Review: Jack Foley
THEY may not have performed together for 24 years but Dave Gilmour,
Roger Waters, Nick Mason and Rick Wright rolled back the years
to ease Live 8 into its closing stages on Saturday, July 2, 2005.
The band's reunion was a suitably memorable way of bringing such
a momentous occasion to a close and did not disappoint.
Gilmour's guitars remain as crisp and awe-inspiring as ever,
while the presence of Waters merely added the icing on the cake.
The veteran rockers played four songs, the best of which were
the final two - Wish You Were Here and Comfortably
Numb.
The former was played acoustically, with both Gilmour and Waters
taking on duel responsibility with the chords, and Gilmour delivering
the whimsical lyrics - 'how I wish you were here, we're just two
lost souls, swimming in a fish bowl year after year'.
Earlier in the set, the traditional image of the flying pig above
the landmark towers of Battersea Power Station filled the big
screens behind the performers.
|
|
While the words of Money
seemed to take on chilling significance, given the motivation
behind the day.
It was an appropriate song to mark the biggest occasion that
was delivered as only a big band knows how.
Best of all, however, was the closing number, Comfortably
Numb, which featured a vocal trade-off between Waters and
Gilmour (it was little wonder that Waters confessed to feeling
emotional).
It was during this number, in particular, that Gilmour's guitar
prowess was showcased and his epic riffs swept all before them.
Comfortably Numb remains one of Pink Floyd's greatest
anthems and there wasn't a person among the audience who didn't
seem transfixed - even though the women on the shoulders had been
replaced by air guitar-playing men.
The Floyd reunion was something to behold and it was a fitting
way to ease the concert into its final stages.
Pink Floyd to donate Live
8 profits to charity
U2 set reviewed
Coldplay at Live 8: Live
reaction
Stereophonics
at Live 8: Review
REM at Live 8: Review
Keane at Live 8: Review
Snoop Dogg reviewed
Razorlight show
no sign of nerves at Live 8
Madonna ensures her Music
makes people come together
Live 8: Overview (the day in review)
|