Before the show even begins, those who say they just like Pink Floyd's music but could do without Roger Waters' politics are advised by a graphic emblazoned across the arena to "f*** off".
Well then. Strap in.
Waters, the creative force behind Pink Floyd, is known for writing prog-rock masterpieces such as concept album/rock opera 'The Wall' and unquestionably one of the greatest, and most psychedelic albums of all time: 'The Dark Side of the Moon'.
And while political statements have always been a part of his public performances, that has brought a certain toxicity with it in recent years.
Having split from Pink Floyd in the 1980s, legal disputes followed and since then Waters has been a solo act - but still largely performing material from the old band days, with 'Another Brick in the Wall', 'Comfortably Numb' etc being the centre pieces of his shows.
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But while the 79-year-old has been trading off the youthful counterculture and rebellion of his lyrics from more than 40 years ago ("We don't need no education. We don't need no thought control"), today its meaning has evolved and his lament feels a bit tinfoil hat-ish.
First off though, let’s circle back and remember that this is a brilliant Saturday night for Manchester. Pubs are rammed with Man City fans hoping to see their team win a historic Treble. Fans are flocking to The Etihad to enjoy some pop music junk food (not an insult, junk food is brilliant) as The Weeknd performs. And thousands of young festival goers will be having the time of their lives in the sunshine at Parklife.
So while it’s great that every part of the city is buzzing, there is a shadow cast over Manchester's AO Arena on this utterly glorious Saturday - with the build up to Waters’ show marred by demands it be cancelled due to allegations of antisemitism.
A brief history of these allegations: Waters, a long-time supporter of the movement to boycott Israel for its actions in its Palestinian conflict, was criticised in 2013 for including a giant balloon of a pig at a concert which bore the Star of David. He's since gone on to compare Israel to Nazi Germany, and claimed more stars don't speak out because "the Jewish lobby is extraordinarily powerful... in the industry that I work in". He's claimed that the murder of George Floyd was done using an Israeli Defence Force technique which the Israelis are "proud" of.
As a result of this history of comments, shows in Poland have been cancelled. He recently went on stage in Berlin dressed as a figure resembling a Nazi dictator (he pulls the same stunt in Manchester this evening, and has done historically since the 80s - but the recent performance in Germany caused uproar). The use of the name 'Anne Frank' in imagery during the show has also caused deep upset, with people alleging that he is appropriating the horror of the Holocaust to make false equivalencies, and therefore minimising the pain of the Jewish community.
After the shows, some jump to his defence saying sections of his act are being misinterpreted, or that free speech should be defended. And as with all debates on Twitter, it ends in both sides labelling the other a fascist.
Before tonight’s show, Sir Keir Starmer wrote said his Labour Party "condemns Roger Waters" and added: "Many people will think of Roger Waters as famous for being a member of one of the most important bands in history, but he is now more synonymous with spreading deeply troubling antisemitism and that is why I believe this show should not be allowed to go ahead.
“Views like this should not be given a platform.”
The sentiment was echoed across the aisle from Michael Gove, and Bury South MP Christian Wakeford also voiced his concerns about the concert.
And in an interview with Double Down News, Roger Waters responded, saying "some f***ing Labour MP in Manchester" was trying to get him banned.
In the video he added: "If we shout the lie loud enough 'Roger Waters is an antisemite', we'll be all right, we'll get people to believe it, we can vilify him, we can probably destroy him and we will get him in the end.
"Well, no you won't because it is a lie. You can gather as many f***ing morons as you want to repeat you lie, but it remains a vicious lie."
So, an interesting Saturday night was ahead.
But despite the recent controversies, there are no significant protests outside and inside the crowd just seemed to be a bunch of Pink Floyd fans wanting to have a good night and listen to some great songs.
And for the most part they get that. Waters doesn't address his recent controversies in the same way he has at other shows, and witnessing songs like ‘Eclipse’ and ‘Us and Them’ performed is genuinely a significant thing to experience. These are monuments to progressive guitar music. The haunting, slow rendition of ‘Comfortably Numb’ is also incredible.
There are lulls, however. Waters delivers speeches which drag, and at times dances with the awkward discomfort of Donald Trump at a campaign rally.
In the loos during the interval, a Manchester United fan tells me he has no idea who he’s seeing — a mate has just brought him along. “I just didn’t want to sit and watch City win tonight”. Fair enough.
Later, Waters compares himself to the great George Orwell, which is actually quite amusing and underlines how ridiculous this has all become.
But it doesn’t take long for there to be a tediousness to just how relentless the “political” messaging is throughout the show on the various big screens. (Though we cannot claim we weren't warned). Basic slogans essentially conveying the theme of “war is bad” appear with graphics of drones, while various world leaders including Joe Biden are branded war criminals... and ultimately it’s just not as smart as it clearly thinks it is.
Waters at one point delivers a four-minute speech about freeing Julian Assange and the big screen showing the stage fails to conceal just how bored his youthful backing singers look in the background.
What’s more is: the crowd barely responds to large parts of it. After all, it’s student politics and the vast majority of the crowd are blokes in their 50s wearing Dark Side of the Moon t-shirts, an album made in 1973. They might occasionally throw a fist in the air in solidarity with the show's anti-establishment themes, but fear not — the Arena is shifting £12 hot dog and coke combos plus pricey merchandise at half-time with ease.
It’s all just a bit strange, and feels cynical. Are we really here to rage against the machine, while also paying about £8 for a Birra Moretti? Is this a middle-class seminar or the start of a revolution? Who is this for? Sadly, the brilliant music eventually gets muddled and lost in this spectacle.
Throughout the show, as Waters urges us all to rally against our oppressors, the staff at the Manchester AO Arena really have a shift on their hands trying to keep the (literally) tens of fans who are occasionally getting to their feet sat back down.
When asked, they oblige immediately.
It’s a weird spectacle.
