Freed from the shackles of what Pink Floyd has become, David Gilmour sounds positively liberated on his new live DVD, David Gilmour in Concert. The years have snuck up on him, as it inevitably does to all of our heroes, but his voice is even more expressive now than it has ever been. He's actually becoming more like his long-estranged counterpart Roger Waters, and that's a good thing, a great thing in fact.

They are both world-weary veterans having finally arrived at similar crossroads in their lives after drifting apart in their not-so-distant youth. Both men's voices are thinning, sometimes straining to reach notes. While Waters is still the bleeding-heart poet, and Gilmour still the guitar virtuoso, both seem tired of the bloated excesses of the rock n' roll machine that had welcomed them with open arms all those years ago, instead opting to embrace a more deconstructed approach to performing.

Even moreso than Waters' latest hits tour, Gilmour has unearthed rarely performed gems and obscure covers, and has re-invented overplayed classics. The result is breathtaking. His take on Syd Barrett's seminal Terrapin is pure magic, and Dick Parry's sax solo on Shine On is a freeform revelation. It's this sense of experimentation that has been missing from Gilmour's repetoire since he and the Floyd recorded Dark Side. He's even managed to take his latter-day Floyd tunes into exciting new directions. Take High Hopes for example, what once sounded somewhat inflated and bombastic confined to its awkward Floyd-by-numbers construct, has now taken on a more stripped and organic flavor. Even his lyrics play better without the baggage of the brand name. It's also wonderful to see Richard Wright, playing Breakthrough from his own Broken China album, sounding relaxed and beautiful.

Much of the beauty of the performances is in the rawness of the sound; often times you can hear each finger slide down the fret, each bend of the string. It's a clear and pristine recording to be sure, but it's not sterile and perfect, it's live, alive. Listening to the 5.1 surround, you could swear Gilmour is just feet away, acoustic guitar slung over his shoulder, entertaining guests at an intimate gathering.

The bonus features are equally rewarding. Gilmour's cover of "Don't", the Leiber and Stoller song made classic by Elvis Presley, is heart-wrenchingly beautiful, and his rendering of Shakespeare's Sonnet 18, with Michael Kamen, is sublime.

I was quite frankly shocked at how much I enjoyed this DVD. I've already played it more times than I've played Waters' excellent In The Flesh Live. I'd nearly forgotten how definitive Gilmour's guitar sound is, and how much I missed his voice. It's truly the sound of a wisened man with nothing to prove, a man no longer haunted by the ghost of Roger Waters. If this release is any indication of things to come, I will be waiting with just as much anticipation for Gilmour's next solo album as I am for Roger's, and praying for old friends to make amends.

If David Gilmour's music had evidenced this kind of vision for the last decade and a half, he might have immunized himself from the scorn of those who thought Pink Floyd suffered a beheading when Roger Waters departed. Gilmour has absolutely reinvigorated many of these songs. Some are performed with substantially new arrangements for the very first time, no longer suffocated by Gilmour's almost military precision during Pink Floyd's last two tours. Gilmour even includes two songs from Syd Barrett's solo repertoire, "Terrapin" and "Dominoes," preserving their surreal playfulness without succumbing to the frustration and anxiety that pervade Barrett's own recordings. Most refreshing of all, Pink Floyd classics such as "Comfortably Numb," which has never sounded quite right without a united Floyd, finally bloom under the stewardship of a band capable of recapturing some elusive but essential qualities of the original recordings. This great song has suffered endless failed makeovers, including execrable vocals by Van Morrison in Berlin and Bruce Hornsby in Seville as well as Gilmour's soulless arrangement from 1984 to 1994 that sounds in retrospect not altogether unlike grunge metal. The versions on this DVD begin at a slow, sedate pace that should transfix listeners of such bands as the Grateful Dead and the Cowboy Junkies. Each features a different vocalist substituting for Roger Waters. I slightly favor Bob Geldof, whose starring role in The Wall film certainly bolsters his credibility here, but both successfully execute the hushed expressiveness that characterizes Waters' vocals. The atmosphere unravels as it was intended, fraught with trepidation in the beginning, anasthetized on a cushion of air when Gilmour's chorus melts the tension, and soaring above everything once Gilmour unleashes the greatest guitar solo ever played, which always sounds as though it wants to continue wailing forever.

