David Gilmour in Concert

I Admit it: I LOVE Pink Floyd. Yes, some of the songs here sound a bit like the '80's (it WAS filmed in the '80's); HOWEVER, buyers of THIS unique video will help themselves to many, many timeless jewels, that rival even Floyd at its best. I have seen Floyd Live 3 times, and have seen 5 videos of Floyd live. LOVE EM. However, THIS IS Dave Gilmour in the prime of his life, making HIS OWN PERSONAL STATEMENT. He is blisteringly hot on this show!! THIS VIDEO IS FOR EVERYONE WHO LIKES SUBLIME ROCK AND LOVES THE GUITAR!! WAY ahead of its time. Cameras never caught Pagey at his best. Well, they recorded Dave's best work!Perhaps it's the mind-boggling synth lead by Greg Dechart in RLHell (or the rest of his very good keyboard work throughout the video); maybe it's the contagious enthusiasm Chris Slade brings to percussion and drums, especially on Blue Light, hammering the beat (check out Chris's excellent work on "Solar Fire" with Manfred Mann's Earth Band); then again, it may be the extraordinary performance/duet with Dave Gilmour and rock legend Roy Harper rendering the metaphysical epic Short and Sweet (check out closely the mystical lyrics); or, it could be the phenomenal use of the unearthly theremin thru a T.C. Elec. 2290 that blows the mind in Short & Sweet; on the other hand, it could be the poignant, moving bass lead by Mickey Feat on MURDER, (one of the finest bass pieces I have EVER heard), Dave's Ode to the loss of John Lennon, or his magnum opus, the unimaginable guitar lead on it.Could be the utterly professional Jody Linscott; she capably handles EVERYTHING from chimes, to a 2" cymbal, to tablas, tambourines, bongo's, to a 40" GONG, with skill and ease. Raf Ravenscroft (debut - sax on Gerry Rafferty's "Baker Street" (1978-79), does a masterful, super job with sax and additional synth keyboards; Raf's work on 'There's No Way Out of Here' is good enough to qualify his presence, by itself. In short, this is one exceptional group of musicians, with phenomenal material! Until We Sleep is one of the finest exhibitions of rock mastery, and of Dave's style, as he plays lead with chords, calmly whacks you with his perfect Roger Mayer Octavia lead, at the end, doubling the pitch, and hitting unbelievable rapid-fire licks like an Uzi, and weaving into your mind with 2 octaves of lead, like a mad scientist of sound-Incredible! This is very sublime, sophisticated stuff. For the rock'n'roller, and the elite rock crowds as well.If you are a fan of guitar, rock, a musical technician, engineer, or guitar player, like me, you will be knocked out watching Dave Gilmour, and his ensemble, as they pull off one monster performance; Dave calmly punishes the guitar, as if it were childsplay, romping up and down the fretboard, calmly soothing, then blistering it, as in the middle of the 'MURDER' lead, playing at 150 mph, then belting out super harmonics, 5ths, 7ths, 12ths, and 24ths, like some stoic god; or you'll gaze as he's playing tasteful rhythm parts while Mick Ralphs (ala Bad Company and Mott the Hoople) has his turn, and turns in some fine stuff as well; check out Mick's BLISTERING additions to Blue Light, on b/u lead, as well as his tasteful double outro lead with Dave at the end of Murder. Dave NAILS a dive bomb from E down to low C on Lovers are Deranged, that has never been pulled off before. Whilst Gilmour is NOT a shredder, (shredders cannot write lyrics.. anyone else noticed this?) he certainly CAN play fast when needed, is quite the poet and lyricist, and a real master of guitar special effects.. The bittersweet self portrait of his own WWII past Dave so beautifully articulates on piano in Out of the Blue is quite rare. ANY fan of rock will have interest in this piece right out of rock legend!! The mixing could be better in places. Oh, what I would give if this tour only taped Mihalis, It's Deafinitely, Near the End, Raise My Rent.. Still, this is rock HISTORY in the making!! And, for all of you who couldn't afford flights to the UK, and top notch seats at the Hammersmith Odeon, THIS IS YOUR FRONT ROW SEAT TO IT ALL!!This shows an interesting and moving side of Dave G that doesn't get through the standard Pink Floyd formulae. Not to mention a showcase of talent for a crowd of brilliant musicians!!There is much, much more. But what should appear to EVERYONE, not just Floyd fans, is, this is NOT Pink Floyd! It is a totally NEW entity, that has its OWN statement to make, in bold letters. This is amongst the finest pieces of British (or any other) rock ever documented on film; they don't make rock artists like this anymore. THIS VIDEO, my friends, is your ticket to viewing some rare piece of magic that happened just once!! This is David Gilmour at his very, very best.Like some spaceship of wizards, mental giants, from the outer rim of the galaxy, this ensemble comes, blows you away, and leaves you in UTTER AND COMPLETE astonishment, whether you are or are not a fan of Dave's original band. This is one rare take on a flawless performance by a group of extremely talented players. This is your chance to view rock history being made. Outstanding hardly does this work justice. Modern British rock doesn't get any better than this! Pink Floyd does GREAT music, but at times, this group dares to go one (or two) steps further! You will be greatly rewarded to take a chance on this SUPERB video.

