David Gilmour rubbishes claim that legendary Pink Floyd gig ‘almost sunk Venice’

Pink Floyd fans have shared their memories of a gig that “almost sunk Venice” as those who missed out wish they were there.

The band played the show floating on the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy, to promote their A Momentary Lapse of Reason release. Their live performance is considered as one of the more controversial rock performances in history, with 200,000 people attending the free concert on July 15, 1989. Fans are now sharing their memories of the gig, with some saying the ninety-minute show “almost sunk Venice”. While at the time band leader David Gilmour has rubbished the suggestion of damage to the city, journalists at the time said the performance had caused structural problems.

Though controversial, a desire to attend the free gig has spread on the Pink Floyd subreddit. One fan wrote: “Wish I was there.” Another replied: “I have been here at this location but I wish I was here in the photo.” A third has called it their “favourite concert”. Others are sharing the “stories of the chaos this show caused” including alleged structure damage and public restroom errors.

One user wrote: “Caused a massive scandal, almost sunk the city, forced the whole government to resign. 300 tons of trash and no public restrooms for 200,000 people.” The red-green municipal council was forced to resign on July 24 following parliamentary questioning over alleged vandalism and urban hygiene issues.

Pink Floyd plays in Venice 1989
byu/Ignem-Aeternum inpinkfloyd

Speaking after the gig, Gilmour said: “The Venice show was great fun, but it was very tense and nerve-wracking. We had a specific length of show to do; the satellite broadcasting meant we had to get it absolutely precise. We had the list of songs, and we’d shortened them, which we’d never done before. I had a big clock with a red digital read-out on the floor in front of me, and had the start time of each number on a piece of paper.

“If we were coming near the start time of the next number, I just had to wrap up the one we were on. We had a really good time, but the city authorities who had agreed to provide the services of security, toilets, food, completely reneged on everything they were supposed to do, and then tried to blame all the subsequent problems on us. Lots of twaddle was written about it, even by some nice respectable journalists from The Guardian – stuff about our music disturbing the buildings; complete ****ing absolute twaddle.”

Fireworks used at the end of the gig also caused trouble as it exceeded decibel levels allowed by public concerts at the time. It is believed the end of the show at the Redemer festival registered an intensity of 107 decibels.

Mayor Antonio Casellati, who resigned shortly after the concert, claimed approval for the concert was given at a meeting in his absence. He said: “During the city council meeting, I was absent and the council agreed to give the permission for the concert. This also came about due to threats of financial lawsuits against the city.”

In the same interview section, Gilmour further rubbished the claim the concert had damaged the buildings around the show. He said: “A PA sitting a quarter of a mile out in a lake is going to damage buildings that have been there for 700 years? Give me a break.”

Though the band says there was no damage to the city, its mayor, Casellati, says he had to resign as a result of the gig. He said: “After the concert the newspapers were furious and criticised us. The Court of Auditors called us for accountability. We were absolved of any wrongdoing, but the consequence for me was that I had to resign as mayor.”