It was a great week for Pink Floyd fans when David Gilmour enthralled the crowds at Madison Square Garden for five nights. The five city, 20+ performance tour in support of his latest album, Luck and Strange concluded with these five magnificent nights at MSG.
Gilmour’s previous visit to the Big Apple in 2016 was a three-night spectacle unto itself, befallen upon Radio City Music Hall and Madison Square Garden. With the imprint those shows left on the city it’s no surprise that three nights sold out in a flash with two additional nights added to satiate the ticket demand.
“5 A.M.” served as the perfect opening for the evening, lending an ambience for Gilmour’s signature guitar sound to break through like a beam of light. Those first few notes seemed enough to already leave people lost for words on what they were in for the rest of the evening. The true spectacle of the shows were his iconic guitar solos – a roaring jam in “Fat Old Sun,” the melodic monologue of “Marooned,” a wailing lamentation concluding “In Any Tongue,” the helpless reminiscence of “High Hopes,” and of course, the unforgettable denouement of “Comfortably Numb.” It is easy to converse with fellow Pink Floyd fans which is the “best” or most “profound,” but in the context of Gilmour’s live shows at The Garden there can be no debate as his guitar work was so masterfully presented in each of his solos.
Luck and Strange was released only a few weeks before he began his tour in Rome, Italy, which gave a limited period for fans to listen to the new material before seeing the shows. It made sense that a few of the new songs had a less boisterous response compared to mainstays from the Pink Floyd catalogue. However, the entirety of Luck and Strange made it into the setlist unlike 2016’s Rattle That Lock which featured just a few songs from the album in that tour. It was very respectable to see the inclusion of the full album when so many fan favorites from Pink Floyd’s history could be selected.
Gilmour structured his two sets with a perfect blend of his new songs and later Pink Floyd era songs, along with a few quintessential songs from Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, and The Wall. Weaving of the new songs with familiar territory created an exciting and refreshing concert experience for hearing the entirety of a brand new album.
Gilmour’s touring band was nothing short of a compliment of talent to each other and to Gilmour himself. His long-time collaborator, Guy Pratt (on bass), has worked with Pink Floyd since the A Momentary Lapse of Reason tour and also toured with Nick Mason’s A Saucerful of Secrets band showcasing the early years of Pink Floyd. Gilmour’s daughter, Romany Gilmour, took lead vocals on “Between Two Points” (a Montgolfier Brothers song) and sang beautifully on an acoustic, stripped-down version of “The Great Gig in the Sky,” demonstrating the forging of a musical legacy on stage within the Gilmour family. Completing the lineup are Greg Phillinganes and Rob Gentry on keyboards, Adam Betts on drums, Ben Worsley on guitar, Louise Marshall on piano/vocals, and the Webb Sisters; Hattie Webb on harp/vocals, and Charley Webb on guitar/ukulele/vocals.
Just as he did at the conclusion of his three 2016 shows in NYC, Gilmour bid the crowd goodnight after thunderous applause, remarking “…we hope to see you again soon.” That statement came true eight years later in 2024, so the door may be open for a few more shows down the road. Until then, let’s remember those nights as priceless musical treasures.
Set 1: 5 A.M., Black Cat, Luck and Strange, Speak to Me, Breathe (In the Air), Time, Breathe (Reprise), Fat Old Sun, Marooned, A Single Spark, Wish You Were Here, Vita Brevis, Between Two Points, High Hopes
Set 2: Sorrow, The Piper’s Call, A Great Day For Freedom, In Any Tongue, The Great Gig in the Sky, A Boat Lies Waiting, Coming Back to Life, Dark and Velvet Nights, Sings, Scattered
Encore: Comfortably Numb
Photos by Rob Tellerman
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