David Gilmour: Remember That Night [Blu-ray]

 

 

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"Remember That Night" is one of the very best music DVD's of all time. It shares that rarified air of the pinnacle in the genre with releases like Peter Gabriel's "Growing Up Live" and Talking Heads' "Stop Making Sense". It just simply doesn't get any better.

There is so much talent, such extraordinary skill and awe-inspiring beauty on this DVD it's almost unbelievable. The filming of it is amazing, the sound is crystalline and pure, the editing actually aware of the nuances and key points of the music. The packaging and artwork are gorgeous and Gilmour's performance, most of all, is top notch.

It is still unfortunate that most people will want to go directlly to part 2 to hear the Pink Floyd material, skipping the quieter, more pastoral "On an Island" here performed in full, slightly re-arranged. Gilmour knows his audience and graciously accepts that most of the punters were there to hear the Floyd stuff, but still delivering a fully committed and inspired performance of his new material. It is one thing to be a Pink Floyd fan and quite another to really admire Gilmour and his work as an artist. Yet when he does do the Floyd material he blows everybody right clear out of the water.

As far as Gilmour is concerned Pink Floyd is a thing of the past. It's his heritage and he's justly proud of it, but he has moved on and I say thank god for that, as much of a Pink Floyd fan as I've been. No one was more excited to see him do pieces like "Fat Old Sun", always a favourite of mine and of course, the massive epic "Echoes". It's the only song, by anyone I've ever seen live, that's caused audiences go completely BERSERK on hearing just one single first note, that legendary, archetypal "ping". That one lone, first ping of Wright's Leslied organ lets you know, instantly, that you're in for a half hour deep dive into the very heart of what was Pink Floyd.

"Shine On You Crazy Diamond" is given a slightly new treatment with the verses being sung quietly, in gorgeously rich vocal harmonies along with David Crosby and Graham Nash. It makes me think that Gilmour, Crosby, Nash and Richard Wright, who lends HIS wonderful and underrated voice to the music, should've done an album together. These four sound so good throughout the show it seems like a match made in Heaven. Gilmour and Wright together in Floyd were truly a sumptuous vocal mix and Gilmour makes sure "that night" that Wright gets the recognition he richly deserves, sharing much of the vocal executions with him.

It is actually heart-warming to see Wright's performance. He's wildly inspired, playing and singing better than he did in Floyd since "Wish You Were Here", their last real group album. Gilmour's friendship and solid support seem to have brought Wright back from the dead. In the supplemental extras in this package he says of Wright, "he's become almost ballsy" and it's great to see him full of life, even playfully cavorting around with the other musicians in the band. Gone are the days when Waters' cruel, acerbic, vitriol all but crushed the man's soul to death. So it is something wonderful to see THIS half of Pink Floyd really flourishing and giving it all. It is very sad and rather poignant that this wonderful renaissance in Wright's life was cut short precisely on the 33rd anniversary of the release of "Wish You Were Here".

The only reservation I have, and have always had when it comes to this song, is the inclusion in the program of "Coming Back to Life" from "The Division Bell". It's a song of great personal signficance to Gilmour, I'm guessing, but he can't sing it any more. It's just too high in pitch and here he squawks horribly on it, as he does whenever he sings it live. He sounds so damn good in the rest of the show that this one stands out painfully. Why he doesn't do something like "Take it Back" from the same album instead, is a mystery to me.

"On an Island" sounds even better live than it does on record. I could easily have gone home after hearing it and not heard a note of Floyd and been fully satisfied. "Island" is so inspiringly beautiful, a brilliant and supremely crafted work of art it almost seems abrupt to follow it with anything. But the intermission gives us time to come down a bit off the "cirrus minor" Gilmour glides us up to in the first part of the show. I was floating in bliss after it and I guess it set me up for the spectacular showcasing of Pink Floyd music that followed.

The invitation of David Bowie to sing "Arnold Layne" is genius. I don't think anyone else in the biz has quite the right voice to cover Syd Barrett or the rapport with the material that Mr. Jones has. Bowie's almost boyish thrill at being able to join Gilmour, Wright and band in doing "Layne" and then reprising with a knock-out "Comfortably Numb" is clearly and nakedly visible - it's a great emotional climax to the show.

