Oakland Paramount
Oakland’s elegant Paramount Theater was originally constructed in 1931, designed by architect Timothy Pflueger. With its 80-plus feet high tile mosaic façade, it is considered to be the finest example of art deco architecture on the West Coast, and has been designated a California and US National Historic Landmark since its restoration in 1973.
Home to both the Oakland Ballet and the Oakland East Bay Symphony, it regularly plays host to jazz, rock and classical music as well as ballets, plays, stand-up comedy and re-runs of classical movies from Hollywood’s Golden Era.
If you’re lucky enough to be one of the 3,000-odd ticket holders and will be attending either, or both, of the shows here on 16 and 17 April, then we hope you will have a splendid time.
Naturally, I want to hear from you before the concert, so feel free to share your thoughts. Have you been to the Oakland Paramount before? If so, what’s it like? Is it easy to park? How did you find the acoustics, the seating, the view of the stage? Throw information at me, I love it.
Whilst you’re thinking of things to throw, why not tune in to Radio Wien tonight at 10PM local time for a two-hour David Gilmour and Pink Floyd special? You can, of course, listen online. Simply click the “Radio Wien” live im Internet link at the foot of the page, then click Radio Wien live hören on the second page.
Enjoy!
THERE IT IS!!!
The Paramount! You’ve got me excited now. This means we’re in the batter’s box, to use a ridiculous sports euphamism. I hate sports euphamisms, but I digress.
What a beautiful looking theater. It’s not quite Montreal, but………(my cheap Claude dig. I actually love Montreal)
In the lower left hand of that photo is where my glutious grandus will be planted for Sunday’s show. Bring it on!
F’Ed, sorry about the performance at OT last Wednesday. We were handled by MancaBay Bucs at the Trafford Bowl.
Looking forward to hearing about the Radio City shows.
Have a great night all who will be attending.
Regards,
peter
I was just at the Paramount for the Donald Fagen show on Monday (which was excellent), and am thrilled to be attending both of David’s shows there. There really isn’t a bad seat in the house, but the acoustics can be a little bit muddy. The inside of the theatre itself is beautiful as the picture suggests, and I can’t wait to see the lights during “Echoes” there. The easiest way to get there is to take BART, Bay Area Rapid Transit. You could drive to Oakland and pay to park downtown, but why bother? The Oakland 19th Street station is right underneath the theatre! Here’s hoping that between both shows, we get to hear all the rarities that David’s been playing in Europe, like “What’s…Uh The Deal,” “Fat Old Sun,” and “Dominoes.”
[Thanks for that, mate. Hope you have a brilliant time. - Features Editor]
that looks lovely. have a great time to all who’ll be there. i can’t wait until may…
Hi Fed.
I just saw that you wrote yesterday – that you are also waiting for your RAH Tickets? I was sure that you will get good Tickets from your Boss!!??
As im from austria it was nice to see that you already noticed the Radio Wien “Floyd/Gilmour” Special!! A few days ago there was a TV-ad for the “On An Island” Album on austrian TV Programm! It was nice – a short animation clip!! Davids Album was at Nr. 2 in the austrian Album Charts!
Then i wanted to ask you something:
The second half of the first Milano show was filmed! I watched Damon Iddins as he put a quite big kamera behind him at the mixing desk!! Do you know what will happen with this footage? Maybe we get a little bit of it to watch on this lovley website?
Also interesting: a friend saw the Band “Simple Minds” in the audience during the first milano show.
And one more: Damon Iddins looked like the man from the “Momenary Lapse” Album cover and the videos … but i think it was his brother .. and he his also working at the Astoria Studio. Do you know his name? Maybe im completley wrong …
I thought that maybe …. thats you?
Bye from austria, and thanx for all your work!!
Werner
[Hi Werner. A lot of the shows are being filmed, but for David's private collection only. I don't know if Damon has a brother or not, which rules out the possibility of that man being me. Sorry! Enjoy the radio show tonight. I listened to Radio Wien for a couple of hours last night and they played some good songs. - Features Editor]
Caption:
“Suddenly, Claude’s joy turns to horror when realizes his newly found ticket is for the 2:00 matinee show”
..sorry, I couldn’t resist one more..
For what it’s worth, Dark Side of the Moon was named the #1 Classic Rock Album of all time (well duh…) by a local Philadelphia “Classic Rock” radio station, and they’ll be playing the whole album tonight. They’re not giving the exact time, but it’ll be between 7 PM and 10 PM EST. The link’s in my name, and you can listen online. Good timing too, the weekend before the concerts in New York.
David should consider calling into that station to promote OAI. A lot of their listeners would love that album, but it’s not getting enough airplay.
[Thanks for letting us know, Michael. - Features Editor]
Hi
I’ve been away, have i missed anything?
[Nothing that two hours of reading won't fix! - Features Editor]
Caption Competition:
The staff were exhausted but pleased with their efforts to clean up the mess the Candy Floss machine explosion had caused…
In the series of what the fans want from David Gilmour….
To play the complete Floyd catalogue every night + both his previous albums in addition to On An Island.
Add shows to the tour in all cities in the world.
To have Mason, Waters and Barrett as guests on stage every night (in addition to Wright of course)
To play at small intimate venues which still houses 200.000 people.
A DVD release of the tour, with 45 hours of extra material.
Live CD’s from every night of the tour (also on vinyl of course)
+ sign every damn copy
Release an official live record of the 1977 tour (well, there’s a thought)
So my question is, why hasn’t Mr. Gilmour booked 4 nights in my kitchen with a setlist containing Alan’s Psycadelic Breakfast?
