Pink Floyd songs, Romany Gilmour

One and a half months after the release of the fifth solo album, Lucky and strange, David Gilmour, who is No. 1 on the Billboard album sales chart, is performing for five nights at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

Before Saturday night’s show officially started, bassist Guy Pratt (who is also a member of Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets band) came out to politely but firmly urge the audience to remain “present” throughout the show. Avoid impulsiveness. Whether the MSG crowd is made up of very good listeners or just people who are less interested in capturing every moment of their lives for the “Gram” is debatable, but the large audience of Gen Xers and Baby Boomers in general obliges— —It’s a small miracle in 2024.

Gilmour’s “Luck and the Strange” tour also differs from most concert tours today in another noteworthy way. While he’s far from the only classic rocker still on the road, the British legend – best known as a member of Pink Floyd – is One of the most adventurous, influential and commercially successful rock bands, they started in the 1960s and have been a major force in rock music ever since. One of the veterans on stage. Yes, he sang lead (“Breathe,” “Wish You Were Here”) or co-lead (“Time,” “Comfortably Numb”) on some of Pink Floyd’s most popular songs, but Gilmour The most unique form of expression is his guitar playing. On the Luck and Strange tour, the 78-year-old axeman demonstrated what so many aging blues musicians before him have proven – age may wear down the vocal chords, but the guitar chords come through as clearly as ever.

Blues is a fundamental element of Gilmour’s playing, as are ballads (he cites Pete Seeger and Joni Mitchell as stylistic influences). Those earthy, organic styles help him connect to the earth as he plays, his sad, lonely guitar solos echoing in the depths of space. It’s a wonderful juxtaposition, one that was especially strong Saturday night on the expressive instrumental “Marooned,” one of four songs from Floyd’s 1994 album Shi Zhong in his playlist. Also valid is Atomic Heart Mom’s “Fat Old Sun,” Gilmour delivers a country flavor while playing acoustic before switching to electronic music for an extended psychedelic outro.

Song from dark side of moon His first half got the most recognition, and while it was deeply satisfying to hear faithful renditions of tunes like “Breathe (In the Air)” and “Time,” it was his stripped-down rendition of “The Great Show” that was the highlight of the night. The half-time “In the Sky” is undoubtedly more memorable. Touring band member Louise Marshall played steel guitar and Gilmour played baby grand piano, while the Webb Sisters and Romany Gilmour (David 22 ‘s daughter) harmonizes on this wordless vocal classic. For a few minutes, it felt less like a famous arena and more like an intimate living room jam session.

In addition to providing backing vocals, Romany Gilmour played harp and sang lead on “Between Two Points,” a cover of the Montgolfier Brothers song that came out Now Lucky and weird album. It might be a risky proposition for a famous artist to bring their children in for a cameo, but Romany has a sombre, clear phrasing (unlike their father’s guitar solos) and deploys it in an understated, direct way; it makes you Fascinate and eviscerate your heart at the same time. That performance was one of the show’s absolute standout moments – an even greater achievement considering the song was from a new album and didn’t benefit from years of familiarity.

The tour’s visuals aren’t quite as dramatic or prop-heavy as those brought in by former bandmate Roger Waters (but Gilmour is now less extreme than Waters in a few different ways). Still, Luck and the Strange Journey boasts its fair share of production flourishes, from the bouncing inflatable balls during “High Hopes” to the harrowing video animation to the blazing green lasers.

During the encore, Gilmour and his band performed “Comfortably Numb” in what looked like a white prison cell. At that point, the crowd collectively decided it was time to ignore Pratt’s advice and get those phones out — but let’s be honest, who’s going to be mad? Even though the show featured eight songs from a brand new solo album, nearly everyone at MSG Saturday was present, rapt, and most sat through the end. Are people comfortable? Yes. Numbness? Almost none.