Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
The rarity of transition in a live album is rarely found in time, the sense of movement not coming from the players on stage, or the expression of sound, it comes from showcasing songs from different venues, different performances, alternative views from audience’s perspectives across time itself; this is an almost unique situation from one of Britain’s most celebrated musicians, and with his new album The Luck And Strange Concerts expertly melding his own colourful career with songs from Pink Floyd, what becomes evident is the proof of how music travels with a gift of perfection; a gift of unison unspoiled.
Recorded live at the Brighton Centre and The Royal Albert Hall in the U.K, the Circus Maximus in Rome, and the Intuit Dome and Madison Square Garden in the United States of America, the tour is not just a showpiece of exceptional music, it is a symbol of how music transcends borders, that regardless of the language sung, it is the communication of the instruments that make conversation, that regardless of being in Italy, Russia, in the deep lush jungles of Africa, or in the solitude of a small deserted island, all sound as though they are delivered with harmony to nations forever assured.
Released in various formats, the album’s track listing is one of statement, of intention that befits one of the great statesmen of Progressive Rock, and as songs such as Black Cat, Breathe (In The Air), Time, Fat Old Sun, Marooned, Wish You Were Here, High Hopes, Sorrow, In Any Tongue, The Great Gig In The Sky, Coming Back To Life, Dark And Velvet Nights, and the finale of the sumptuous Comfortable Numb all combine to make time a malleable and supple reflex that is consistent and persuadable; it matters not that the songs may be half a century old, what matters is that the very action of its continued existence is never lost or worn out, it survives because music always remains relevant and beautiful.
The Luck And Strange Concerts is a powerful indictment of the power of music to transcend spoken language, a live album which captures a serenity in which the listener understands the effect of broadening the mind through travel even when the subject never alters; passionate and consummate, this is David Gilmour doing what he does best.
Ian D. Hall