Other highlights of the performance that merit special comment include "Smile," debuting here, a beautiful new song similar in style to "Green is the Colour"; "Je Crois Entendre Encore," a serene but haunting Bizet aria; "Fat Old Sun," Gilmour's first performance of his 1970 composition since that era; and "Breakthrough," from Floyd keyboardist Rick Wright's underappreciated 1996 solo album, Broken China. Although Sinead O'Connor sang "Breakthrough" on the album, Wright appears here as a guest (to great applause) and performs the vocals with Gilmour's band. Accordingly, this is the only version of one of Wright's best songs that he actually sings himself. One should also take care not to neglect the special features the DVD offers in addition to the main performance. Even presented alone, they would stand among the most interesting artifacts in the Pink Floyd universe, and longtime fans should applaud the powers that be for finally realizing that these experiments and curios merit commercial release. The most interesting is the choral version of "High Hopes," where Gilmour brings his dozen background vocalists to the foreground and treats the audience to a haunting tone poem. Minimalism triumphs as the choral component alone proves more arresting than "High Hopes" itself, as beautifully chilling as the "Celestial Voices" part of Floyd's psychedelic melange, "A Saucerful of Secrets." Also included is William Shakespeare's Sonnet 18 ("Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? . . ."), sung by Gilmour to music by Michael Kamen, Gilmour's current pianist and an alumnus of Roger Waters' band (and also the man who paired Guns n' Roses and Metallica with the Philharmonic). Kamen's "lite FM"-style arrangement is almost muzak, exacerbated by accompanying imagery reminiscent of Japanese karaoke footage, but it's a nice song and an interesting companion to "Golden Hair," Syd Barrett's 1970 adaptation of a James Joyce poem.

The real talent behind Pink Floyd? You be the judge. Everyone seems to give Roger Waters the nod. And I'm not here to take anything away from Waters. He is a very talented lyricist, and was definitely a very bold, creative force behind the huge success of Pink Floyd. But watching this DVD, and seeing Gilmour do what he does with those guitars of his, and hearing his effortlessly recreated renditions of some classic Floyd tunes, tells me that at least musically this is the person responsible for the band's popularity. He is a fantastic guitarist and is responsible for writing and playing some of my favorite songs of all time (i.e. Shine On, Comfortably Numb, Wish You Were Here, etc.) I have to admit that it is a bit disconcerting to see David Gilmour looking more like your dad than the Rock and Roll Guitar God that he is. But as soon as you hear him strum those familiar tunes, and hear that soothing voice of his, it doesn't matter. I agree with the previous reviewer though ... he could have dressed a little more for the occasion. But the bottom line is, he knew that he didn't need to. Once the first note was played no one would be paying any attention to anything else anyway. Although laid back, this is a great DVD and full of some great music. If I lost it I would buy it again.

Quick summary:

Audio quality: (10/10) I own 20 concerts, this is number one in audio quality. Gilmour sounds better now than he ever did. Not kidding.

Video Quality: (8/10) Crystal clear; 16x9 native; not HD I believe. Example: Rush "R30" was shot in HD, give that a 10/10 for video quality. Gilmour's is excellent though.

I have been a huge Pink Floyd fan since the 70's. The Wall, Dark Side of the Moon, Final Cut, Animals, Wish You Were Here, etc. are GREAT albums. I got into Momentary Lapse of reason a little and didn't listen to Division Bell.

This concert is not like traditional Floyd shows but much more intimate. David Gilmore is upfront singing and playing guitar. He has 9 back up singers (awesome!) another guitarist, bass, drums, piano, and cello. This concert doesn't "rock" in a classic rock sense- it is kind of like a Gilmore "unplugged" and it is in a more intimate setting.