If David Gilmour's music had evidenced this kind of vision for the last decade and a half, he might have immunized himself from the scorn of those who thought Pink Floyd suffered a beheading when Roger Waters departed. Gilmour has absolutely reinvigorated many of these songs. Some are performed with substantially new arrangements for the very first time, no longer suffocated by Gilmour's almost military precision during Pink Floyd's last two tours. Gilmour even includes two songs from Syd Barrett's solo repertoire, "Terrapin" and "Dominoes," preserving their surreal playfulness without succumbing to the frustration and anxiety that pervade Barrett's own recordings. Most refreshing of all, Pink Floyd classics such as "Comfortably Numb," which has never sounded quite right without a united Floyd, finally bloom under the stewardship of a band capable of recapturing some elusive but essential qualities of the original recordings. This great song has suffered endless failed makeovers, including execrable vocals by Van Morrison in Berlin and Bruce Hornsby in Seville as well as Gilmour's soulless arrangement from 1984 to 1994 that sounds in retrospect not altogether unlike grunge metal. The versions on this DVD begin at a slow, sedate pace that should transfix listeners of such bands as the Grateful Dead and the Cowboy Junkies. Each features a different vocalist substituting for Roger Waters. I slightly favor Bob Geldof, whose starring role in The Wall film certainly bolsters his credibility here, but both successfully execute the hushed expressiveness that characterizes Waters' vocals. The atmosphere unravels as it was intended, fraught with trepidation in the beginning, anasthetized on a cushion of air when Gilmour's chorus melts the tension, and soaring above everything once Gilmour unleashes the greatest guitar solo ever played, which always sounds as though it wants to continue wailing forever.Other highlights of the performance that merit special comment include "Smile," debuting here, a beautiful new song similar in style to "Green is the Colour"; "Je Crois Entendre Encore," a serene but haunting Bizet aria; "Fat Old Sun," Gilmour's first performance of his 1970 composition since that era; and "Breakthrough," from Floyd keyboardist Rick Wright's underappreciated 1996 solo album, Broken China. Although Sinead O'Connor sang "Breakthrough" on the album, Wright appears here as a guest (to great applause) and performs the vocals with Gilmour's band. Accordingly, this is the only version of one of Wright's best songs that he actually sings himself. One should also take care not to neglect the special features the DVD offers in addition to the main performance. Even presented alone, they would stand among the most interesting artifacts in the Pink Floyd universe, and longtime fans should applaud the powers that be for finally realizing that these experiments and curios merit commercial release. The most interesting is the choral version of "High Hopes," where Gilmour brings his dozen background vocalists to the foreground and treats the audience to a haunting tone poem. Minimalism triumphs as the choral component alone proves more arresting than "High Hopes" itself, as beautifully chilling as the "Celestial Voices" part of Floyd's psychedelic melange, "A Saucerful of Secrets." Also included is William Shakespeare's Sonnet 18 ("Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? . . ."), sung by Gilmour to music by Michael Kamen, Gilmour's current pianist and an alumnus of Roger Waters' band (and also the man who paired Guns n' Roses and Metallica with the Philharmonic). Kamen's "lite FM"-style arrangement is almost muzak, exacerbated by accompanying imagery reminiscent of Japanese karaoke footage, but it's a nice song and an interesting companion to "Golden Hair," Syd Barrett's 1970 adaptation of a James Joyce poem.Who can ignore the elephant in the living room of any Floyd solo project: What new evidence does this present in the ongoing inquisition into "Which one is Pink?" Gilmour's efforts on this DVD unquestionably make a stronger case for his role in crafting Pink Floyd's sound than does any other project since Waters' departure. The world tours he organized for the fractured Pink Floyd in 1987 and 1994, notwithstanding the awesome spectacle of the stadium shows, would not have sounded substantially different had the band simply left a greatest hits compilation playing on a turntable. Gilmour had seemed to reason that a less guarded performance would have betrayed the band's radical reconstitution and therefore elected to play it safe and assemble a glorified tribute band. Presently Gilmour proves more adventurous, and it pays off, as he demonstrates with "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" that he can interpret the song as authentically when he stands alone with his acoustic guitar (parts I-V) as when he performs it with a well-rehearsed band (parts VI-IX). Gilmour's new material, moreover, is tender and etheral, knit together by lead guitar parts woven with classical meticulousness and perfectly seasoned with background vocal harmonies, plodding percussion, and even Dick Parry's saxophone -- essential properties of Floyd's most characteristic albums. Suddenly it seems that Gilmour's signature on the Pink Floyd sound faded in direct proportion to the increasing responsibility he assumed in the group. When he played sole bandleader, he was barely there, and if that story seems familiar, it proves the timelessness of a certain album and the pertinence of its infinitely recurring question, "Isn't this where we came in?" Finally, in 2002, David Gilmour has come back to life, and with this concert appears to have broken through his own Wall.

