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David Gilmour Kodak Theater.
23.04.2006 Kodak Theater, 3.400 seats, $150 top
By PHIL GALLO Quelle:
Variety
April 19, 2006.
In an artistically expansive and lengthy program, Pink Floyd guitarist-singer David Gilmour proffered all the material on his lush and languid solo disc while dipping deep into the Floyd catalog to find proper material to partner with the new disc's introspective tone. Gilmour's multi-faceted guitar playing is the deserved focal point of the 2½ hours of
musicmaking: Much as he replicates the bulk of the recordings, Gilmour has leveled the playing field between intensity and
peacefulness, lending the overriding organic tone of "On an Island" to the spacier Pink Floyd
tunes.
"On an Island" (Columbia), Gilmour's first solo record in 22 years, is a perfect morning album -- a contemplation of
romance, time and age that's easy to enjoy, even by folks put off by Floyd's excesses and
redundancies. Reprising their vocals for the album onstage, Graham Nash and David Crosby sang a pair of tunes with Gilmour and the band
Wednesday, and it seems their presence is not strictly for harmonies -- Gilmour, for the first time, is taking themes that populate CSN tunes and weaving them through his
own.
It makes for some decidedly un-Floyd-like material with banjos and glass harmonica
("Then I Close My Eyes"), not to mention the folky ballad
"Smile." This is quaint music at its core, save for the jolting "Take My
Breath," and the presentation at the Kodak was as masterful as the
recording.
A number of new songs are constructed with an electronic rumble as the
foundation. Gilmour springs from that sonic wash with both stinging and soothing guitar
lines; he's extended this technique, heard in new age music, to reach a broad range of human
emotion, not settling just for tranquility. There's an overriding
sensation, too, that the sentimental nature of these orchestrations and lyrics spring from an unlikely source -- the Beatles'
"She's Leaving Home" and George Harrison's ballads on "All Things Must Pass." To some
degree, Gilmour is tapping his inner George, moving away from Floyd's man vs. machine tunes and settling into an examination of man's non-adversarial relationship with nature and time.
When the band dug their heels into the 40-year-old "Arnold Layne,"
however, we were reminded how much this group, in their youth, was a psychedelic twist on the early
Who. Like "Layne," Gilmour unearthed a few other forgotten gems that worked well in this
context, specifically the gentle "Fat Old Sun" from 1970's "Atom Heart
Mother."
"Echoes""Echoes" was used to let each member of the band
shine, and this outfit, featuring Gilmour's Floyd mate Richard Wright on keyboards and
vocals, gave the oldies the perfect patina of the recordings. Second guitarist Phil Manzanera -- the rhythm guitar guru from Roxy Music who dazzled during the prog-rock era without ever being excessive -- stuck to rhythm work and did a superb job keeping the music
grounded.
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David Gilmour thrills fans with obscurities.
20.04.2006: By Erik Pedersen
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
LOS ANGELES - David Gilmour and friends began Wednesday's show at the Kodak Theater with a can't-miss mini-medley from
"The Dark Side of the Moon," splicing "Time" into "Breathe" and tossing in some of the "Money" cash-machine
effects.
It was an unapologetic classic-rock kickoff, but this three-hour tour of Gilmour's career was much more than bong fodder for the casual Pink Floyd
fan.
The singer-guitarist referred to that opening salvo as "something to get you warmed up." It predictably
did, drawing a wild standing ovation. Gilmour then told the mostly graying crowd to
"sit back and relax" while the band played "On an Island" -- his third solo album for Columbia and first in 22 years -- in its
entirety. Although a mild murmur of grumbling could be heard as the patrons retook their
seats, the ensuing 70 or so minutes could hardly be tossed off simply as patience-testing filler between Floyd
classics.
The new disc might not be a landmark recording, but Gilmour certainly can't be accused of hanging on in quiet
desperation. Often reminiscent of post- Roger Waters Pink Floyd, "Island" is a lovely if not instantly memorable song cycle with a recurring theme of
water; in concert, its laid-back rhythms, gently evocative orchestration and intermittent smooth-jazz leanings conjured a barefoot beach
stroll.
Backed by a crack band that featured Floyd bandmate Richard Wright -- with occasional backing vocals by David Crosby and Graham Nash -- Gilmour started out in rather rough voice but gained strength during the
show. He switched instruments often, moving from electric to acoustic to steel guitar and taking turns at Dobro and the banjolike
cumbus. He even had a solid go at saxophone during one of the new album's three
instrumentals, but that was overshadowed when veteran Floyd collaborator Dick Parry showed his sax
chops.
Gilmour, who turned 60 last month, often is overlooked amid the slew of brilliant guitarists who emerged from England in the
mid-'60s, but his singular style is instantly recognizable. New and classic solos were precise and
deliberate, alternatively soaring and diving, and they echoed around the high-ceiling hall.
After a 15-minute break, the second set seemed aimed at Pink Floyd's most ardent longtime
fans. Careening yelps of recognition greeted the bluesy guitar intro to
"Shine On You Crazy Diamond," with Crosby and Nash returning to lead the crowd in a full-throated sing-along of the title line. Eschewing his other solo
albums, Gilmour led a Floydian trip through obscurities like the band's 1967 debut single "Arnold
Layne," along with 20 minutes of genuine head music in "Echoes" and such radio-worn classics as
"Wish You Were Here" and show closer "Comfortably
Numb," which featured an extended take on Gilmour's most famous solo.
There were many similar-sounding melodies and meandering instrumental passages -- gripes to which any Floyd nonfan can subscribe -- but no floating pigs or towering
walls, though there were some mid-tech lasers near the end. The show couldn't be called start-to-finish
riveting, but its high points showed the undeniable craft and musicianship of a rock legend.
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