Be Careful With that Axe David

1st Half:
All of On an Island but not played in order due to a fantastic surprise!

2nd Half:
Shine On You Crazy Diamond
Wearing the Inside Out
Dominoes
Fat Old Sun
Breathe
Time
Breathe Reprise
High Hopes
Echoes

Encore:
Wish You Were Here
Comfortably Numb

The atmosphere was great, what better venue could you have than the historic and beautiful Radio City Music Hall in the heart of New York City? Not to mention this is the first show of his North American tour. At 8:00 the lights dimmed down and smoke shot up from the front of the stage and went from one end to another completely blocking all sight. The beginning of “Casterollizon” blared over the speakers and when I say blared might I add that the acoustics in Radio City were by far the best that I have heard in any venue. After the smoke faded away the spotlight shined on Gilmour as he tore up the guitar. After “Casterolizon” ended it went into “This Heaven” which was different than the album which continues into “On an Island.” Eventually “Take a Breath” was played and the light work was incredible, plus it was the first upbeat song played and it really had a great feel and Gilmour’s guitar work was classic. The light work was so ridiculous during “Take a Breath” that I’m surprised I didn’t start convulsing, the lights were bright and pulsating for quite awhile. David then announced that he had a surprise for us and that the reason that he was not playing the album in order was because David Crosby and Graham Nash were going to be taking the stage with him and they were late to the show. The crowd went nuts for their presence and they helped do the harmonies on “On an Island” and I believe “The Blue.” Sorry, the first half was sort of a blur to me when in comparison to the second half. The first set ended with “Where we Start” which was the first song of the show to introduce some great laser work which would later be utilized in the show. They went on a 15 minute break and then the lights slowly dimmed down and I repeat slowly dimmed down. The band took the stage again and played “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” which really got the crowd going. It was an interesting rendition of the song where there were no instrumentals during the vocals, but both Crosby and Nash came out for a second time which sure was a treat. I’m not quite sure if I liked that little touch of no instruments behind the vocals but regardless the song is classic and the intro of it was a fantastic way to start some classic Floyd songs. Following that I believe was “Wearing the Inside Out” which gave Richard Wright a turn on vocals and he did a fantastic job, following that David announced that he was going to be playing a song by Syd Barrrett which was “Dominoes.” After they played “Dominoes” I was praying that it would be followed by “Wots…Uh the Deal” but to my discontent “Fat Old Sun” was played. Now I love this song but I love “Wots…Uh the Deal” more, but after hearing “Fat Old Sun” played live I wasn’t quite as depressed. The solo at the end was astonishing and up to that point it was the highlight of the show. Then the sounds of “Dark Side of the Moon” played over the speakers, the opening of cash registers and ticking of clocks and the crowd ate it up. “Breathe” was then played and following “Breathe” was “Time” and during the chiming of the bells in the intro the lights on the ceiling were spinning along with the chimes which was a pretty interesting touch. David played the song flawlessly and of course there was no doubt that he would do anything less than amazing. “Breathe (Reprise” was played and the crowd really shouted at their top of their lungs for this part which really was a great vibe. “High Hopes” then came and besides a hissing in the speakers for around ten or twenty seconds the song was great, a very powerful Floyd song off of “The Division Bell.” What was to follow was truly the highlight of the show and even the highlight of my life. “Echoes” was then played and it was insane, Gilmour didn’t cheat the crowd with this and played it to completion and the vocals were beautiful and the instrumental was astonishing. The light work for this song was at its best and I’m sure nobody will deny it from being the highlight of the show. The closing of the song brought all the crowd to its feet and it was enough to bring the band out for an encore. The little radio intro to “Wish You Were Here” was played and its obvious what followed. This was certainly a crowd favorite and it had everyone singing because honestly, who doesn’t know the lyrics to “Wish You Where Here?” The show closed with “Comfortably Numb” another crowd favorite and Gilmour completely owned the stage with one of the most amazing guitar solos ever. Upon hearing it live I really might think that it is the greatest solo ever, it is so powerful and unique. The band then all took center stage and invited Crosby and Nash to join and bowed down and thanked the crowd. Did I ever think a show could top U2? Probably not any show that I would see but luckily I was wrong. Pink Floyd is the most amazing band I have ever heard and Gilmour did the classics justice and put on an unforgettable show. Besides his voice cracking maybe two times his voice sounded just like it did on Floyd albums and his guitar playing didn’t diminish a bit. If you did actually read this whole review then I commend you on your patience haha.