Thursday October 10, almost the whole world came together to see David Gilmour in the legendary and prestigious London venue. WECB surreptitiously slipped in.
The iconic Royal Albert Hall. A century and a half of history. Where the walls heard the speeches of Churchill or Einstein, the ground vibrated under the footwork of Mohamed Ali, its large dome suffered the echo of more legendary concerts. From the Beatles to Nina Simone, from Zeppelin to Jimi Hendrix, from the Who to Ennio Morricone. Clapton has performed there more than 200 times; successive queens and kings probably just as much. On June 26, 1969, it was Pink Floyd who offered Rick Wright the opportunity to play directly on their big organ while a member of the team wandered through the audience in a gorilla costume! Also at this concert, the band reportedly sawed wood on stage and pink smoke cannons were apparently fired into the backing vocals and brass at the end of the celestial part of “A Saucerful Of Secrets”, all resulting in banishment. definitive of the group in this royal setting. But, after a Roman mini-series and before flying across the Atlantic for just a few dates in New York and Los Angeles, it is nevertheless David Gilmour, the guitarist present that night who (re)comes to string together 6 dates in 8 sold-out days, in the British capital.
It is from an atypical barge without electricity on the Little Venice that we are writing these few lines, on the night of October 10 to 11, 2024, the two dates where we are provided with a key. The entry conditions are drastic and cover the ticket. Anyone who forgets their identity card will have the opportunity to admire for hours the plane trees of the Hyde Park gardens located just opposite. Inside, the room – almost entirely seated – is splendid, and there are almost no barriers, giving a fantastic feeling of proximity for such a large audience (around 5,000 seats covered in red velvet). David Gilmour generally knows how to make the right choices in terms of decor, between ancient theaters, museum towns and beautiful rooms on a human scale, and we applaud him for this principle which we consider fundamental as lovers of music. We believe that 50% of the quality of a concert concerns the venue, and the remaining 50% the performance of the artist. And on this last point, we also strongly applaud it! Especially at 78! We thought that any possibility of seeing him again one day swinging his ethereal solos, among the most beautiful in the history of Fender guitars, was limited (especially since he had sold most of them at auction in 2019). for the noble environmental cause, including its famous Black Strat which alone sold for nearly 4 million dollars); and seeing him deliver such a performance in London, a clever mix of Floyd and his personal career, literally brought tears to our eyes. It was simply exceptional. Romanée Conti on a three-star table.
As appetizers, “Black Cat” and “Luck and Strange” from the last album. But it is upon hearing the first notes of “Breathe” and then especially the ringing and ticking of the clocks of “Time” that the audience exults. Gilmour has the great intelligence to adapt his voice (really not that bad!) to its current tone, without filter or playback. Authentic. As for the guitar sound, no doubt, it is simply unique and grandiose. Few guitarists manage to convey such emotion in just a few notes. It definitely doesn't scare anyone to say that he is one of the greatest, especially one of the most modest. The next song is a moment of pure joy. “Fat Old Sun.” From a calm acoustic nursery rhyme, the track from the album Atom Heart Mother transforms into a real electric fireworks display with an anthology solo! After “Marooned”, the station changes to a great Pink Floyd classic, “Wish You Were Here”, a timeless acoustic blues melody in memory of old friend Syd. Gilmour, not very talkative, thanks an enchanted audience before introducing his musicians and inviting his daughter Romany on stage, alongside the Webb Sisters already on backing vocals on Leonard Cohen's magnificent latest tour.
“Between Two Points” is pure beauty. It's a little-known cover from the Montgolfier brothers (not the famous Ardèche inventors, but a British indie pop group that the Gilmour family often listened to in the car). Romany excels there, holding 3/4 of the piece with his clear voice and his beautiful old-fashioned harp, in order to leave his padre the final quarter for a most luminous solo. Romany is 22 years old, the same age his father was when he permanently replaced Syd Barrett in Pink Floyd. The circle is closed.
The next ten minutes are introduced with the hammer by waking up the bell of “High Hopes”, one of the most famous in rock history with “Hells Bells”. A gem where 6 large white Pink Floyd balloons are delivered until the end on lapsteel. It's a standing ovation. And if the concert had stopped there, we would have gotten more than enough bang for our buck and our trip. But it's only the intermission, twenty minutes to regain our senses. Around us, we hear Brazilian, Italian, German, Slovenian, Scottish or American accents spoken, in a polyglot hubbub that would almost make us look for the English!
What is astonishing with the 2nd set, unlike previous tours, is the extent to which David Gilmour managed to break away from the herculean heritage of Pink Floyd to very subtly impose superb pieces from his latest albums on the solos of the most sharp and soaring. Firstly, “In Any Tongue”, an anti-war plea, simply masterful and terribly current. But also “The Piper's Call”, a crazy version of “Scattered” and “Dark and Velvet Nights” on the Gibson ES-335. His wife Polly Samson wrote the lyrics to his songs, and it was touching to see her discreetly photographing her daughter with her little Leica during the concert. Dave Gilmour did not fail to thank her warmly beforehand for “Coming Back To Life” which he had written for her. The whole family seems very happy and delivers to the public present a perfectly honest and above all very successful work.
Pink Floyd is not to be outdone. So certainly, we will not hear the slap of “Echoes” like in Vienna in 2006, nor the notes of “Shine On Crazy Diamonds” like during the Rattle That Lock Tour, nor a single blast of saxophone. But a cabaret version of “The Great Gig In The Sky” around a piano in the light of 5-branched chandeliers and especially “Comfortably Numb”, epilogue to the breathtaking concert where a wall of white light stands. The public, until then very well-behaved, is on its feet! A now rare moment. Quite simply one of the most beautiful electric guitar solos of all time, alongside, randomly, “Free Bird” or “Stairway To Heaven”. Lasers pierce the length and breadth of the room while a huge disco ball overflows with lights. New ovation. A picture of happiness.
It's 10:45 p.m. in London, and we have, I think, experienced one of the most beautiful concerts of our lives.
David Gilmour is on the cover of our issue 165, available via our online store.