Have a nice weekend!
Best regards
JT
[It's not too much to ask, surely! - Features Editor]
On XM Satellite Radio, on Deep Tracks Station 40 they’ve been playing all the album cuts, not just OAI.
(Fed, my apologies if “satellite” is not spelled correctly, I don’t want Rudders or yourself breaking out in hives.)
I’m so glad you finally featured the Paramount. I’ll be at the show on Monday the 17th!! I have never been there, but am really looking forward to it. Thanks for the advice about taking BART =) Anyone going to the Paramount shows want to get together? I’m interested =)
Glad David and the band are now on this side of the pond, hope you had a great trip.
~Erin
Sacramento, CA
Fedmeister and Fellow Blogargleblasters…!
“[Rudders, are you going to tell me that I've got the rule wrong? Do you write “ten” as a real word, then resort to digits thereafter? etc etc"
Why don't we rsrt 2 usin txt lngwg....
CU l8r Fdmstr...
Sh*t... the Angry Mob are here now!
[You deserve all you get for that! - Features Editor]
“So my question is, why hasn’t Mr. Gilmour booked 4 nights in my kitchen with a setlist containing Alan’s Psycadelic Breakfast?”
He’ll do it, but only if Rudders is invited say the lines, “Marmalade…I like Marmalade.” throughout the performance.
The Paramount is a fantastic venue for a show. I saw Bruce Springsteen there solo last May, and I saw David Gray there just a couple weeks ago. (Solid show, but I still couldn’t keep my mind from wandering forward a month when I’d be seeing the OTHER David G. that I like, ripping some sweet solos.)
It’s easy to get to from BART (local subway system) — that’s how I always go. Can’t tell you anything about parking.
There are a few bars selling beer and wine in the venue, but the lines can get very long. To smoke, you must leave the venue entirely, which can be a pain (I missed “Racing In The Street” at the Springsteen show!)
Should be two fantastic nights at a fantastic venue…
What a beautiful place, I must add it the places that I must visit in my life. Any other suggestions to add to my list I need help, being an nieve 15 year old girl with no taste, except for in music.
Not long to go now until I get to see the man himself! He he!
Happy weekend kids,
Oh… here’s another one
Caption Competition
Spoken by the slightly portly owner of the Burnley Gaumont Theatre to his slightly effeminate son just out of picture…. (work with me here)
“Aye lad… one day all this will be yours…. this Saturday afternoon we ‘ave a Tom Mix film, the there’s a beat combo on who are Diamond Dave and his band the exRoxettes and then headlining we ‘ave Arthur Atkinson and Chester Drawers introduced by Tommy Cockles…”
Which was nice…
[Where's me washboard? 'Ave you seen it? - Features Editor]
Fedmeister
Many sleep ago you mentioned you liked anagrams…so here is “Features Editor”…
- Do fuse, I retreat (It’s that Angry Mob again)
- Iterate! Used for? (OCD reference?)
- Fetid eraser? out! (The mind boggles)
Hi everybody; I’ve been reading these blogs pretty regularly, but this is my first post. Sorry for the long one, but I’ve been saving up…
On the topic of the OAI CD: My favorite tracks are Castellorizon and On An Island, and also the bonus Island Jam.
In the CD ‘book’ lyric pages for Take A Breath and Red Sky At Night, there is some mysterious (to me) faint writing at the bottom of the page. Looks to me like 2 words: “Gnothis Seauton” Can anyone shed some light?
Also, at the very end of Castellorizon’s wonderful guitar solo – on the very last note – there is a sound that seems very out of place to me. At first I thought it was a defect in the CD or the recording, but I examined it in an audio editor, and it is a background drum going “da-da dum” right as David hits that last note. It jolts me out of the serenity of the guitar playing every time! It is then immediately followed by some ‘noise’ that I can’t really describe other than it sounds like a very brief oar-rowing sound just before it fades into On An Island. You’ll either think I’m being wacky for bringing this up or just ignore me altogether, but I wanted to raise this to see if anyone else noticed it. It bugs me ;-)
On the topic of DVD vs. CD of the tour, I would much prefer to see a DVD. As has been pointed out, DVD audio can be ripped onto CD, so you end up getting both (already had done it with the In Concert DVD), and I would love to be able to see the visuals of what the concerts were like. The only issue that I’m sure David is thinking about is to make sure that the Pink Floyd songs are unique from the In Concert and Pulse DVDs. No point in putting out the same songs again. He even has that issue with Smile. But of course his fans will happily devour anything and everything he puts out!
It seems to me that with all the people inspired to learn guitar due to Mr. Gilmour, that there ought to be a web site dedicated to his technique, tabs to his songs, technical info about equipment etc. Does such a thing exist anywhere? I know one can find tabs (with varying degrees of quality!) on the various guitar sites, but having a dedicated Gilmour guitar site seems like a no-brainer. And David could contribute an occasional article. (HA ha- dream on!) Hmmm, maybe I should start one…. I often wonder if any of his kids dared to take up guitar and if they are blessed with any of David’s gift. Can you imagine, having daily access to the master??!
Finally – Features editor you have my great admiration for keeping this blog going. From someone that sits in front of a computer most of the day, I know how bleary-eyed it can be to read these posts day-in and day-out. :-)
“In the series of what the fans want from David Gilmour….
To play the complete Floyd catalogue every night + both his previous albums in addition to On An Island.
Add shows to the tour in all cities in the world.
To have Mason, Waters and Barrett as guests on stage every night (in addition to Wright of course)
To play at small intimate venues which still houses 200.000 people.