Maybe you can complete Rattle that Lock as your own, Thomas S. McDonald,later, Farwell for now

David Gilmour in Concert (2001 & 2002) takes place at the Royal Festival Hall from three concerts. Guest appearances are made by Floyd colleague Richard Wright, as well as Robert Wyatt, & Bob Geldof.Main Tracks include the following, but be sure to watch the Special Features too:"Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I–V)" (David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Richard Wright)"Terrapin" (Syd Barrett)"Fat Old Sun" (Gilmour)"Coming Back to Life" (Gilmour)"High Hopes" (Gilmour, Polly Samson)"Je crois entendre encore" (Georges Bizet)"Smile" (Gilmour, Samson)"Wish You Were Here" (Gilmour, Waters)"Comfortably Numb" (with Robert Wyatt) (Gilmour, Waters)"Dimming of the Day" (Richard Thompson)"Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts VI–VIII)" (Gilmour, Waters, Wright)"A Great Day for Freedom" (Gilmour, Samson)"Hushabye Mountain" (Robert B. Sherman, Richard M. Sherman)"Dominoes" (Barrett)"Breakthrough" (with Richard Wright) (Wright, Anthony Moore)"Comfortably Numb" (with Bob Geldof) (Gilmour, Waters)Here are the pros & cons of this video as I see it, I hope this helps youPros:1. Overall brilliant2. Gilmour & Wright as usual do a masterful job3. Special features are also worth watching4. Caroline Dale plays the cello with so much passion & so much talent & is beautiful in addition tooCons:1. I was not impressed with Dick Parry on baritone or tenor saxophones, and thought he was showboating

I personally didn't enjoy this dvd. It lacked atmosphere, passion and I just couldn't summon any emotion for it.David looked like he'd just wandered into a soup kitchen for most of the gig and he seemed like he couldn't really be arsed being there.Don't even get me started on the first performance of comfortably numb, absolutely shocking. The second isn't much better.However I have no complaints about the seller who dispatched it very quickly and it was in vgc.

