David Gilmour: Live in Gdansk Review

Ironically I received this album to review the day Rick Wright had passed away. For those who don't know, Wright performed with Gilmour on his solo tour and is included on this album.

Seeing David Gilmour (with Wright) a few years back at Radio City Music Hall is undoubtedly one of the greatest moments of my life. Gilmour allowed his performance to stand on its own--no flying pigs, no fireworks, and no parading around on stage. Gilmour doesn't need a crutch when performing. On Live in Gdansk however, Gilmour performed with the Baltic Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, and yet, this music still sounds the same. I'll make it simple, there are five reasons why you should own this album:

1. "Echoes"

2. Gilmour is God

3. "Comfortably Numb"

4. "Fat Old Sun"

5. "Echoes" again

One thing that live Floyd albums of the past lacked was an inclusion of "Echoes", easily the greatest song from their entire catalog. Lucky for us, Gilmour performed the hell out of this song and included it on this double disc. And don't fret, this is "Echoes" in all of it's twenty five minute grandeur, it includes all the bombast, all the ambiance, and all the majesty, and if that weren't enough, it adds more intensity than the original. The heavy drum sections have more bite and the guitar solos scream just that much louder. If you haven't quite picked it up yet, you should run out to any store that sells this album and without a moment to think insert disc two, and put on track five and turn the volume to eleven (I'm sorry for the Spinal Tap reference, it's just too hard to pass up) and get ready to rock.

Aside from "Echoes" (which I can't emphasize how great it is), this album includes Gilmour's On an Island album performed in its entirety, which is nothing to die for, but it's a good album and is performed well. The second disc is all Floyd material, ranging back to their first album to their last. Gilmour shreds on every song, but "Fat Old Sun" and "Comfortably Numb" have two stand out solos that will absolutely blow you away.

One may think that considering there is an orchestra playing with Gilmour the music would have a different sound, this couldn't be further from the truth. It's almost as if there is no orchestra present, which I suppose can be argued for a good thing or bad, but the songs sound exactly like they did without an orchestra.

Gilmour can play the guitar like no one else, and his live performance is a testament to that. Any Floyd fan should own this solely based on the fact that "Echoes" is included in its entirety. It's also rather fitting that this is released shortly after Rick Wright passed away. It's one of the final mementos we can take away from an overlooked but incredible artist.

Grade: A+