The first time I watched it I was kind of disappointed. "Not like Floyd!" Then I liked it more and more each time. Now I can't get enough of it. Beautiful melodies and harmonies. A full, rich, beautifully mixed sound. Every instrument is crystal clear. Highly recommended if you have the patience to get to know it. (Aren't all great albums like that? If you love it at first you get sick of it, if you are unsure at first and grow to love it, then it stays with you forever...)

The main one of which is, who'd have thought that "Pink Floyd Unplugged" would sound so wonderful?! I've managed to get to numerous Floyd "Uber-Gigs" over the years in London, but this is one that I would've sold me-old-granny's-tin-leg for a ticket to!!!

The highpoints? Too many to mention!!! But for me one of the stand-out tracks is "High Hopes;" this is an absolutely heart-breakingly beautiful rendition, complete with English Horn, Cello, and "Choir!" that just gets better with each viewing. Who'd have thought that Floyd's trademark bombast could sound so delicate?!

Gilmour has a very tight band behind him, but it's his own obvious enjoyment of the performance that makes this something to savor. You can see it on the very first track, "Shine On You Crazy Diamond 1-5," as he smiles appreciatively when a couple of the more vocally enthusiastic members of the audience shout out their joy at hearing this unplugged version of the opening number. Later on he makes a crack about the boot-leggers cueing up their tape machines because he's going to play a new track, and when someone begs him to play something from "Animals," he jokes that they'll still be there long after "turfing-out time" if they do!

And speaking of tracks from "Animals," Gilmour has often said that the reason they don't play them in concert is that they need Rog's particular brand of sneering vocals to do them justice. Well, I think they've found a replacement, in the slightly shambling figure of Sir Bob "Pink" Geldof, who does a great rendition of "Comfortably Numb."

I've mentioned a couple of times that this is an "unplugged" gig, and it is, but Gilmour rewards us with some wonderful slide guitar, particularly on "Shine On You Crazy Diamond 6-8," and then allows himself to rock-out on the sublime "Comfortably Numb," with Sir Bob at his side.

But this is not just about `classic' Floyd, Gilmour pays homage to Syd with "Shine On..." and also plays "Terrapin" and "Dominoes," neither of which has probably been played at a Floyd gig for over 30 years... wonderful stuff! We also have Bizet's "Je Crois Entendre Encore," Richard Thompson's "Dimming of the Day," and a beautiful guest appearance by Rick Wright singing "Breakthrough" from his "Broken China" album. He gets quite a reception from the audience, and clearly enjoys every second he's up there in the spotlight.

This is a wonderful concert, with Floyd's signature numbers stripped down and played with passion and delicacy in the relatively intimate atmosphere of London's Royal Festival Hall, more used to the hosting of classical or neo-classical concerts than the performance of a genuine Rock-God! Anyone who has even a passing liking of Pink Floyd, or anyone who is serious about rock music, should add this to their collection!

As for the concert presentation itself... flawless! You get some fantastic views of the performances from multiple angles, but rarely see a camera operator on or around the stage. The lighting is subtle and perfectly compliments the scaled-down production... sorry, no lasers, "droids," or the famous circular screen!

The DVD itself is exemplary; this is how a music DVD should be put together, from the animated menus, using assorted clips and sound fx, including the classic 4 note introduction to "Shine On..." to the option to view the concert with a Stereo or 5.1 soundtrack! The extras are wonderful, and my favorite is a "Home Movie" of Dave and the Choir practicing Bizet's "Je Crois Entendre Encore," and "Shine On..." At one point Dave and various members of the choir are discussing a particularly difficult transition within "Je Crois Entendre Encore," and in frustration Dave says they'll do it the way they have been, and "F*** Bizet!" And for the guitar technicians out there, there's a section called "Spare Digits," which are basically extreme close-ups of Dave's finger-work on 6 separate tracks! All in all a superb DVD, and one that I'm going to revisit often!!!