Manda" (Kafka rules) on one leg. Also featured were peace symbols, the word "amor" (love) on his right hind foot, and the words "lechona Bush" (roasted pig Bush) on the pig's buttocks. The pig vanished into the night during the bridge of "Sheep". The sides of the pig read "Devuélvanle la tierra a la gente" (Give the people back their land), and "Legalizen las DROGAS" (Legalize drugs), referencing the problem of refugees, the traffic of illegal substances and poor distribution of land in Colombia.
*March 12 2007, in Lima, Perú: the featured pig carried the messages "Todos los peruanos somos iguales, no a la discriminación" (All us Peruvians are equal, say no to discrimination), "Kafka Rules", "El miedo construye murallas" (Fear builds walls), "Cortar aquí" (Cut here), "Stop Bush" on the pig's back, and "Libre al fin" (Free at last) on the pig's belly. A traditional Peruvian cap, the chuyo, was drawn on its left front leg. The pig was released at the end of "Sheep".
*March 14 2007, in Santiago, Chile: the pig had the following messages: "Socialismo al servicio de las S.A."(Socialism in service of the corporations), "Libre al fin" (Free at last), "Sin TAG" (Without TAG), "Va a nevar en el espacio, la NASA no lo sabe" (It's going to snow in space, NASA doesn't know), "Sorpresas de la democracia, la basura sale a flote" (Surprises of democracy, trash floats), "Push Bush contra la muralla" (Push Bush up against the wall, perhaps a reference to the lyrics of In the Flesh), "¿Fey? ¿Iñ chiñ? ¿El? ¿Nosotros? Tristes metáforas" (He? We all? in Mapudungun, then He? We all? Sad metaphors in Spanish), "Víctor Jara no calla" (Víctor Jara won't be silenced), and "E=MCool". Some of the messages were authored by Chilean poets Nicanor Parra, Elicura Chihuailaf, and Diego Maquieira. The pig was released at the end of "Sheep".
*March 17 2007, in Buenos Aires, Argentina: the messages were "Kafka rules OK!", "Encierren a Bush antes de que nos mate a todos" (Imprison Bush before he kills us all), "Libres al fin!" (Free at last), "Galtieri, Videla, Bush y Thatcher, todos dan asco!" (Galtieri, Videla, Bush and Thatcher, you are disgusting!), "Nunca mas" (Never again, a phrase popularized during the ), "Donde esta Julio Lopez" (Where is Julio Lopez, in reference to a witness who disappeared during testimony against Miguel Etchecolatz), "No mas desaparecidos" (No more missing people, in reference to during the Dirty War), "El miedo construye paredes" (Fear builds walls), and "cut here" with a dotted line on the pig's throat.
*March 18 2007, in Buenos Aires, Argentina: the pig for this show was identical in appearance and use to the pig from the day before.
*March 23 2007, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: the messages were "O medo constrói muralhas" (Fear builds walls), "Bush, não estamos à venda" (Bush, we are not for sale), "Liberdade" (Freedom), "Hey, killers... leave our kids alone", "Ordem e Progresso?" (The motto of the Brazilian flag with a sarcastic question mark), and "Corte aqui" (cut here) with a dotted line on the pig's throat.
2007 European tour dates
*April 23 2007, in Milan, Italy: the messages on the pig were "Fear builds walls" and "Kafka Rules" on the left side; "Habeas corpus matters", "Nearly a laugh but really a cry" and a huge "Stop Bush (and Blair) now!" on the right side. On the pig's rear were: "Dick Cheney" and "What an asshole!".
*April 29 2007, in Bergen, Norway: the messages on the pig were "Kafka Rules OK!", "Fear builds walls" and "Religions divide us" on the left side; "Habeas corpus matters", "Nearly a laugh but really a cry" and a huge "Stop Bush and Blair now!" on the right side. On the pig's rear were: "Dick Cheney" and "What an asshole!".
*May 1 2007, in Augustenborg, Denmark: The messages on the pig were on the right side "Kafka Rules OK!" On the pig's throat was a dotted line and "Cut Here." On the belly: "Free at last." On the left side: "Habeas corpus matters", "Jyllands-Posten" (a Danish newspaper). The pig was released during the song "Sheep". It was followed by spotlight as it rose through the night sky and eventually disappeared.
*May 3 2007, in Paris, France: Message in French "Quels enculés!" (What Fuckers!) was added to the pig's butt. "Asshole" and "Le Pen" (Name of French Nationalist/Conservative leader of political party "Front National") were also written on the pig's rear left leg.
*May 5 2007, in Arnhem, the Netherlands: Messages containing 'Stop Bush Now' on the right side and an anarchy-sign on the left one.
*May 12 2007, in London, Earls Court: In addition to much of the above ('Stop Bush…' 'Nearly a laugh…' 'Dick Cheney… asshole!') the mention of (Tony) Blair had an arrow from the underside where 'good riddance' had been added (Blair had announced the timetable for his resignation the day before the gig). Also, 'All Religions Build Walls' on one flank.
2007 North American tour dates
*May 18 2007, in West Palm Beach, Florida: One side: "Habeas Corpus Matters (Kafka rules)". On the other: "Religion Divides Us All" (under that says "Is that Democracy?") and "Tony Blair, good riddance!" On the bottom: "Free At Last". The rear: "Impeach Bush Now".