A DVD release of the tour, with 45 hours of extra material.
Live CD’s from every night of the tour (also on vinyl of course)
+ sign every damn copy
Release an official live record of the 1977 tour (well, there’s a thought)
So my question is, why hasn’t Mr. Gilmour booked 4 nights in my kitchen with a setlist containing Alan’s Psycadelic Breakfast?”
Tee hee! Very funny, JT!
“A lot of the shows are being filmed, but for David’s private collection only.”
Interesting.
Good Day FEd, David and all!
So there it is looking much like it’s namesake in Seattle, the same era and architectural style. Considering when some of the European theaters were built and the history they hold these in the States are so young by comparison. I’m lucky enough to go to two shows as well, one being in this beautiful older theater and then down to Los Angeles to enjoy the newer splendor of the Kodak Theater.
Now I can picture myself in just a couple of weeks — I’ll be third row balcony (center) and smiling from ear to ear I’m sure. At the Kodak it will be 2nd mezzanine but I’m confident that the view and sound will be most satisfying as well.
Yesterday, someone suggested that some of us regulars discuss our earliest memories and purchases of music in general, Pink Floyd in particular, which gave me the opportunity to do one of my favorite things — go back in time to remember and feel the first musical experiences in my life. You know, that kind of journey back where you can transport yourself completely to the very moment in time when you first heard those sounds that would affect you deeply for your entire life.
Earliest very distinct musical moments would be a mix of early Harry Belefonte, a song by Ketty Lester called “Love Letters (Straight From My Heart)”, Sam Cooke, and the album of the musical “West Side Story.”
First albums I purchased with my own funds would be “Introducing The Beatles”, one or both of Bob Dylan’s first two albums, “The Music of Bulgaria” on Non-Such Records, and early Joan Baez on Vanguard Records.
First Pink Floyd album was “A Saucerful of Secrets”. In fact was of my very favorite Rick Wright songs is “Remember A Day” off this album.
And the rest, as they say, is history …
Best to you all! FEd, have a mellow weekend — you earned it having to bite your lip so as not to fall prey to Claude’s foul vibe!! Just like a screaming, spoiled baby, he managed to get quite a bit of attention. Maybe that will satiate him for a while. To all of you attending the Radio City Music Hall gigs, have a fabulous time and welcome the band with open arms for all of us!
Peace always,
Gabrielle
Washington State
RUDDERS NOOOOOO!
I have students e-mailing me in txt language, and worse still, some of them use it in their submitted coursework! I WL NT SCCMB TO THR STPID CLTRE!
There’s one thing using text for speed on a handheld device (and even then there’s t9 predictive input) and another when using it out of sheer laziness when sat at a 101-key keyboard.
Anyhow…good ole Oaktown….my old stomping grounds. I lived in Oakland/Berkeley/East Bay for a couple of years and have fond memories of the place. Unfortunately I never saw anyone at the Paramount (me, mostly Colliseum, Warfield, Civic Centre) but I know David and the gang will receive an great welcome from the East Bay. It wouldn’t surprise me if a certain C and N of CSN joined the boys on stage for OAI
Enjoy the show everyone, and get back to us with the setlist (that’s SETLIST, not S3TL15T
N
Hi FED,
a kiss from Rome.
Something enjoyable from Internet…have you never read anything like his? It’s a very interesting diary!!
Have a good night!
diana
[Unfortunately the link doesn't work, but I believe I have seen it. Very funny! - Features Editor]
Rudders,
maybe I’m a stupid french girl, but I don’t understand what you mean with “Babelfish” and I like to think that our Fed tries and succeeds in speaking in french (better than I do in english !) vous êtes un “plaisantin”!
Jesse, I bought two teeshirts and a tour program in Paris and they are wonderful !
Our Fed, congratulations for all.Keep talking !..
Michèle.
[Vous n'êtes pas stupide et mon français n'est pas aussi bon que votre anglais, mon ami (vous êtes trop aimable, je répète) mais je practice. Gimme a break, Rudders! (Je ne sais pas comment vous dites en français, désolé!) Babelfish est trop compliqué pour moi. Les phrases sont folles. J'ai besoin des phrases pour être simple et petit. Je dois comprendre chaque mot (avec mon vocabulaire limité). Peut-être j'emploie les mots dans l'endroit faux, mais... Je practice! (Et je dis "Désolé!" pour les gens qui parle français toujours aussi!) Je vois les mots beaucoup de fois et je rappelle. Il est bon pour moi. C'est un changement plaisant de "Où est le nouveau DVD?" et "Je voudrais une, deux, trois..." C'est "Pour moi, pour moi!" toute l'heure. J'aime la... déviation (je ne sais pas si c'est le bon mot). Nous avons les leçons en l'allemand la semaine prochaine, oui? L'allemand est plus facile pour moi. - Features Editor]
Thanks for featuring the Paramount today. I’ve been to the Paramount several times as well, starting with Miles Davis in the 80s. Taking BART is an excellent idea! But for those that feel a need to drive, there’s parking adjacent to the theater.
Werner wrote: “Also interesting: a friend saw the Band “Simple Minds” in the audience during the first milano show.”
Any other famous sightings?
I hope you’re all listening to Radio Wien’s fantastic David Gilmour and Pink Floyd special tonight. We’ve had ‘On An Island’, ‘Another Brick In The Wall (Part Two)’, ‘Astronomy Domine’ – and they’re playing ‘Time’ right now. Not a bad guitar solo, eh?
i’m listening, ed! ‘take a breath’ is on now. this song rocks.
