Concert starts: 7:30pm

Bridgewater Hall, Manchester

Address of venue: Lower Mosley Street, Manchester, M2 3WS. MAP

Website: www.bridgewater-hall.co.uk

Well, David's tour has now reached the UK, and the first of five nights was met with much acclaim, going by initial reports. Special guests, which we are presuming will be with them for all five UK shows, and a set list which brought few surprises to those who have been following the tour.

Next stop is Glasgow, in Scotland - a country that David has not played in since 1974, when Pink Floyd visited the Usher Hall in Edinburgh...

SHOW REVIEW

By BD contributor, Dave M

It was everything I hoped it would be sound wise but the lighting blew me away. It's a long long time since I've seen lighting so sympathetic to the music.

Right from the opening sound effects tape intro to Breathe, to the closing Comfortably Numb 2 hours and 40 minutes later, my jaw was metaphorically on the floor with amazement. And trust me I've seen a gig or two in my life.

The first half, apart from Breathe / Time / Breathe Reprise was the entire On An Island album. I really like the record but live it takes on a massive life of its own when given the room to breathe (pun not intended).

So many great moments in the first half that when the interval came I could have gone home satisfied.

However if I had I would have missed what is possibly (and this is a bold statement made partially out of the euphoria still coursing threw my veins the morning after) the greatest presentation of a set of live music I have ever witnessed.

I will not go through the second half song by song, although trust me I could.

Suffice to say in my opinion David has now refined the perfect second half. This was the same as he played on the last three US shows. Moving Breath / Time / Breathe Reprise to the first half actually imrpoves the flow of the second half.

The fact he played my three favourite tracks off the Division Bell was great.

Having missed the 1994 tour to see High Hopes live for the first time was a pure joy. This is in my opinion an all time Floyd classic. I thought that would be the highlight for me and it was for the 15 seconds it then took him to follow it with Echoes.

Echoes was simply as stunning a presentation of a single piece of music as I have ever seen live. The lights, sound, performance and lasers meshed to make it a hypnotic experience.

Can't wait to see the show again in London on Monday but it can't be better than last night. Surely?

Thank you David and the band plus Messrs Crosby & Nash for a peerless example of how to deliver a concert which after 32 years of following both Floyd and their solo projects is as good as anything they have ever done before.

If you are going to Glasgow or London in the next few days you are in for the treat of your lives.

Enjoy!

SHOW REVIEW

By BD contributor

I went to the Bridgewater Hall concert last night.

First half was the new album, fronted by 2 tracks from DSOTM. Good music marred by awful sound balance; top end harsh as if the amps were clipping; and a mid-range suck-out so the vocals were lost.

So bad that in the interval I complained to the guys on the sound mixing desk at the back of the hall.

Second half much better sound (had they done something?!) with some great early tracks e.g Arnold Layne.

Ended with a brilliant rendition of Comfortably Numb.

SHOW REVIEW

By BD contributor, Jerry

Saw him in Manchester; superlatives are inadequate. Made me cry in a nice way.

SHOW REVIEW

By BD contributor, Ken

Like everybody else you cannot complain about the music that David chose to play on the setlist, and the stand out song was the excellent version of echoes.

I have had the pleasure in hearing it live before in bygone days but this truly was my highlight of the evening, along with as always comfortably numb although a longer version would have been even better.

My only downside of the concert was the venue, I do not think it was suitable for this type of concert I may be wrong and I am still at a loss to think what was missing but the crowd did not make it to what it should have been , alas I have been spoilt lately with seeing David favorite tribute band a lot, so a little word in the ear of a few of your friends David and 35 miles up the road from Manchester is a venue that I am sure would have made you want to come back again and again.

But I don't think this will happen but as we all know pigs can fly (live8)!

SHOW REVIEW

By BD contributor, MC

Terrific show last night in Manchester, but I have to agree about the sound in the first half. I found myself feeling curiously unmoved by the experience - the sound balance had virtually no bass weight or definition, the high end was too harsh and the vocals a sort of mush. As we were in the circle, I wondered if it was simply to do with where we were seated but as soon as Shine On started it was obvious that they had sorted out the mix - a great improvement.

In spite of this grumble, the highlight of the first half for me was Take a Breath, a song I actually dislike on the album, but which has a fantastic intensity live (helped by a mind-boggling strobe light show). I enjoyed pretty much everything else, but few shivers up the spine.

The second half on the other hand was just simply fantastic, marred only by the appearance of High Hopes which does absolutely nothing for me.

Shine On alone was worth the ticket price but Echos was on another planet - the funky second movement unbelievably .... well ... funky and even the whale stuff in the middle gripped. Other highlights included Arnold Layne and Fat Old Sun, and much to my surprise I found myself rather taken by Wearing the Inside out, with nice vocals from RW. The vocal harmony Stills and Nash thing before Comfortably Numb rather beautiful and the second solo on the finale latter absolutely nailed.

The whole thing topped off my the fact that this morning I had no tinnitus, which suggests that the levels were about right (unlike Earls Court 1994 which was so loud the top end disappeared into a distorted mush and I had ringing in my ears for months afterwards!).

SHOW REVIEW

By BD contributor, Phil from Birkenhead

Hi, went to see David in Manchester last night and i have to say it was absolutely amazing. Echoes itself was worth the entrance money alone. I've waited 13 years to see him live and it was one of my best experiences ever.

