Vanguard

Issue date: 10/8/07 Section: News

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After their humble beginnings in 1965, Pink Floyd is still one of the most recognizable and influential bands of all time. Nowadays, David Gilmour, the 61-year-old guitarist and vocalist for the band, is continuing to create music and has released a two-disc DVD set of live performances to commemorate his music career.

The set titled "Remember That Night - Live at The Royal Albert Hall" includes more than five hours of live performances centering on Gilmour's London concert with guest appearances from David Bowie, Robert Wyatt, David Crosby and Graham Nash. There are also more than two-and-a-half hours of extras and a 20-page booklet with over 80 photos.

According to Gilmour, the DVD set was made for his own personal fulfillment. "I've got something to look at and enjoy with my children," he said during a recent interview. Gilmour hopes to bring in a strong audience with the new DVD and music. He said, "I hope a lot of people will come along for the ride and enjoy it."

This "ride" took sound and light technicians, cameramen and many other behind-the-scenes crew members to bring the DVD to life. Gilmour had his hands in every detail possible, including artwork and mixing. "I'm afraid I'm a bit anal about it. I keep my hand in on everything. And nothing gets on there that I haven't seen and approved thoroughly," says Gilmour.
Gilmour also selected the songs performed on the DVD set. When choosing the songs, Gilmour says, "I tried to make a list of all the songs that were relevant to me from my solo albums to Pink Floyd albums." From there, Gilmour chose, "The ones, after playing them for a while, that we still felt like playing."

Then, there is deciding who to bring on stage with you. For Gilmour, "When I am thinking about getting people in to collaborate, it's all the people that I sort of grew up loving, and that's Crosby, Nash and Bowie." Gilmour feels empowered more than ever as a solo artist saying, "I can pick whatever I really feel like doing. And I would feel uneasy inviting David Bowie to come on and do something with Pink Floyd."

Having this freedom made this one of the most enjoyable tours and experiences of his career. The people Gilmour brought on tour were one of the reasons it was so memorable.

"The whole team that I had with me are brilliant musicians. They are really good and really nice people. The entire crew was the best crew I have traveled with," commented Gilmour. Also, being solo made the whole experience more relaxing for Gilmour, "It didn't have the sort of pressure and so on that you can have when you do Pink Floyd stuff."

Even though Gilmour enjoys his newfound freedom, he still feels, "40 years ago was the absolute best time of my life." After decades, Pink Floyd is still relevant to Gilmour. He says, "It means my entire adult life. You know, I was 21 when I joined Pink Floyd."

Gilmour was college-aged when he became a member of Pink Floyd. Since then, he feels he has gotten away from this age group, but does not stray from his style to accommodate them. "I hope my music appeals to a young audience, but I am not going to go out of my way to try and woo the younger generation into listening to it. It's there for you if you want it."

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