Oooh, to be back in The Bay Area when DG and his merry men are there… now THAT would be x-mas.. (never gonna happen though.. )
Oakland shows only a couple of weeks away! Getting more excited every day…. Seeing Jeff Beck Tuesday night will only whet my appetite. Beck is a gifted guitarist and truly amazing to witness, but I can’t help thinking of him as more a technician and David as more an artist. Jeff Beck has never made me cry.
Erin, EchoesBob, and others, yes, of course, let’s get together before or after either or both shows! Name the time and place and email me [...]
Regarding religion and atheism, after a lifetime of searching I have finally found true enlightenment at the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, linked to my name below.
FSM loves you, too.
Dave
There’s one thing using text for speed on a handheld device (and even then there’s t9 predictive input) and another when using it out of sheer laziness when sat at a 101-key keyboard.
well in my own case i am dyslexic and i find it easier to shorten certain words then cock up the spelling and make a charlie of myself :-)
i hope everyone enjoys the amrerican gigs . you lucky people that are going to see them :-)
night fet ed . take care !
peace
Linda
[Have a good night, Linda. Your boys are going to drop some points this weekend against Bolton, right? Sharing is caring and all that. - Features Editor]
……Hmmmmm lets see… only 4 nights in the kitchen ….only if SEAMUS ( that’s the dog) gets to stay inside ..for a listen!!!
(just so you all know… that comment was dedicated to my/our Irish Setter Riley who by the way seems to …find a “high” note or two on Castellorizon …moving with his own howling)much like Seamus- that’s the dog)
…..now was that Roger’s…..songggg…. (god forbid) nahhhhhhhhh…….I think I remeber more than one or two names on that one……
How selfish we have become….
DG..and all..welcome to the States, keep doing what you are doing…cause itis working!!!!!
Fed–any insight on the one or two high note ..twist, for Riley… on OAI….he really does want to know, woof, woof????
[Don't say it too loudly, but I think the band are auditioning for a dog to join the American leg of the tour. They're going to drop 'Echoes' and do a 20-minute 'Seamus' instead. Wouldn't that be great? - Features Editor]
Hot Toddy…
The answer is to Google it dear warm beverage…
gnothi seauton (Greek): Know thyself. (A precept inscribed in gold letters over the portico of the temple at Delphi. Its authorship has been ascribed to Pythagoras, to several of the wise men of Greece, and to Phemonoe, a mythical Greek poetess. According to Juvenal, this precept descended from heaven.)
It was inscribed in golden letters at the lintel of the entrance to the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. (Two doors down from IBM.. boom boom!)
GNOTHI SEAUTON – KNOW YOURSELF
Greek……. interesting!!!!!!
Tepid mixture of Honey, Lemon, Tea and Brandy…
You wrote about the noise at the very end of Castellorizon’s wonderful guitar solo – on the very last note…
I had noticed it and it’s a storm with thunder and just before the track OAI starts you can hear rain falling…
come do a suprise gig in humboldt county, california.
‘on the turning away’ is a good tune. btw, that’s what radio vienna is playing now. i haven’t gone mad and started saying random things! maybe the band could do it in toronto as a protest against the clubbing of seals. sorry ed, my girlfriend just suggested that and now she’s going off on one about how cruel it is.
[Indeed it is. - Features Editor]
Hey Erin and the rest of the Oakland crew on the 16th. A friend of mine and I will be at the show and would be interested in meeting up with some fellow fans for a drink or two. Anybody know if there’s a bar/restaurant near the theater. I went to school in the south Bay Area and lived there for several years (moved to Seattle a few years ago) , but my knowledge of Oakland bars and locations is pretty limited …
Also, if anybody is looking to kill time in Oakland that afternoon, the A’s are playing just down the road from the theater at 1 p.m. If it’s sunny, might be a nice way to start the day.
Hope everybody enjoys the tour.
I am also sitting here listening to the Pink Floyd special on the Austrian radio station and what a treat it is! Hard to believe a band that has been broken up for 22 years can still garner so much attetion and adulation. How can anyone really argue that they are not the greatest band that ever existed! Yes, BETTER than the Beatles, Yes BETTER than the Stones, Yes better than {should I say it} even Zeppelin! Well they are- and I am old enough to have seen all of them! I can not wait for David on April 12th in Chicago! Anyone care to disagree? Dave in Ft. Wayne
[Not me, Dave. I agree completely. Glad you also enjoyed the radio show. - Features Editor]
Fed,
On the dog audition….I talked to Riley ( he was in the kitchen..) he says he wants in……on the action….and says he is up for it….(just as long as Simon Cowell..stays on your side of the Pond..that’s a sign of the state of affairs in USA right now..sad I know) woof, woof.
Now Seamus for Echoes…….Nahhhhh.. i don’t think so…. however, the 2 songs do flowwwwwwwwww nicely…a little piano..then a a few pings…
truthfully sends chills even as i write…
That’s a good thing
[Have a good night, Linda. Your boys are going to drop some points this weekend against Bolton, right? Sharing is caring and all that. - Features Editor]
in your dreams man ( or woman depending on you gender fet ed , judging by the fact you talk about football i would say you are male . i am one in a million a female footie freak )
we should be able to get at least one point at bolton if not the full 3 . though make no mistake they are’nt an easy team to beat . 7th in the leauge is not a push over .