"Remember That Night"? I can imagine all those who were there will be saying that for the rest of their lives. If you weren't present this DVD gets you just about as close as you can get to the experience as is possible. When I watch this I am so completely blown away that I think that any Pink Floyd reunion would have been just damn stupid. I was and am, still a huge Floyd fan, I saw them on every tour since "Dark Side", sometimes driving hundreds of miles to see them. But I really don't think a reunion would've benefited anyone except the "machines" Floyd themselves sang about in "Have a Cigar". Now that Gilmour's close friend and musical partner, Richard Wright, has passed on it renders any such discussion moot. It is VERY clear here on this DVD, that David Gilmour no longer needs or even desires to return to any form of Floyd. He is WAY past it. I say right on.

For those who search what's in this dvd :

DISC ONE - Live At The Royal Albert Hall:

1 Speak To Me
2 Breathe
3 Time
4 Breath (Reprise)
5 Castellorizon
6 On An Island featuring Crosby & Nash
7 The Blue featuring Crosby & Nash
8 Red Sky At Night
9 This Heaven
10 Then I Close My Eyes featuring Robert Wyatt
11 Smile
12 Take A Breath
13 A Pocketful of Stones
14 Where We Start
15 Shine On You Crazy Diamond featuring Crosby & Nash
16 Fat Old Sun
17 Coming Back To Life
18 High Hopes
19 Echoes
20 Wish You Were Here
21 Find The Cost Of Freedom featuring Crosby & Nash
22 Arnold Layne featuring David Bowie
23 Comfortably Numb featuring David Bowie

DISC TWO -- Bonus Features:

Documentary: The Making Of 'On An Island'
Documentary: The West Coast
Music Videos: 1. On An Island 2. Smile
Bonus Track: Island Jam 2007
Photo Gallery and more!

This DVD is amazing!! David Bowie is Syd Barret 2. His voice in Arnold Layne is incredible. Many songs from pink floyd and others from gilmour's solo album ''on an island''. It's not an accoustic version, it's all electric with visual effects!! Buy this you won't regret.

Echoes was, and still remains, to me the best piece of music ever written by Pink Floyd. It stretches the ears and imagination of the listener...going from melody to rock and roll lyrics to seemingly improvisational flights and then suddenly returning to the original echo. A must "listen again" even 30 years after I first heard it as a teenager in high school. David Bowie is brilliant on Arnold Layne, (how we miss Syd!)and does a good job on Comfortably Numb...the dvd is a full set of David Gilmour's excellence.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, beautiful, and surprising
I hadn't bought Gilmour's 'On An Island' CD yet, so this was a nice introduction to it, a la performed live. Read more

Published 8 months ago by Fusion Head

4.0 out of 5 stars Almost perfect but...
I can't improve over the other review already given - this is one to own for sure. The only issue I have, and it is one that will bother those who buy the Blu-Ray, is that there... Read more

Published 12 months ago by david mc quaid

5.0 out of 5 stars Novmacar
I don't know what the other folks here are watching this on or listening to it with but as far as I'm concerned this is a great blu ray. Read more

Published 13 months ago by Novmacar

5.0 out of 5 stars Living Legend
David Gilmour is a living legend. You just have to admire the MAN that he is. Just look at the simple black T-Shirt, normal pants. You don't see the Steve Tyler type of dress. Read more

Published 14 months ago by Raoul The Great

4.0 out of 5 stars Gilmour is Gilmour
Confortably Numb with Gilmour on Guitar and David Bowie on Vocals is definitely something else, Sorry Roger but David Gilmour on Guitars is real magic to my ears and heart ...

Published 15 months ago by sbournival

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent achat !!
J'ai acheté ce dvd de David Gilmour pour réentendre plusieurs classiques de Pink Floyd. Read more

Published 16 months ago by Parsifal

5.0 out of 5 stars my favorite
this is the best show of D Gilmour. Lots of his stuff and Pink floyd stuff. Astoning performance of special guest! must have it.

Published 20 months ago by eltipito

4.0 out of 5 stars Gilmour Concert
A must have for all fans of Gilmour/ Pink Floyd. Great music and stage effects!
Enjoy!

Published 22 months ago by David L. McAffee

5.0 out of 5 stars remember that night
I received this dvd 1 week after ordering. Not only is the concert very good with guests David Bowie, David Crosby and Graham Nash but I found the extras very interesting in... Read more

Published 23 months ago by Martin Kelly

1.0 out of 5 stars Both audio and video blow
Just got this BD home this afternoon and was unable to finish watching. The video is rubbish unless you like lots of video compression noise and the sound is deplorable. Read more

Published on May 21 2009 by Richard Picard

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