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LIVE AT THE ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL 2002
I have been a huge fan of Pink Floyd for some time now. I have yet to find a
band that could ever come close to their mastery of mood, nuance, texture
or emotion. Ever since my feeble ears heard Dark Side of the Moon so many
years ago, I have been intoxicated by the astounding and gorgeous playing
of David Gilmour. Well now that Pink Floyd seems to be in an indevinite
holding pattern, David Gilmour has decided to do some 'unplugged'
performances
of Floyd's greatest material, alongside some of his more obscure solo
material. I have to admit to not being a huge fan of the 'unplugged' trend,
nor do I
tend to enjoy listening to stripped down versions of songs that have been
burned into my psyche for so many years, but after listening and watching
this
DVD a few times, I have mixed feelings on the subject.
We all know Gilmour is one of the tastiest and refined guitarists of our
times, and his songwriting skills are unmatched. But to hear a naked version
of
'Shine on You Crazy Diamond' with just guitar and voice really does nothing
to enhance the overall songs structure, let alone throw a new spin on the
song.
What makes Pink Floyd's music so timeless and identifiable is the fact that
this band has a signature style and sound, and to remove that is to leave it
all
but sounding completely hollow. I understand Gilmours attempt, and I applaud
him for it to the highest degree, but the material simply has no business
being subjected to the unplugged treatment. Gilmour embelishes the
performances with a bevy of background singers and assorted musicians who
for the
most part play in a very pedestrian and non-involved sort of way, which is a
shame because had this been a Pink Floyd 'Un-Plugged' session, the results
could have been magical. Overall, Gilmour's guitar sounds a bit thin and
lacks the atmospheric sound he is known for, and at times, his voice is
simply not
what it used to be. Now don't get me wrong, this guy simply astounds me as
an artist/musician/performer/songwriter, and I can't get enough of him on
the
whole, but this DVD does not showcase his best assets. On a positive note,
the material spans from early Floyd numbers to some of the darker material
from the 'Division Bell' (a woefully ignored album) with assorted solo
Gilmour tracks which gives the viewer a good sampling of this mans talents
and accomplishments to modern music. Gilmour is in fine mood while
performing and lends a lighthearted air to the performance, but even his
joyfull spirit can't
lift this DVD from just another pedestrian performance. I recommend this
only to die-hard Gilmour fans and to those who want to see the true light
shine, check out the 'Pulse' or 'Delicate Sounds of Thunder' DVD's. That is
what Pink Floyd and David Gilmour are all about.
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