i see pool are away to west brom . now if you loose that i would suffer from a major case of being gobsmacked and you would suffer from a serious case of embaracement at 17-00 tomrrow . i may not like your team but they are’nt that bad as to loose that match :-)
i will be listening to the match on the radio as dad just told me i have an hour’s drive to do with a home brew delivery amd i have to reach my destination for midday tomrrow . just depends if i can be back before the match starts . at least i have my mobile phone configured to tell me when united score !
back on topic . i enjoyed the dutch show a lot . i wish i could speak dutch though it would have been great to understand what the presenter was on about :-) nice pictures of david gilmour on radio wiens web site . i love the one of him sitting in what looks like a boat house . is it on this site btw ?
at rhe risk of stating the obvious it is saturday tomrrow . i hope all my fellow bloggers will have themselves a good weekend and the same to you fet ed despite who you support :-)
peace
Linda
p.s fet ed just thought this might cheer you up :-)
2: Manchester United 31 21 6 4 +33 69
3: Liverpool 32 19 7 6 +23 64
5 points ahead and a match in hand :-)
i apologise to all of you who don;t speak football . normal service will be resumed in the morning . though you might have to put up with a little more tomrrow evening especailly if the pool loose :-) ( that is not a likely event much as i hate to say it :-) )
[Oh well, we now wait until next weekend. We've got Bolton, you've got... Arsenal. By the way, that photo is not in the Gallery but it is featured in quite a few of the articles in the Press section. - Features Editor]
Hey French Girl Michele. What are the chances of you e-mailing me a pic of the tee-shirts you got in Paris? Also this message is for anyone else who could do the same.Can’t wait for New York. 6th row. WoooHooo. E-mail me at mikede@ptd.net ty
Bring the dog and do Seamus, but I vote for Echoes as well, just make the concert last a wee bit longer! Trust me no one will complain!
Where are people meeting prior to the show? Anywhere really close to the hall that teen-agers are welcome as well?
Change is inevitable – Except for at vending machines,
Nance
Hot gossip-Tomorrow/today ( April 1st) David appears by video conference on well known Scottish satellite TV Station, Radio Garlic. Apparently he is talking about his next single off OAI!
Ian Pearson
PS That “remember me” button doesnt work for me here as it keep forgetting who I am, do you know FED???
[No idea, mate. - Features Editor]
On the subject of numbering messages to make it easy to scroll down in sections, I agree that it can be difficult to pick up where one left off so I use the time when each message was posted as a guide to see where I get to before being interrupted. It would be nice to be able to search for particluar name or subject though.
Ian Pearson
“Hey Erin and the rest of the Oakland crew on the 16th. A friend of mine and I will be at the show and would be interested in meeting up with some fellow fans for a drink or two. Anybody know if there’s a bar/restaurant near the theater. I went to school in the south Bay Area and lived there for several years (moved to Seattle a few years ago) , but my knowledge of Oakland bars and locations is pretty limited …”
Luka’s Taproom is about a half a block away from the Paramount. They’re good for a pint or 2.
The Paramount. Lovely venue; saw Elvis Costello there last year. I was very near the stage (row E, I think), and found the acoustics to be fine. Certainly some mild echo/reverb, which would be expected in any older building of its size, and nothing that I felt affected the music or the quality of its presentation. Besides, it’s a Dave Gilmour show; is a little echo really a bad thing? :-)
Look forward to hearing the “On an Island” tunes, which ought to sound spectacular in there.
Easter cannot come soon enough…
Hey gang!
I am really looking forward to the Paramount show! My best friend of 37 years (I’m only 43) got tickets for me. The amazing thing is that throughout the years of our friendship we have always purchased similar gifts for each other for Christmas.
Our Christmas this past year was INCREDIBLE. We both gave each other Gilmour tickets. I gave him tickets to the Gibson show in LA where I live and he got me tickets to the Paramont in Oakland as he lives in Sacramento. If that were not conicidence enough, tickets for BOTH shows were 12th row and on the right hand side of the stage! Unbelievable. Some amazing things have happend to us throughout the years, but this tops them all! We were floored.
I will be flying up to see the show on the 17th and he’ll be down here for the show on the 20th. (I’m sneaking in another show with my wife on the 19th! – my wife has breast cancer and she will be there bald head and all!).
Cannot wait and I too am looking forward to hearing Echoes, Wots Uh The Deal and Fat Old Sun!
We love you Dave and look forward to seeing you again.
Best,
Rich
Another important comment regarding this theater is that once you wait in LOONG lines for drinks, you cannot have them in your seats! It is also the only venue in the Bay Area where the standard ‘puff puff pass’ can get you in trouble.
So, prepare yourself, drink early, and ppp discreetly.
I work around the corner from The Theater, and there are only a handful of places open within walking distance for pre-show adult beverages. “Luca’s” on Broadway at 21st is somewhat new, with great selections of Belgian and other draft beers, and good food. A group of us will be there for sure on both evenings.
If you’re looking for more choices nearby, keep looking.
Shine on!
BigAl
Caption:
On tearing down the Wall, Roger gets an ever so slight inkling that the audience weren’t overly receptive to that night’s performance…
[Don't say it too loudly, but I think the band are auditioning for a dog to join the American leg of the tour. They're going to drop 'Echoes' and do a 20-minute 'Seamus' instead. Wouldn't that be great? - Features Editor]
That’s not even funny Fed, you made my heart stop there for a second.
I would love to hook up for some drinks!! I don’t know Oakland well though, does anyone live there or use to live there that can give us some ideas? If not I’ll do some searching. Unfortunatly, I’m only going to the Monday show. If anyone wants to get rid of some tickets for the Sunday show, let me know (yeah, right)
~Erin
i hope everyone enjoys the amrerican gigs . you lucky people that are going to see them :-)
night fet ed . take care !
peace
Linda
Almost all are in America..not quite..
