The classic rock fans of Southern California have recently been blessed with shows by aging but still “got it” guitar-god frontmen. First, Eric Clapton came to town on October 12, barely a year after his probable last-ever Crossroads Festival hit Los Angeles in September 2023. Now iconic axe wielder David Gilmour is blasting his way through four area shows – the first U.S. stop of his Luck and Strange tour was last Friday at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood. This week, he is doing three shows at the venerable Hollywood Bowl. The October 30, 2024, show was the second night at the Bowl, and Gilmour graced a sold-out crowd with most of the songs from his new album but truly thrilled them with several Pink Floyd classics.
David Gilmour may not have sole rights to the guitar-god title, but very few musicians still alive and performing can compete for his place in rock history. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s work with Pink Floyd is legendary, and he was the driving force behind their last three albums after Roger Waters’ rancorous departure from the band in 1985. He also has released five solo albums, the most recent Luck and Strange, this September. The four shows he’s doing in SoCal would sell out even if he toured more than once every eight years (that’s the last time he played in the US and at the Hollywood Bowl)…and even if this North American “road trip” was more than just two cities (the U.S. tour ends at New York City’s Madison Square Garden with five shows, Nov. 4-10). Throw in that Gilmour is 78, and it’s no wonder that fans flocked from across the country and the globe to catch one or more of these scarce shows. We talked with several visiting fans, including a guy who excitedly told us he had flown from New Zealand to attend all three Hollywood Bowl shows.
Gilmour’s new record is his first in nine years since 2015’s Rattle That Lock. The new music inspired him to get back on the road, even in a limited capacity. The songs from Luck and Strange were mixed into both sets at the Bowl show. “Black Cat,” the title track, “A Single Spark,” and “Vita Brevis” appeared in the first set. Gilmour’s vocals have become raspier over the years, but he can still belt out the lyrics in key and with passion. His stringed “voice” was on point all night as Gilmour switched between electric Fenders and Gibson guitars, an acoustic six and twelve string, and a lap steel. His second guitarist, Ben Worsley, mirrored Gilmour’s flexibility and periodically stood out with slide and finger-picking solos. The Bowl’s sound system was clear and loud, with the expert mix emphasizing the featured performers. Gilmour delivered what everyone came to hear as his distinctive solos screamed through the cool Hollywood Hills nighttime air.
Pink Floyd classics from The Dark Side of The Moon, “Breathe” and “Time,” were paired together in the first set for a mystical trip down memory lane. Backing vocalists Louise Marshall, sisters Hattie and Charley Webb, bassist Guy Pratt, and keyboardist Greg Phillinganes provided brilliant harmonies during “Breathe.” Phillinganes handled lead vocals for the first part of “Time,” the iconic, animated roving clocks imagery from the ‘70s was displayed on the large, round screen behind the stage. Gilmour and the other musicians mostly stayed still during the show, save for the synchronized swaying of the backing vocalists, so it was up to the lighting and visual effects director to provide a creative accompaniment to the music.
The show’s visuals blended traditional Pink Floyd and newer elements – the smoke machines worked overtime while wandering mood lights filled the stage. Gilmour was too often shrouded in smoke and silhouette lighting, but whenever the smoke cleared, and an overhead spotlight highlighted him and his guitar, the crowd went wild. “Fat Old Sun” from 1970’s Atom Heart Mother started with Gilmour on acoustic guitar and Worsley on lap steel. An image of a glowing orange sun filled the backstage screen. The soft opening sequence transitioned as Gilmour traded his acoustic guitar for a beat-up-looking but fine-sounding Fender Telecaster that he used to deliver a booming solo.
Two songs were most memorable from the opening set – one classic Pink Floyd and the other, a cover of a song by the UK indie-pop duo Montgolfier Brothers that appears on the new album. When Gilmour and Worsley broke into the poignant, beautifully played “Wish You Were Here” acoustic guitar duet, there was a 17,000-strong harmonic assembly to accompany Gilmour’s vocals. Worsley switched back and forth from an acoustic twelve-string to his lap steel, while Gilmour played the stirring lead on his acoustic six-string and crooned the lyrics.
The thing that made the cover of “Between Two Points” so special was the appearance of Romany Gilmour, David’s 22-year-old daughter, who is an accomplished singer and harp player who recorded the song with her Father on the new album. While playing her small hand-held harp, she sang lead as Dad played and proudly looked on from behind his lap steel guitar. Her stunning vocal phrasing led to her father’s explosive solo, which he performed after switching back to one of his regular electric guitars. Romany stayed to help with backing vocals for the set ending “High Hopes,” a track from The Division Bell, and for the remainder of the show. While the crowd did not see a flying pig during this show, they played with giant white balloons that were released into the audience during “High Hopes” and matched the imagery on the screen behind the stage.
The second set emphasized Gilmour’s solo material more and was light on Pink Floyd songs, but those that turned up were significant. Gilmour pointed out that his wife, Polly Samson, provided most of the lyrics for his songs since The Division Bell, including one of the new songs from Luck and Strange, “The Piper’s Call.” It was a lovely vocal duet with Romany. The two Gilmours stood next to each other as they sang the softer part of the song before Dad let it rip with another awe-inspiring solo. Before showing off more of the new material, the band did a particular version of Dark Side’s “The Great Gig in the Sky.” Louise Marshall played a grand piano topped with candles set up in the middle of the stage. David Gilmour sat beside the piano behind his lap steel guitar, while the Webb sisters and Romany Gilmour stood behind the piano. The mesmerizing piano riff, lap steel slide notes, and wailing female vocalizations under spotlights highlighted the set.
“A Boat Lies Waiting” from Rattle That Lock, kept Marshall behind the grand piano. David Gilmour stayed on lap steel, while Guy Pratt played an upright acoustic bass, and Ben Worsley played another lap steel. The beautiful, emotional song, co-written with Samson, is about the late original Pink Floyd pianist Richard Wright, who loved the sea. David harmonized with all the ladies: Ben Worsley, Guy Pratt, and Greg Phillinganes. Gilmour then talked about writing “Coming Back To Life,” from The Division Bell, for and about his wife, who he credits with saving him years ago from a time when he was overindulging in booze and drugs. She got him clean, and he gave her all the credit. The touching song opened with Gilmour in silhouette on the dark stage as he soloed, accompanied by a haunting organ riff, before glowing orange stage lights came up, and the rest of the band joined in.
The set ended with three more songs from Luck and Strange: “Dark and Velvet Nights,” “Sings,” and “Scattered.” The lighting engineer waited until the second set to introduce lasers to the show’s visual elements. Those trippy effects meshed well with the new songs as each featured psychedelic, heavy keyboard sequences and massive guitar solos. When the stage lights went down, and Gilmour said goodbye, everyone knew it was just a tease because mere minutes later, the band returned for his most famous guitar masterpiece, The Wall’s “Comfortably Numb.” The laser effects blended with the heavy smoke to create a memorably trippy audio-visual journey as Gilmour launched into his most famous solo, parts 1 and 2. As Gilmour gave everything he had, it felt like the grand finale of a fireworks display as he, the band, and the video director pulled out all the stops for the last hurrah.
No one knows what the future holds for Gilmour. He has expressed interest in writing and recording more new material. His publicist told us that he will tour again—the question is when and if he can stay healthy enough to do another globe-trotting tour. After seeing his strong performance at the Hollywood Bowl, which introduced solid new music and allowed his fans to relive his classics, we anxiously await any and all future output and appearances by one of the few remaining guitar rock gods.
