P-U-L-S-E

What is there to be said about the Pink Floyd live experience. It is a visual spectacle unlike any other live band ever. Now, in 1994 Pink Floyd release its final studio album in the Division Bell (7 years after the disappointing A Momentary Lapse of Reason) and released the live album of PULSE in 1995 along with a video of the same concert. For the longest time acquiring a copy of this video was a rare chance, and the announced DVD of this concert had been in the works for many years. After not fulfilling the expected date of December 2006 for release, the DVD was released in early July of 2006 will less hype about it (because people looking to buy it were already anxious for it). So you might be asking yourself, if I have the live album for it what's the point in owning the DVD? I'll tell you why, the presentation. If this were presented in any other way than it was I might have just said if you own one don't bother with the other, but this DVD is different. But it's more than just the concert, there is a lot to offer on this new reissue. I'll get more to that later.

Anyway, the video is split up onto two discs with the first disc being made up of the non-Dark Side of the Moon songs and the encores (so everything that was played before DSotM and the encores is on this disc). It opens with the classic concert version of Shine On You Crazy Diamond. Now I will mention this many times throughout this review, but I will say that the visual presentation that they put forth is just out of this world. From the abstract videos courtesy of Storm Thorgerson to the phenomenal lighting show (which is probably the most dynamic and expansive lighting rig I've ever seen) this show has a visual flare that is unlike any other video I have. I don't really have to describe what goes on musically because if you want that read my review of the live album counterpart. I will make an assessment of this, though. The real treat of the first half is the inclusion of One of These Days, the epic instrumental (save one line of dialogue) getting a phenomenal rendition and Guy Pratt performing incredibly well at the fantastic bass line that that song has. That rounds out the concert portion of the first disc. Also included on the first disc of this colleciton are the screen videos for three of the pieces played during the concert, as well as some rare bootleg footage of pieces that weren't included on the video, the best of these being Marooned. Also included are the music videos that accompanied the songs Learning to Fly and Take it Back, and while they are both pretty ridiculous vidoes they are nice inclusions.

The second disc is the most faithful to the live album as it remains unchanged in the set. So the first thing played is the entire Dark Side of the Moon album, visually it's a blas to watch with highlights being during On the Run (usually a boring song) because of the video played and the plane crash into the side of the stage at the end. Other moments that peaked my interest were the stellar performance of Us and Them and the conclusion of Eclipse where the entire show visually comes to a stunning conclusion. The encores are breathtaking as well with the ripping Comfortably Numb hitting a special moment during the beginning of Gilmour's second (and fantastically extended) guitar solo. Run Like Hell is also a blast to watch with the marching beat of it fully realized by the backing vocalists and it all comes to a great conclusion with the flurries of fireworks at each end of the stage (which is magnificently crafted and built). The bonus features on this disc feature alternate screen videos for the concert as well as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony which also includes a performance of Wish You Were Here with Gilmour, Wright, and Billy Corgan (of the Smashing Pumpkins).

Overall, the reissue of PULSE (which has a drastically different cover than the one that you will see along with this review) has everything a Pink Floyd fan could ever want. A killer setlist, some fantastic visuals and a plethora of bonus materials. Sure Waters wasn't present, but this disc more than shows that the Floyd did not need him to produce a high-quality show. On the contrary, this video fares better than Roger's video of In the Flesh-Live (which was a fantastic video, mind you). Highly recommended. 4.5/5.