Cheers, Howard
I’m very excited to see the picture of the Oakland Paramount; I’ve got 3rd row center tickets the first night, and I’m currently coaxing my husband into letting me keep our 34th row tickets for the second night. (As if I’d let them go! Hahaha).
David, I’ve been listening to the ROIOs of your shows with much joy and anticipation, and I’m so looking forward to hearing Fat Old Sun with an extraordinarily long guitar solo and Wot’s the Deal as well. (Pretty Please?)
On an Island is a beautiful piece of work, and I have that on great authority; my six-year-old son Shane greatly approves. Thank you for sharing your gifts with us this year.
Cher
Hello guys,
i have a question for Fed. that i’m really thinking about for some time. This (On An Island) is the first studio album(solo or Floyd) in 26 years that David does(and i’m excluding Final Cut ‘cos david really didn’t write or produce the album) not produced by Bob Ezrin. what happened? doesn’t david believe anymore on Bob’s skills of producing? Wasn’t he available? And please don’t tell me that David wanted to try different things, cos bringing Manzanera and Chris Thomas, along with Rick, Jon,Guy, Dick(those on tour) isn’t exactly exprementing new “things”. i was even expecting at least a new song by David and Bob!
[Hi Tiago. I'm afraid I can't answer that, just like I can't answer many of the questions that are for David. But I will pick out one thing: I always thought that David did help produce 'The Final Cut', but agreed to come off the production credits for the sake of a quiet life. - Features Editor]
First record (45) I bought: I Want to Hold Your Hand/I Saw Her Standing There
First album: A Hard Day’s Night
First concert: Led Zeppelin in 1970. I was 14 freakin’ years old. How my mother agreed to that I’ll never know.
First Pink Floyd album: Ummagumma (oddly enough)
Greatest overall album experience: Dark Side of the Moon (on drugs or off, doesn’t matter)
1st runner up: Electric Ladyland
Brush with greatness: saw Bob Dylan wandering around Atlanta’s High Museum of Art in 1974 or thereabouts. He was closed off to everyone and pretended not to see us. I still love him, though.
No autographs from anybody, no photos with famous persons–just a bunch of concert ticket stubs and great memories. Never saw Pink Floyd…a failing that I bitterly regret. But I’m seeing David Gilmour on Tuesday and it feels like some culmination of intensely resonant music and visual experience and physical presence that I’ve never felt before.
Good night, all.
Hi Linda,
I hope my comments didn’t offend – they certainly weren’t meant to…was merely bemoaning the prevalence of text stuff. I’ve done a fair amount of research into HCI and dyslexia in the past, and there are some really nice and easy things that you can do to make your computing life much easier (specifically coloured overlays, or changing the background colour). I think it’s quite well known now, but will happily fill you in if you want – just mail me at the address below.
Best,
N
Dear all,
Does anyone else here use Audioscrobbler? Can’t remember if I’ve asked this in the past, so apologies if I have and didn’t catch the replies .
I’d really love to know what you lot listen to, and Audioscrobbler is amazing for that. It’s also really useful if you want to check out who is listening to which DG tracks, or even which OAI tracks. It’s basically a plugin for your media player that sends what you’re listening to to a central database…which then you can search by similar artists, and a million other stats. It’s the best way to discover new music, imho.
Either mail me your usernames below, or just check me out/add me as a friend – i’m Quasimojo
N
Caption”
This years “Claude the angry Quebecer fanclub” had an “as expected” turn out.
Ed/Edwina wrote: “L’allemand est plus facile pour moi.”
Marvin mein Übersetzer kann Sie hören! Er ist nicht Babelfish, aber er ist geschickt…erm, sort of. Pour moi, ni l’un ni l’autre n’est facile. J’ai besoin d’aide. Ya’ll.
étreinte de baiser
Deborah
[Guten abend, Marvin (und Deborah, natürlich). Wie geht's? Deutsch an der Schule war einfacher für mich, aber das war einer langen zeit und ich bin sicher daß mein Deutsch diese tagen hat viele dumme fehler. So kein Deutsch für mich! Babelfish geht verrückt mit Deutsch, ich denke. Es ist keine hilfe. Ich muß ein Marvin finden... Eine sehr große "Entschuldigung Sie, bitte!" zum alle die Deutsche sprechern hier. - Features Editor]
Hi Everyone,
this is a famous website! Dear FedEd can you tell me something about the “Island Jam”, is it a official release and how long is it? Sure, I want to buy an official copy of it, may be on a next Maxi-Single release of OAI and also a 5.1 mix of OAI on SACD or DVD-A. Another question is: It’s possible to ask David, can he say yes to a future release of the “David Gilmour Live in Hammersmith Odeon London 28.-30.4.1984″ on DVD? I think, its a great historical document in a good quality, I hope.
Best regards, Bodo
[Hi there. 'Island Jam' is indeed an official release. I think it lasts for about seven minutes. It's available as an extra on the Best Buy version of ‘On An Island’ (in the US only), but it will also be available on the 'Smile' single. I don't think David is thinking about the 1984 concert - as he is far more interested in the present than the past - but he does read the blog, so I'm sure he'll see your message. - Features Editor]
David Gilmour’s guitar makes me feel sad!
I don’t have Oakland tickets (unfortunately… I flew to see Radiohead 3 years ago but I can’t spare the $$ this time ’round, I’d rather have Kodak Theatre tickets), but I’d like to say that’s a brilliantly executed April Fools’ joke on the main page.
