Today, we’re diving into a tale of rock ‘n’ roll blunders, stage jitters, and the kind of awkwardness that only happens when you’re sharing the spotlight with legends. Yes, we’re talking about the time Andy Fairweather Low—the Welsh guitar virtuoso who’s jammed with the likes of Eric Clapton, George Harrison, and Roger Waters—had a less-than-stellar moment that left Waters giving him a look that could curdle milk.
Picture this: It’s the mid-’80s, and Andy Fairweather Low has just been recruited to join Roger Waters on his “The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking” tour. Now, for those who might not know, this tour was a big deal. Waters, fresh from his split with Pink Floyd, was out to prove he could stand alone, and the stage setup was nothing short of elaborate. We’re talking massive visuals, intricate soundscapes—the whole nine yards. And with great production comes great responsibility, especially for the musicians involved.
Fairweather Low wasn’t a stranger to running projects of his own — his pop group Amen Corner had four top-ten singles in the ’60s UK — and has a number of solo albums to his name, the latest of which, titled “The Invisible Bluesman”, was released this February.
Working with such big names undeniably means experiencing many magical moments, but also a few awkward ones. Asked in a new interview with Guitar World whether he’s ever had an “embarrassing” moment on stage, the guitarist offered:
“I’ve had a couple of embarrassing moments, but one was with Roger Waters that happened after I’d only just joined him. It was on the ‘The Pros and Cons of Hitch-Hiking’ tour during ‘Welcome to the Machine’. Because it was a big setup on stage, we had to wear headphones, which involved learning the art of taking the headphones off first before you took your guitar off.”
“I managed that no problem, but I was also playing with a jacket on, which I wasn’t used to doing. And the first chord of ‘Welcome to the Machine’ is this strum on a 12-string.”
He added: “Well, I strummed, but the sleeve of the jacket and my guitar caused the strum to sound like a ‘blurt’! I can still see that look from Roger now. Obviously, I was forgiven – because I spent 24 years with him.”
His time with Eric Clapton came up when Fairweather Low was asked about the advice he’d give to his younger self, to which he replied:
“It wouldn’t be about the guitar, it would be about life. I’d tell myself to enjoy it more. When I worked with Eric Clapton, not so much with Roger, I thought I was getting fired every tour, because at the end of every tour, you never knew whether you were doing the next tour. Whoever you were – and it didn’t matter who you were – you never knew because in truth, Eric never knew which way it was going to go, too. So, it would be, enjoy it for goodness’ sake and let it run its course!”
