Tuesday, 14 March 2006
Yet Another review...David Gilmour will never, ever, get to escape the shadow of his rather more famous dayjob; Pink Floyd. But on the basis of tonight, it seems us fans needs pInk Floyd more than Pink Floyd themselves do.
You see, since 1988, I've been listening to that mans music, watching him play live on fuzzy VHS tapes , and read probably a thousand agazine articles, library books, and lord knows however much else. Since 1988, I've never ever thought I'd end up getting to watch him, in the flesh so to speak, to play these songs. Pink Floyd have always been an abstract, historical document for me, one I can only see on TV Screens and in Q magazine; never a functioning active entity. They're almost mythical - one of those bands I was resigned to never ever seeing. They've not played a stage in a town anywhere near my home since before I was born, 30 something years ago. I've listened to them on the radio, on the TV, on Video, on DVD, and they always seemed like a unicorn - this mythical beast that doesn't exist in reality, only in history.
Future generations will feel this way about Nirvana, but I feel it about Pink Floyd.
So when the 'voice and guitar' of Pink Floyd is playing, with the vast majority of Pink Floyd on stage with him, forgive me if I'm a little excited. And also forgive me to being a little carried away. This is because out of the seven people on stage, five of them
played with pink floyd on their last tour. Only the drummer is different. So to all intents and purposes, I'm watching Pink Floyd play Pink Floyd songs, with a different drummer. It's like watching Elvis coming back from the dead, or watching Kraftwerk rehearse.
The word legend is perhaps wisely used, though David (never , ever Dave) comes across as far too humble for that. David Gilmour here tongiht, is the guy who plays guitar and sings songs - but David Gilmour of Pink Floyd is the leader of a stadium rock beast, and one that he can never ever escape.Which in many ways a shame, because when you see him look at the bass player and smile sweetly just for the joy of playing, you get the feeling this is what he misses -
playing with people. Not the flying pigs, the laser lights, the circular stage and the back projections, but just the simple act of playing with friends. Of Musical communication. Because communication is what its all about. All we have to do is keep talking.
The set is introduced by "Whispering" Bob Harris; Whispering bob is like John peel and floyd themselves, to someone of my generation - people who only exist inside the Radio, inside the Tv, not actually in reality. Its like watching your own personal transmission of the Old Grey Whistle Test, but with THAT BAND playing, even though its not that band in name.Because the next thing that happens is that the members of THAT BAND come onstage, and then a gentleman straps on a guitar and unleashes to the heavens.
On the left is someone from Roxy Music - Phil, someone who've Ive only ever known from David Bowie albums. Next to him is a drummer who I know nothing about. But next to him on the left, is the single reason I ever anted to learn bass - Guy Pratt.On the extreme right, is Jon carin, whose face and floppy hair I've seen on a multitude of Floyd songs since 1987, And then, edging towards the middle of the stage, is Rick Wright, keyboardist of THAT BAND.
If its not THAT BAND by name, then it is by numbers. After all, only 72% of tonights lineup played on their tours, which makes me wonder if i could prove that by a statiscial majority I'm watching Pink Floyd in a tiny theatre from the front row. What we have here is - if not pink floyd itself by name - then a very very extremly close shade.The musicians on stage are from pink Floyd, playing pink floyd songs, with the singer and guitarist and keyboardist who wrote (or co-wrote) most of the songs. I'd say thats much more than a pretty fair forgery. I'd say thats the closest I'll ever get to seeing them.
Because except for 23 minutes last summer, that band have been a historical document pretty much my whole life. I've never seen them. Never had chance to, except for a few moments in hyde Park
in 2005.Yes, I think I'm still in shock, can you tell?
A guitar slowly fades in over some etheral keyboards. It's hard to tell what these songs are yet,because I simply don't have the familiarity with them i do with the band material he plays. They've been out less than 2 days, when the other songs have been out 12 years, heard hundreds of times. These new songs, and they are
about half of the set tonight - seem less grandiose, smaller, more intimate, more personal.About a man playing a guitar, rather than introspective flag-waving stadium rock anthems.They also seem
flatter and less dynamic, though I suspect this is because they are written in the key of E and just seem to stay there, judging by what Guy Pratt plays. They are unabashadly personal, full of soaring guitars and heartfelt lyrics, declarations of love and a closenesswhich you just don't get when playing a stadium to
90,000 people and with flying pigs. One of them is a dead ringer for Neil Young's "Harvest moon", too, which tells you how far we've come from the squealing guitars of 'Run Like Hell'
'Take a Breath' is by far the heaviest song of the night, clugging chunky guitars riffing away into the atmosphere, oppressive but oddly liberated. 'Smile' on the other hand, is a complete opposite - though slightly more familiar because of its' appearance on the 'In Concert' DVD, its still astoundingly intimate, just a man and his acoustic and some words of naked emotion.
Then David picks up an acoustic, and stands in the centre of the stage - and as the rest of the room darkens into blackness, he strums a single chord, as the patterns of light envelope him. Some keyboards
fade in behind him, and we're suddenly back in the time machine of 1974,watching them play "Shine on You Crazy Diamond". Remodelled like the version on the 'In Concert' DVD, those guitar notes come out blissfully, but it feels like I've never heard this song before. I
have, a million times, but never like this , never so fresh and new. And then, just as the drums come in and the big chrous hits us...It all falls away. Back to just a man and his guitar, singing the song alone and unaccompanied, devoid of the trappings and back to a
more naked rendition. Rick accompanies him on the keyboard and then it all comes together again as one. In front of me, saxophonist Dick Parry (the only time a saxophone should ever be on a record, but thats my opinion) steps up to the front and a paroxsym of applause erupts, before he begins his solo. And a standing ovation at the end for all of them. Yes, I did get choked up a little, if only because it's been so long I've been waiting for these moments.
With Rick Wright on stage, comes the song he wrote for the last pink floyd album, the never played live before 'Wearing the Inside Out'. Its not as much of a surprise when you've already been told they were
rehearsing it, but it was a welcome surprise. And it fits in perfectly, though it does seem odd to go to a David Gilmour gig and have someone else sing.
When the tolling of the division bell has begun, he plays "High Hopes", the last song on the last pink floyd album.And still I'm thinking to myself, 'Holy shit, I'm watching pink floyd'.. The lapsteel soars off and sets its controls for the heart of the sun as the paen to lost dreams slowly fades away...
'You might know this one', says David. three false starts later, and 'Comfortably Numb' has begun.Aside from the best guitar solo in the world ever (according to every poll in Q / Mojo / Rolling Stone), stood twenty feet in front of me is a thankful return to the
heavier guitar versions of the later floyd renditions rather than solo versions. but please, let guy sing the verses as well as rick, it makes it so much better.
And its over. There's a standing ovation again, and a feeling of disbelief. David goes away, and then comes back, and they play a couple of the earlier songs again. He tries to sneak off stage, as the house lights go up. Instead, Jon carin goes over to the keyboard and gets the entire crowd to sing happy birthday to david. All 600 of us. Its a small, touching moment, the likes of which you just don't get at stadium rock shows.
Bit like the whole show really. Smaller, but no less honest or vital than anything else. Quiet, and restrained in places, stripped of the bombast. Just a man and his guitar, playing music with some friends
like he wishes he could do more often, bereft of the enormous bazillion dollar touring machine - its the little moments when he smiles at the people hes playing with in enjoyment, that make you realise there's a heart beating in the machine. And its little
things like that that make music worthwhile.
Unforgettable and unmissable, it might just be the gig of the year. See it, if you can.And I don;t just mean on TV....Only registered users can write comments.
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