The new live album from legendary Pink Floyd guitarist and vocalist, David Gilmour, titled The Luck and Strange Concerts, captures the essence of his 2024 tour of the same name, where he promoted his studio album Luck and Strange.
It’s a double album with 23 tracks and focuses on the material from Luck and Strange, where Gilmour and his band deliver all nine songs from the album’s standard edition, along with a few from its predecessor, Rattle That Lock (2015), and several more from Pink Floyd.
I’m pleased that the album goes beyond being just a collection of songs from Pink Floyd’s golden era, with a handful of Gilmour’s solo tracks, but rather the solo material is expansive, and it flows seamlessly with Floyd’s songs.
Though I think some of the obligatory Pink Floyd tracks that were included are skipable. I understand the reason for their inclusion. They were part of the tour and it’s what many fans expect to hear, but did we really need another version of Breathe, Time, and especially Wish You Were Here? In their place, I would have loved to hear more obscure and intricate tracks from Gilmour’s and Floyd’s discographies.
Interestingly, it includes Fat Old Sun, the oldest song in this collection, written by Gilmour and originally from Pink Floyd’s 1970 album Atom Heart Mother.
On the other hand, there are several cuts from Pink Floyd’s 1994 album The Division Bell, which strike me as very strong choices, especially High Hopes.
Between Two Points, one of the songs from Luck and Strange, remains a real high point in the new repertoire. It features Romany Gilmour on lead vocals, who is the guitarist’s daughter, and in addition to singing, she plays the harp on this emotive track. Romany was present throughout the tour as one of the backing vocalists.
The rest of the band members are a mix of musicians who have accompanied Gilmour before (such as Guy Pratt on bass) and several others who are joining him for the first time. The guitarist has commented that he decided to refresh his lineup, letting go of some players to avoid “a robotic sound,” bringing in fresh energy.
And well, the band doesn’t disappoint. They’re top-tier musicians, and their performances stay true to the studio versions but infused with a unique personality, with warm touches of soul, jazz, and a thoroughly organic sound.
David Gilmour, for his part, has always played his guitar with a certain melancholy, but it strikes me that on this occasion it feels even greater, as if he’s expressing a palpable sadness through his solos, perhaps because he doesn’t know if this will be the last time he performs live. After all, he’s 79 years old.
His age shows especially in his singing voice. Gilmour seems to have the enthusiasm, but he definitely doesn’t have the same vitality he once did.
The album ends with the classic Pink Floyd track Comfortably Numb, because of course it has to end with that song, being one of the most representative tracks of David Gilmour from his Pink Floyd era, but one that also closes with his most iconic guitar solo of all.
I must add that I’m sorry this live collection didn’t include any songs from Gilmour’s 2006 solo album, On An Island, which has always been one of my favorites in the guitarist’s discography.
The album is available in stereo and Dolby Atmos versions. Coinciding with it, a Blu-ray/DVD titled Live at the Circus Maximus, Rome was also released, which contains an entire set from the tour’s concerts performed in Rome.
Anyway, I thought this album wouldn’t hook me as much, considering that at this point Floyd fans, like myself, have heard most of these songs countless times, but in reality I enjoyed it a lot. Gilmour’s band’s touch is excellent, and they perform the songs from their own musical universe, delivering something fresh that’s worth listening to.
Plus, there are some surprises, like new choral parts over the classic songs, along with the novelty of weaving together both the Floyd material and Gilmour’s solo tracks.
The Luck and Strange Concerts is an album that sounds pretty damn good, and an excellent opportunity to revisit the material from Luck and Strange, as well as some Pink Floyd songs.
