David Gilmour’s performance at Pompeii created intimate feelings of farewells and veneration now that he runs without his old band and close friends. With his passionate vocals, both with his actual voice and his guitar’s, he expressed deep emotions that captivated the whole crowd.
David Gilmour was known most prominently for his role in Pink Floyd as both a guitarist and co-vocalist. However, following the disbanding of the group in 1995, Gilmour has mainly been writing and performing solo, with a few reunions mixed in. This had been further set in stone with the deaths of founder Syd Barrett and pianist Richard Wright; the latter’s death made a particular impact on Gilmour, as when asked if Pink Floyd would tour their final album in 2014, he stated that without Wright, it was “kind of impossible.” Thus, this review focuses on Gilmour’s performance in Pompeii, with both original tracks and Pink Floyd classics intermingled.
Beginning with one of his originals, “5 A.M.”, I was immediately impressed and sucked into a state of deep thought. The way Gilmour played guitar makes every note so intentional, and he really made it seem as though his guitar was singing for him. Gilmour seems to be one of the few talents that can draw emotion from all listeners without saying a single word. This was a great opener to the concert and made me hopeful for what was to come.
Throughout the course of the concert, Gilmour lulled the audience into passivity and reverence. The band’s instrumental backing and vocals as well as his expert work on the electric and steel guitar created the environment I always envision myself in whenever I listen to Pink Floyd’s music. The Guardian describes it well: “the opening set..strikes a quietly momentous tone. At times, there is something spectral about it…[Great Gig in the Sky] causes an emotional surge to ripple across the crowd and carry on through Wish You Were Here, Money and on to the first section’s culminating track, High Hopes.” This emotional and deeply personal interpretation captures the feeling of reverence everyone was feeling that night as well as my own inner thoughts. I was also very happy to see that lots of Gilmour’s solo work, such as “Rattle That Lock” and “In Any Tongue” matched the level of quality and emotion for which I adored Pink Floyd.
There weren’t only these kinds of songs, however; headbanging rock made its way into the setlist at various moments. “Rattle That Lock” immediately juxtaposed the calm imposed by “5 A.M.” and had me thrilled. For once, which was surprising to me, I actually enjoyed “Money,” which I normally don’t like when listening to the entirety of The Dark Side of the Moon. Maybe now that the setlist was different and Gilmour was solo, it was more fitting.
But the peak of my experience was the ending. “Time” and “Comfortably Numb” as the encore perfectly demonstrated finality; the band and Gilmour’s vocals along with his guitar painted images in my mind of a long life, filled with all the struggles of the average man and a rock star. Gilmour always performs his guitar solos differently. This time, I could definitely feel how, especially in “Comfortably Numb.” Much longer and much more meaningful, Gilmour seemed to create powerful emotional ripples through the air, complimenting the mass of lasers cutting through the sky. Going to the highest frets of the guitar and back before finishing on a rocking drum beat, this song was the best one to end the night on.
As a whole, this concert brought out numerous emotions within me that I didn’t think was possible. However, song after song, I was continuously pulled into this semi-conscious state of mind, just absorbing the raw emotions the music was creating. When it came time for some upbeat rock, however, I welcomed the change in mood gladly, transitioning from feelings of reverence to upbeat enjoyment. Gilmour’s performance was a roller coaster of emotions for me as both a Pink Floyd and David Gilmour fan. Outside listeners may not develop the same connection, but since Gilmour has made the whole concert available on YouTube, they should try it out and see if they can feel the same as I did, and let the waves of vocals and instrumentals cloud their mind with pure emotion.
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