I was looking for a Pink Floyd's live performance on DVD, just to find out that there is no one released yet. So I bought this Gilmour's live performance, with any expectation at all.Great was my surprise from the beginning, with the acoustic version of "Shine on...", and a mature but yet precise and confident David Gilmour alone on stage.Since then, the temperature only could rise, till the last song,the second version of "Comfortably Numb", with Bob Geldorf as guest performer who did it much better than Robert Wyatt on the first version, although both "played the guest" reading their part, but that's just a fuzzy detail.An special mention to the band, who did it brilliant. Caroline Dale has a great soul and tempo, a delightful cello performer.If you like Pink Floyd, or if you lived those good times of Symphonic Rock, this is a must-have, for sure. Enjoy it!

This DVD is a recording of the Meltdown concert in 2001 with three additional tracks from the concert in 2002 (that I was lucky enough to attend). Most of the music is played accoustically, and played very effectively. There are a few magic moments where David Gilmour picks up an electric guitar and understandably the audience goes wild. There is a mix of old and new Pink Floyd, some Syd Barrett and a couple of other well chosen tracks that really make this a compelling DVD to enjoy.Gilmour's singing reaches some real heights, particularly on the Bizet track 'Je crois entendre encore'. Both parts of 'Shine on you crazy diamond' are movingly played. The first part is a complex accoustic piece, on the second he really wails. I really enjoyed the two Syd Barrett pieces, 'Terrapin' and 'Dominoes'. It was good to see Richard Wright turning up to play a couple of pieces, the track 'Breakthrough' from his solo album was well executed. Old favourites 'Fat old sun' and 'Wish you were here' were fresh and full of life. Quite why we needed two versions of 'Comfortably numb' is a mystery, surely this piece of music exists in more versions than any other! Both are good, though, the guitar solos are excellent. There is one new Gilmour composition 'Smile', an easy and mellow number. All of the sixteen tracks from the two concerts are top notch.The DVD extras are pretty good. He plays a great blues piece 'I put a spell on you' with Jools Holland and Mica Paris and sings a Shakespeare sonnet really well. Additionally there are some home videos of rehersals, close ups of his guitar solos and the lyrics to the songs.This DVD shows that David Gilmour is not too old to play or sing with skill and style, it would be great if he could produce at least one more CD of original material before he finally retires.

Pink Floyd's Dave Gilmour gives a wonderfully moving performance in this hour long special, recorded at Robert Wyatt's 'Meltdown' series at the Royal Festival Hall in 1999.I discovered this gem hidden away in a TV broadcast at about 3am one January morning.Opening simply on acoustic guitar, with a four minute introduction to 'Shine on you Crazy Diamond', you can feel the tension and expectancy in the crowd as he builds towards the familiar 4 note riff. It lifts the roof when he finally gets to it... it's nearly a musical orgasm!Layer upon layer is added to the sound as first a sax, then seven backing singers, then a cellist .... and of course, a Division Bell, hjoin Dave onstage, reminicent of the Talking Heads film 'Stop Making Sense'. This just builds and builds!If you like Floyd, you'll LOVE this!

I was somewhat hesitant before buying this, wondering whether Mr Gilmour would do himself and the rich variation of material justice. I need not have worried, as the entire performance was flawless and superbly orchestrated. As ever, the legend himself also contributes some superb guitar work. Pink Floyd purists should not expect 'out and out' Floyd, and if you do so, then this is not for you. However, Mr Gilmour treats all the Floyd tracks with reverence and each of them was arranged and performed superbly. I was not disappointed by any of the tracks, and in particular, the rendition of Je Crois Entendre Encore was nothing short of marvellous. Encore indeed then Mr Gilmour.......I can't wait for his forthcoming tours in 2006, I think we are in for a treat ! Buy this, you will not be disappointed !!