Decades have passed since David Gilmour first played Pompeii. It is wild enough to say you have played the abandoned amphitheatre once. Twice is borderline impossible. Yet Gilmour shows he and the music of Pink Floyd will prevail against the odds, as is the case for Live at Pompeii. There is a suggestion of an end found on this Live at Pompeii album. Both Gilmour and Roger Waters are so closely tied to their works with Pink Floyd that the last decade of their careers has been a series of trying to one-up themselves and their output together. Waters’ tour of The Wall, Gilmour returning to the stop-offs which are synonymous with beloved Pink Floyd moments. It all feels sincere, at least. Live at Pompeii is a two-hour live album which keeps the thrill of all-time great progressive rock alive as it is mixed with Gilmour’s solo efforts.
Crucial to this solo performance is that Gilmour’s solo works, particularly his at-the-time contemporary songs like Rattle That Lock, fit into place. They do. Not the most incredible songs and certainly paling in comparison to his Pink Floyd efforts, but a thoroughly fine piece to open the show with after the instrumental thrills of 5 A.M. Live at Pompeii shifts gear early on, with Gilmour’s stellar performance backed by some thrilling instrumental variety on Faces of Stone. A heartbreaker of a song and a well-placed, early piece to warm the crowd with. Instrumental form is what makes or breaks the work of Gilmour. Where it is easy to dip in and out of Live at Pompeii on a first listen, returning to it only heightens the senses. The Blue is a rapturous instrumental moment, followed closely by The Great Gig in the Sky. The quality of the latter song is inevitable, but it informs the surprise of those solo efforts preceding it.
This is not just a trip down memory lane but an example of contemporary progressive rock, Gilmour remains at the peak. There is no way of replicating the spectacular Wish You Were Here studio moments. None of Pink Floyd have managed to articulate those songs live in a capacity worth hearing. Still, a solid go of it features on Live at Pompeii, which overall is a remarkable live section playing on the memories of hardened Pink Floyd fans. Money is a stellar moment – likely the high of the set. Brilliant saxophone work on top of an instrumental cut, which does not drift too far from what was first heard on The Dark Side of the Moon. Much of Live at Pompeii rests on how impressed you are with Gilmour as a guitarist. His lengthening of most songs hears him riff away, and it is a delight for most pieces.
One of These Days into Shine On You Crazy Diamond is the stuff dreams are made of. A song which Pink Floyd had played in that very same amphitheatre, followed by their best song. Gilmour does well to leave his solo mark on these works. He is not just treading water with these pieces. They are a shade of what Pink Floyd created but with emphasis on the guitar, once more. Fat Old Sun, too. Parts of his solo discography stick out, too, with the often-overlooked On An Island thankfully paid its dues. Live at Pompeii never departs from the rigid, Pink Floyd-heavy experience, but it does mark a moment where the band’s music is given some soft homecoming-like moment. Back to Pompeii with belters from the past. Gilmour is the right man for the job, and proves as much over an often-extraordinary set.
David Gilmour is the MAN !!!!!!!! 🎼🎶🎵🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