Am lucky enough to be sitting in row 5 of the arena on Wednesday (at the Royal Albert Hall) and hopefully it will get me over my Gilmour concert hangover from last night. Can't wait for the DVD!

SHOW REVIEW

By BD contributor, Paul Wightman

It was a tremendous gig last night at the Bridgewater Hall.

The venue itself is pretty impressive and creates a nice informal, modern atmosphere inside, with some excellent acoustics.

The first half of the show was taken up with the new Album (On an Island) as expected, but before we heard the new album in its entirety we were treated to the tapes and backgrounds of Speak To Me which preceded a wonderful rendition of Breathe, Time and Breathe Reprise.

The new songs were played with a lot of feeling and the lighting effects which add to the show, give the music an even more mellow and contrasting appeal. One thing the Floyd lighting buffs have always managed to achieve is a very subtle way of sucking you into the whole experience of seeing a Floyd / Floyd related show with incredible ease.

Second half was every bit a spectacle starting with the wonderful Shine On and delivered in a way which updated it whilst still keeping its sense of soul and emptiness at having lost a great friend i.e. Syd’s departure from the Band all those years ago.

As they say A Lost Friendship is no great freedom.

We then got a number not played live before (as far as I am aware) Wearing the Inside Out which was a nice surprise even if it is not one of the strongest songs on The Division Bell album.

An old favorite of mine next Fat Old Sun (just like myself) which gave us a wonderful acoustic guitar reminiscent of the original before he treated us to a great solo off his red strat (he played nine separate instruments throughout the course of the evening – one of them a sax in the first half on a track called Red Sky at Night.

We then got Arnold Layne played and delivered in its original form which was quite spooky to hear after nearly 40 years.

A few more classics followed off the Division Bell titled Coming Back to Life and High Hopes and then the finale which was Echoes which totally blew me away. It’s one of my favorite Floyd tracks and was the reason I first started to listen to Floyd all those years back. The lighting effects are pretty incredible although I must say the use of the strobes at times appeared incessant and could distract you from looking at the stage as they started to get a little painful on the eyes to some degree. The addition of the lasers in particular slots i.e. just before the last verse heightened the impact even more and created a incredible dynamic feel which bombarded the senses and left one reeling.

The tape effects at the end of this track seemed to last an eternity and gave the band an excellent chance to disappear from the stage without being seen and without even as much as a thank you, kiss my butt, or anything. Something else the old Floyd was very good at doing - adding a little frustration to their shows.

The encores followed WYWH which was a little out of time at the start (we let him off he’s knocking on a bit now – just like me).

This was followed by a track called Find the Cost of Freedom which was sung with David Crosby and Graham Nash – a very short track with no musical instruments other than pure vocal which was excellent to hear.

Last but not least came Comfortably Numb – this was indeed another classic rendition but it’s very frustrating to have a light shining at the back of Dave so he just appears as a silhouette on stage and you cannot actually see him picking the notes.

A great show and a great night……. Wished I was seeing him again but alas it’s not to be – not without paying silly eBay prices for tickets anyway.

“Shine On” Dave – especially if we don’t get to see you again in the not to distant future.

SHOW REVIEW

By BD contributor, Ian Thorley

Bridgewater Hall eh !!!! Must have cost a lot to build. Shame they never saw fit to complete it, or am I missing something ? Apparently, it is a concert hall, but there's no way you'd believe it. It's a pity no one ever comes and visits us in Birmingham, especially when we have one of the most technologically advanced concert halls in the shape of Symphony Hall, and before you all decry it, I just saw Chris Rea there, and it was nothing short of brilliant, which is not what I can say about my experience in Manchester.

I saw Animals in 1977.
I saw The Wall in 1980, and twice in 1981, and I was there on the last ever night they played The Wall together, and went home with a brick.
I saw Gilmour in 1984.
I saw Waters in 1984 (4 times).
I saw the late 1980's tours, Docklands, Man City, etc.
I saw Earls Court in 94.
So, I feel I can call myself a fan, sometimes an insufferable one, but hey...

I saw Gilmour at Bridgewater Hall in May this year... Sorry David, but if On An Island is the best 12 out of 400 songs, you really have lost it, or else Polly has really taken away your talent. Yes it was great to see and hear you play Echoes after 29 years of never seeing it live (apart from Aussie PF), but that was the only highlight. I had to buy my tickets on ebay, at a very extortionate price, but even at face value price, I felt cheated.

David Gilmour in concert, well what happened to stuff from the first two DG albums ? Yes, those that you are re-releasing soon to fill your coffers even more. You're not the man I used to think you were, but hey, you'll never read this, and never take any heed of what is said, and everyone says Roger Waters was the baddy...

David, you chose the wrong venue, you have released the wrong album, you played the wrong stuff live (for the most part), an you seem to have forgotten who really put the money in the bank, it was us, the ones who gave so much, and now get so little in return. On An Island is a poor album to start with, hearing it live was even worse. I left and headed for the bar before the end of the first half. As for bringing on those two jokers Crosby and Nash, HAVE YOU TAKEN LEAVE OF YOUR SENSES ? You've lost one of your greatest fans David. Considering how I used to go on about Britannia Row and what a sound they created for the live gigs, you obviously found an old Danset to play through at Bridgewater Hall.

Angry, betrayed, can't say more or I'll lose it.

Ex FAN

SHOW PICTURES

By BD contributor, Phil Van Dijk