DAVID GILMOUR IN CONCERT

As a huge Gilmour fan for all of my life, there was no doubt I had to have this DVD, and overall it doesn't disappoint. If I could use one word to describe this, it would be this: classy. Dave makes it clear right from the start that he's not going to put out exact recreations of the setlist--specifically the Floyd classics. Instead, Dave is at the forefront of every song, interpreting each with a melower tinge, and accompanied by a wide range of instruments, backing vocalists, and guest appearances.

As Easy Livin noted, this DVD can get flat-out boring in some places--especially if you were expecting to rock out to your favorite Floyd tracks and was expecting a gargantuan light show. Also, there's nothing particularly impressive about what Dave is doing here: lots of relatively simple strumming and (at this point in his career) strained vocals. But of course here and there you hear him sing a line or let loose a guitar riff, and you remember what a musical force he has been and that it's a treat to see him still up there. Also, the backing vocals (especially on Coming Back to Life) and instrumentation (particularly the cello on High Hopes) are very well- done. Of course, there are some of the drawbacks to live shows (especially this intimate environment), where idiot crowd members let out irritating whoops when they realize that Dave is playing Shine On...even when everyone else in the audience knew what song it was a minute earlier.

This is essential to any Dave fan, but necessarily for all Floydians (especially those more in the Waters camp). I personally would love to have been there, and can appreciate the fondness the musicians and crowd had for each other, but musically there is nothing spectacular here.