19 days till Gibson! Woohoo!
-Amanda
Caption: David borrows Bono’s camera goggles for the sound check.
Rgds Geoff Duffy
I just realized why I like “Take a breath” so much. It reminds me of “Dogs of War” !!!
THREE DAYS TILL RC !!!!!!!!!
In response to the other Dave`s post….All time greatest band? It is hard to put anyone ahead of the Zep….but I won`t argue either way.
hello, Ok, well seen and funny the 1st april fish on the home-page, I didn’t know that axisted in England ?
Last night, there was a “pop-rock story” Pink Floyd on RTL2 radio in France (2 hours) and this one, there is another one “special Pink Floyd” (3 hours) on RTL radio (not an april fish!).
Michèle.
I take my hat off to you, absolute genius with the april fool. Oh how I laughed! Was it your doing or someone elses? Whoever it was should be very proud! He he
[Nothing to do with me. Andy is the prankster around here. - Features Editor]
Great.
After a theoretical congress, me and my mates went to the pub. Had a good laugh and a good drink and went home.
Woke up made some coffee, turned on pc to check email and read blog.
Get laughed by some chaps for forgetting what day it was…
Better get some coffee fast now…
I read the announcement on the main page about David’s virtual band and the upconing release of two blank DVDs on which David would play sax… I’m reading it and saying to myself, “That doesn’t make sense and it doesn’t seem like anything David would do… DEVO, maybe, but not David.” So I laughed hysterically on realizing the date.
Been gone for a few days. My flu has flown, which is a great thing. Now I can catch up on all the homework I missed while I was sick. Therefore, I have not been able to read most of what went on while I was gone.
So, this question may already ahve been asked and answered in these pages. I noticed, on the list of how the album is charting around the world, that there is no listing for the USA. Does that mean OAI is no longer charting here?
I knew that OAI was #6 in the USA the week it was released. Do you have any information about how it has done since then?
[I'm afraid I don't. Hey, you're in the US, you should tell me! - Features Editor]
Hi,Fed,David and all another question for you is this site going to stay open after David’s tour I’m really hoping it does as it’s a really cool site you’s have done a wonderful job so keep it up
Bye 4 now LUV Eclipse X
P.S There are some interesting posts what other fans write (I sometimes lose track of where I’m up to as I read them all. bye MWA
The Great Simulacrum! May I be a member of the group? I can’t play guitar or sing….that might be quite handy in such a group. As a matter of fact, a few friends and I already have a non-band called Cadmium Yellow. None of us play, we never get together and don’t produce anything. So far it’s working nicely but lately we have taken to arguing about credits and such.
(Never noticed the nice little OAI icon in the URL…is that new?)
[Must be. I didn't notice it, myself! Er, I don't even see it now... - Features Editor]
Caption…
Daddy wasn’t amused at Guy Pratt’s April Fools joke on him at the opening night of his tour…
Fedmeister
Good one… I’m so glad it wasn’t a false PF rumour or similar which would have really been horrible…
Tell the truth…. did the conversation at the “Latest News” content meeting go something like…
First Pixie: Why don’t we put up a false headline saying that Roger and Nick are making a guest appearance at the last night in the RAH!
Fedmeister: If you do that you’ll get an angry mob with pointy sticks and rotten vegetables kicking down your door…
Second Pixie: Angry Mob?…Pointy Sticks?…what the…
Fedmeister: Not to mention a torrent of typographical requests if there’s a hint of a grammar misdemeanour from OCD boy…
First Pixie: **ck me Fedmeister you need a break from this… take some time off
Fedmeister: NOOOOOO….they’re all mine…mine I tell you…. no-one else must have them….Ihave to get back to my keyboard!!!!……
[Were you there?! - Features Editor]
Michèle
I’m sure you’re not stupid… Babelfish is a translation service offered on the AltaVista website.
It’s named after a creature that appeared in Douglas Adams’ “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” if you stick a Babel fish in your ear you can instantly understand anything said to you in any form of language. The speech patterns you actually hear decode the brainwave matrix which has been fed into your mind by your Babel fish…
So as a result there are many translation services now employing the name Babel Fish…
Hope this explains it…
Good one on the home page, ya had me going for a second! I wanted to comment also that I am REALLY hoping that there is a DVD of this tour…seeming how with my lack of funds, that I will be more than likely missing it. Over the last decade or more, I have seen alot of shows including McCartney and the Stones…but I always regretted not being able to see the Division Bell tour. – Scott (ps – if there is a DVD…put “Wots…Uh The Deal” and “Coming Back To Life” on it please! “Childhood’s End” would be cool too! Later!)
OK here goes
First record given: several 87rpm 7″ EPs on psychadelic multi-coloured vinyl by my dad. Don’t know who by, but the only song I can recall was a Robin Hood thing “he steals from the rich, and gives to the poor, Robin Hood, Robin Hood, wooo-ooo”
First bought: (cringe) an LP by The New Seekers (remember ‘I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing’?). I’m sorry but I didn’t know any better! I soon made up for it though – my 2nd and 3rd albums, purchased together on the proceeds from the sale of a painting, were Thick As A Brick (Jethro Tull) and Led Zeppelin 4.
First exposure to Pink Floyd: hearing a friend’s copy of Meddle
First PF purchase: not sure – most likely Meddle, possibly Ummagumma, or even perhaps Relics
Nice April Fool
Supergroup YES INDEED
dave
Cute April Fools….but I suspected as much when I saw the “news” today!!!!
LOL!!!!
