Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Gilmour, David
Label: Columbia Records
Released: 2017
Length: 148:35
Rating: 4/5
Maybe the opening question fits better with the recent doings of AC/DC, Guns N’Roses, U2 and of course the Rolling Stones, but still, David, why? The answer is simple and, in the case of those heavyweights, always the same. Because he can. »One quarter« of the legendary Pink Floyd, so, keeps successfully cashing in on the famous name and legacy of his former band. Of course Gilmour needed a fresh alibi for a live comeback, too. A new solo studio album. That’s »Rattle That Lock«, which followed its predecessor »On An Island« after nine years. Rattle that Lock is a far less interesting album than its predecessor, which made it one of the bigger letdowns among 2015’s album releases, but that’s another story. The move of putting out a new live document, also available on DVD and Blu-ray, was therefore something everyone saw coming from Gilmour. It’s part of a well-worn bit of folklore that goes all the way back to the release of »Delicate Sound of Thunder«. To capture this live spectacle the good man picked the dates 7.7.2016 and 8.7.2016 and a Roman amphitheater, where else but Pompeii, which ties him (and us) to memories of a distant past, when Pink Floyd shot their cult concert film »LIve At Pompeii« (1972) and a considerably younger Gilmour played to an empty auditorium in the middle of hellish sun and heat.
The result of Gilmour’s return trip to Pompeii, or rather the new tour, is actually what you’d expect. A new live document. With that kind of money you can buy anything. The best of the best, so it’s hard for anything to go wrong in hitting your goals. That goes for the lineup of top-notch musicians too, who loyally follow their commander on stage, even if he allows himself the odd passing slip, which at these sky-high ticket prices really shouldn’t happen, but sadly does. Well, at least it did in the Pula amphitheater.
For the 2016 dates the setlist grew by two songs and ran longer. Given the pile of tracks from the new album that David and the crew play, while the crowd is hungry exclusively for reinterpretations of Pink Floyd classics, this was a more than smart move toward the audience, and not just a »sporty« one. Although this live document, too, keeps too many tracks that belong to David Gilmour’s last two solo albums. As a result the setlist is no longer as exciting as the one on the live document released from Gdansk, Poland, ten years ago. As far as the »adaptation« of the setlist, or the repertoire itself, goes, there are no major differences from the setlists played in 2015. In the first half, though, the »Dark Side of the Moon« classic Great Gig in the Sky has found a new spot, and in the second half One of These Days (»Meddle«, 1971). Us And Them is swapped for What Do You Want From Me, and Wish You Were Here is consequently »moved« from slot no. 4 to slot no. 8. That’s the entire setlist adaptation in Pompeii compared with the one in Pula, where Gilmour and his pals played on 12.09.2015. A nice observation, though: over all these years Gilmour has clearly gotten sick to death of playing Another Brick in the Wall pt II, which is by far the most worn-out moment in the Pink Floyd catalog.
The supporting cast of musicians also got a thorough shake-up for last year’s live activities. Of the crew that backed Gilmour on his concert appearances in Europe and South America back in 2015, only drummer Steve DiStanislao and bassist Guy Pratt remain in the 2016 lineup. No point wasting time and words on the execution. Sonically and performance-wise you get the best of Mr. Gilmour this time too. We know he wasn’t exactly brilliant in Pula 2015 when it came to guitar precision, but over time and a string of shows David has of course improved his playing a lot in live settings. Still, we’ll never know exactly how much after-the-fact cosmetic work and prettifying the raw concert recordings got, with even the flubs deftly smudged out, but let’s leave that be.
For those of you after the full dose of Pink Floyd and Gilmour, an investment in the DVD and/or Blu-ray is of course unavoidable. Especially if you caught any of Gilmour’s latest tour live, it’ll make a lovely memento.
David Gilmour – Run Like Hell (official video clip, “Live At Pompeii”, 2016):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnPQNOq8x2s
Lineup
David Gilmour – guitar, vocals
Chester Kamen – guitar, backing vocals
Guy Pratt – bass guitar, backing vocals, vocals on “Run Like Hell”
Greg Phillinganes – piano, keyboards, backing vocals, vocals on “Time”
Chuck Leavell – organ, keyboards, accordion, backing vocals, vocals on “Comfortably Numb”
Steve DiStanislao – drums, percussion, backing vocals, xylophone on “One of These Days”
João Mello – saxophone, clarinet, additional keyboards on “The Blue”, acoustic guitar on “In Any Tongue”
Bryan Chambers – backing vocals, vocals on “In Any Tongue” and “The Great Gig in the Sky”
Lucita Jules – backing vocals, vocals on “The Great Gig in the Sky”
Louise Clare Marshall – backing vocals, cowbell on “Rattle That Lock”, vocals on “The Great Gig in the Sky”
Production
David Gilmour
Track List
CD1.:
1. 5 A.M.
2. Rattle That Lock
3. Faces of Stone
4. What Do You Want From Me
5. The Blue
6. The Great Gig in the Sky
7. A Boat Lies Waiting
8. Wish You Were Here
9. Money
10. In Any Tongue
11. High Hopes
12. One of These Days
CD2.:
1. Shine On You Crazy Diamond
2. Fat Old Sun
3. Coming Back to Life
4. On an Island
5. Today
6. Sorrow
7. Run Like Hell
8. Time / Breathe (In the Air) (Reprise)
9. Comfortably Numb