*May 19 2007, In Tampa, Florida: The pig was painted by James Vendetta http://www.myspace.com/vendettastudio and Heat at the Ford Amphitheater despite 40 mph wind. One side read "Kafka Rules" and "Habeas Corpus Matters". The other side read "I only answer to God -Tony Blair". Under the words "I only answer to God" was written "Is the democracy?". Under "Tony Blair" was written, "Good Riddance". On the pig's butt, it said, "Impeach Bush Now". The belly said, "Free at last". On the throat, "Cut Here" with a dotted line. The pig was paraded through the crowd and released into the sky, but because the pig was not completely inflated it didn't float quickly enough to make it out the venue. The pig finally got tangled up on one of the columns supporting the venue's massive roof and blocked a giant LED screen for the rest of the show. Roger then said "In the meanwhile, we're gonna try and free that pig!" after the first set.
*May 22 2007, in Atlanta, Georgia: One side: "Habeas Corpus Matters". On the other, "All Religions divide us!" Above that said, "Torture Is Wrong" and "It shames us all." The rear said, "Impeach Bush Now" with a peace sign over the anus. There were several drawings which included a drawing of part of the The Wall as well as Amnesty International’s candle in barbed wire. The pig performed flawlessly and was powered by a pair of remote-controlled fan motors and was not tethered by a rope as it floated around inside Philips Arena.
*May 24 2007, East Rutherford, New Jersey: Same thing as in Atlanta, GA, but one side was painted as The Wall, and "Free Speech is gone" on the bottom. Also, Piggy only made it's way around half of the arena when the motors died and wouldn't restart. People, workers and fans tried to lift it to the air, but that was no good. Piggy was carried back to behind the stage, but great concert.
*May 30 2007, New York, New York: On the pig's right side: "Habeas Corpus Matters" and "Fear Builds Walls". On the left side: "Torture Shames Us All!" and "Religions Divide". On the rear: "Impeach Bush" with a peace sign over the pig's ass. Along the neck: "Cut Here" above a dotted line with a splattering of blood. Unlike the two previous pigs, this one had a drawing of The Wall on both sides.
*June 1 2007, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Same thing as in Atlanta, GA.
*June 2 2007, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: "Fear Builds Walls" on the right side. "Cut Along Dotted Line" is written above a line of dashes around the pig's neck. "Religions Divide" was written on the left side which is slightly different than the Atlanta show on May 22, 2007. Something referring to impeaching George W. Bush was written on the hind side.
*June 13 2007, at the Hollywood Bowl in Hollywood, California, USA: a pig was walked around, but not released. "Torture shames us all" and "All religions divide" on the right side ("No education" in smaller writing). "Habeus corpus matters", "Fear builds walls" on the left side. "Free at last" on the belly. "Impeach Bush" on the rear. Various graffiti-style writings all around.
*June 15 2007, Irvine, California: "Impeach Bush" on the rear end. "What an Asshole" added. "Free At Last" on the bottom. At the end of "Sheep", the pig was released into the night sky, lit by spotlight, drifting north towards L.A. Another cosmic moment courtesy of Mr. Waters...
*June 16 2007, Las Vegas, Nevada: Pig was powered by a pair of remote-controlled fan motors and was not tethered as it flew around inside MGM Garden Arena. Pig briefly touched down on top of main floor audience late in "Sheep", flew back up and returned to stage left at end of song.
*July 2 2007, Milwaukee, Wisconsin: "Torture Shames Us All," "All Religions Divide," "Fear Builds Walls," "Habeus Corpus Matters," "Impeach Bush," "What an Asshole." Note: The Marcus Amphitheater is between Lake Michigan on the east, and Interstate 794 on the west. The pig was released, and it flew to the northwest. Had it flown to the east over the lake, it would have been in the path of airplanes landing at General Mitchell International Airport.
*July 10 2007, Hartford, Connecticut: Pig was brought out during "Sheep" and walked by handlers out through the crowd on the lawn of the arena. "Fear Builds Walls" on the right side, "Torture Shames Us All" on the left side, "Free @ Last" on bottom, "What An Asshole" written above the tail on the rear end with arrow pointing under the tail, "Impeach Bush" written on the bottom of the rear end, and "All Religions Divide" was written on the back right leg. The pig was released at the very end of the song and highlighted by a spotlight through intermission until it was well out of the spotlight's range.
*July 12 2007, Darien Lake, New York: The pig was brought out during "Sheep," just like in Hartford, and the pig's writings were the same as well. The wind that day made the pig almost blow away when the pig was brought out from behind the amphitheater.
*July 14 2007, Toronto, Ontario, Canada: The Remote controlled Pig was brought out during "Sheep" - flying through a fog of shimmering confetti - no strings attached! Same messages as in Connecticut. Mr Waters did not lose his pig this time. It returned safely.
Live Earth July 7, 2007: Roger Waters played in the New York leg of Live Earth. When he began singing The Happiest Days of Our Lives/Another Brick in the Wall Part 2 the pig came out again. It had a more cartoony look, and part of its body appeared as that of the wall. It had the words "Together we stand, divided we fall" (the last lines of Hey You) on one side and "SOS" on the other. Unlike the SOS logo for Live Earth (which stood for "Save Our Selves") , the one on the pig said "Save Our Sausages" instead.