David Gilmour - in Concert [DVD]

Reminiscent of the "Unplugged" series of concerts by Eric Clapton & co., this features the 1 hour long Meltdown concert and three tracks from the Royal Festival Hall 2002.

The show starts with a chilling acoustic Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts 1-5). The opening few lines of Coming Back To Life put goosebumps on the back of your neck as if it was the first time you'd heard the song, and High Hopes has been tremedously adapted to an acoustic set with stunning Choir backing vocals.

The brand new track Smile is very Gilmour and very good, and as you'd expect, Wish You Were Here fits very well into this style of concert. I'd best describe Robert Wyatt's vocal contribution to Comfortably Numb as "interesting", but this is more than made up for by the usual brilliant ending. Later on we're treated to Shine On (Parts 6-8) which are, not suprisingly, wonderful.

The Royal Festival Hall tracks are great. Richard Wright joins for his own Breakthough from Broken China, and stays on when Bob Geldof guests on a far better Comfortably Numb. This one has the second goosebump-moment of the disc when David Gimour's delivery of "There is no pain, you are receding" sends shivers down your spine...

The extra's are good (I Put A Spell On You with Jools Holland & Mica Paris is far better than the release on Small World Big Band), Shakespeare's Sonnet 18 is beautifully performed, and strongly reminds me of the opening of On The Turning Away.

The menu style and backing track is pleasing. For the soundtrack, I have only listened to the 5.1 presentation and was very impressed - everything is well balanced and the channels aren't over used.

This is a DVD you'll play over and over again, and would be money well spent.

Until the track list is added to the description:

01. Shine on you crazy diamond (Parts 1-5)
02. Terrapin
03. Fat old sun
04. Coming back to life
05. High Hopes
06. Je crois entendre encore
07. Smile
08. Wish you were here
09. Comfortably Numb (with Robert Wyatt)
10. Dimming of the day
11. Shine on you crazy diamond
12. A great day for freedom
13. Hushabye mountain
14. Dominoes
15. Breakthrough (with Richard Wright)
16. Comfortably numb (with Bob Geldof & Richard Wright)

I was not disappointed. The DVD version, in 5:1 Dolby Digital Stereo and 16:9 anamorphic superbly complements Gilmour’s traditionally high production values. The camerawork and film quality give the viewer a more intimate experience of the performance than would be afforded even in a front row seat, with excellent sound, mixing and balancing, capturing every nuance of the range of instruments and voices Gilmour assembled for this rare event.

Like many Floyd fans, old (in my case!) and new, it is a real treat to see how Gilmour’s set, the nearest thing to a “Pink Floyd Unplugged” we will perhaps ever see, reworks Floyd favourites through captivating and refreshing arrangements: Shine On You Crazy Diamond opens the show with a subtle build-up on acoustic guitar, and is joined with superb playing from original Floyd sax man, Dick Parry. Fresh arrangements of High Hopes, Great Day For Freedom, Wish You Were Here, Fat Old Sun are other highlights from the Pink Floyd canon, all featuring sterling vocal and instrumental work, not just from one of rock’s best guitarists, but from a splendid ensemble of players, including Michael Kamen on piano and Chucho Merchan on double bass.

The DVD contains two versions of Comfortably Numb, with singers Robert Wyatt and Bob Geldof both taking the Roger Waters ‘Doctor’ role.

Je Crois Entendre Encore from Bizet’s Pearl Fishers and Hushabye Mountain (from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang!) show just how powerful and moving David Gilmour’s singing is. His voice has stood the test of time, and these recordings beautifully capture his range and technique.

Other highlights are not to be missed: The dramatic build up to the second instalment of Shine On is very powerful indeed, with Gilmour’s bottleneck slide guitar solo. Two Syd Barrett solo numbers (Terrapin and Dominoes) make a mellow and hypnotic addition to the set. Floyd keyboard player/singer Rick Wright also performs Breakthrough from his Broken China album, a beautiful and chilling number, backed by Gilmour’s remarkable choir.

The DVD version also features footage of rehearsals, lyrics, miscellaneous filmed performances, and close-ups of guitar fingerings for budding Gilmours and students of music. This selection is really great value.

I can wholly recommend this excellent DVD. Every Pink Floyd fan should have this, as should anyone interested in contemporary music. It records the recent work of one of rock’s most noted guitarists, singers and writers. With the layers of trademarked Floydian technology peeled away, this is a chance to see that excellent song writing and musicianship can still deliver its hefty punch.