[rating=4.50]
David Gilmour’s guitar tone is a sound definition of its own: rich, bluesy and atmospheric and laying claim to some of the greatest guitar solos ever (“Comfortably Numb,” “Time,” “Have A Cigar,” “Money”). The voice and guitar of Pink Floyd played a live concert to 50,000 people against the historical backdrop of the Gdansk, Poland shipyards in August 2006, along with the late Richard Wright on keys in his expanded band. This, the final performance of his critically acclaimed 2006 On An Island tour, features the first ever recording of selected Pink Floyd classics performed with an orchestra. Conducted by Zbigniew Preisner, who worked with Gilmour on his 2006 on An Island album, Live in Gdańsk doesn’t allow the orchestra to implode over its boundaries, but instead fuels grandeur for Gilmour as his voices flexes close to perfect and his guitar playing spells "hair raising."
Live in Gdańsk features the entire “On An Island”, capturing the recording’s slow dreamish theme. Gilmour’s remarkable guitar solos are all over the place including brilliant takes of “Fat Old Sun,” “High Hopes” and “A Great Day For Freedom.” But Gdansk’s highlight is “Echoes,” the full 25 minutes of the Floyd classic that rivals the majesty of the Meddle version, as Gilmour’s guitar weeps strong. And this being s one of Wright’s final recorded performances, his vocals on “Comfortably Numb,” make Live in Gdansk as solid a live album as there ever was, even if its not Pink Floyd..it’s damn close.