By the way, I received my tour t-shirt last night when I got home. It looks fabulous!!! The XL runs a little small, but it will be on this portly New Yorkka April 4th and 5th!!!
…I think we Americans are too fat to fit into the world’s XL’s…..
A few years ago while on a trip to Greece, I came across a coffee table book called Greek Style.
In it there is a description and photos of David’s summer house on Rhodes. I have no idea if he still owns it as the book was originally published in 1988. My edition was published in 2001. Maybe the FeEd can confirm if he still owns it?
It’s a fascinating glimpse inside and out of one of his homes and does, in light of the new album’s Greek theme, offer hints of his love for that land. It is something we both share as I have been travelling extensively and often to Greece for over 30 years. I will be in Greece this year in June…so David if you are there maybe we could meet for a drink?
Cheers, Howard
[I'm afraid I couldn't say, Howard. - Features Editor]
The Great Simulacrum was spotted not having a peppermint mocha at the local Starbucks in Santee, California this morning!!! Rabid fans quickly made the discovery and the Starbucks was inundated by a large crowd. The crowd was not to be dissapointed and in full U2 bombastic style an impromptu concert was held in the parking lot. The band performed it’s entire “air suite” to promote its new double DVD. Strangely, a young man known only as “Claude” was grabbed mid-show by the mob and forcefully given a Caramel Mochachino enema (of which the health benefits are unknown). “Claude” escaped and ran from the scene followed by a trail of dripping whipped cream and coffee from a now dubious origin. Completely unlike “The Wizard of Oz”, nobody tried to follow the “frothy yellow blop road”.
Happy April Fools’ Day Fet Ed
Tim
I was fooled for a second! Happy april’s fools! Pink floyd reuinon news would’ve been really evil. You got me guys, at least for a little while!
Nice “Latest News” today – for any april fool… ;-)
I like this kind of humour! Go on pulling our legs!
Best wishes to all the guys which keep this website + blog alive
from Annette
(Germany)
Afternoon FEd,
It feels like i’ve been away forever and so much has been going on. But after an hour’s reading i’m all caught up now! Damn that “work” thing for getting in the way of my reading/posting time!
So down to business:
First album bought: Nik Kershaw “the riddle” (oh the shame!)
First Floyd album: DSOTM
First Concert: Until the Mermaid theatre gig, i had never seen any of them live so I have plenty of catching up to do. I’m planning to make up for it this summer
Oh, and a pinch and a punch for the first of the month – no returns!
Vicky
PS. It’s 2 minutes to go, but I don’t see us dropping any points against Bolton ;-)
[When Bolton went one up, I thought it might be a very good day. Oh well. Arsenal next. - Features Editor]
hey fet ed . i hope everything is ok . i noticed you have’nt updated any posts here today .not that it is a crime i was just concerned for your well being ( honest !)
i would encourage anyone blogging here to read the important stuff section on the main part of the web site . i read about spanner films and the mc libel trial boy did it make interesting reading . saltuations to the courage of the 2 people for standing up to mc donalds as they did .
anyway 2-1 to united away at bolton . good game. my dad who watched the match said united irish tv chanell setanta sports had the match sliced bolton into bits ( due to a cloncker of a headache i followed the match online , a small live ! )
wel, i am going out for a meal with the family later so off to the shower i go . take care everyone you too fet ed !
peace
Linda
[I've been slacking today. These late kick-offs are a pain, aren't they? - Features Editor]
-Just four more days until the April 5th show in NYC. Its going to be one hell of an experience and I cant wait. If I could request one song for dave and his band to play that hasnt been played yet I dont believe by looking at the setlists every other day would be “fearless”.
I need no blessings, but Im counting mine.
-Mike
Sir David,
What we should do to have at least a show in Montreal…let us know and we will make it happend!…Now the bones are in your hands, all the wolrd will know if you’ve have…
Tchiao!
Claude
Montreal
Dear FEd and fellow bloggers…
I am now in a quandry. I was so excited to see David’s band in NY on 4-5-06 but with the announcement of the new supergroup that David will be involved with I am forced to cancel my plans for NY and wait patiently for any ‘The Great Simulacrum’ items that may come up for bid on Ebay.
Thanks for the heads up!!!
Steve Drebber
Vermont, USA
Nice try F Ed, but it was a bit too out-there for me to buy.
Thanks for not teasing us with a fake ‘Floyd To Reunite For Mega-Tour’ story though.
The Yokes on us !! Great pic.s – Thanks. It’s April… only 16 days now… Stevie G
YES! a gig close to home. All my life I’ve lived in the Bay Area yet have never gone to the Paramount. I think it’s long overdue that I check it out and what better reason than David’s show. I’ll see if any of the Grateful Dead guys want to go too!
I can’t believe I forgot it was April 1st. Thanks to the webmasters for a good laugh.
hahahaha great april fools joke, you had me going and yes that would have been extremely sad to see a band not using its full potential
Hi FEd !
I´m a little bit sad to hear, that David does not give any autographs due to the fact that he don´t want to see those signatures back at Ebay. Certainly I´m not amused to the way, that people at ebay try to make some money with tickets and souvenirs, but it is also a great pitty to all those fans, who just want this “personal” piece of memory after a show and never get a chance to get one.
Me and my husband tried to get a setlist or a backstage-pass from one of the band-members at Hamburg and Amsterdam, but -like many other fans- we have not been successful (What else could we expect ?!).
We bought the album OAI two times, we got the original tour-booklet and a original tour-shirt, but still this little “personal” piece is missing….
Maybe a suggestion: Why not start an auction after the tour on this homepage with all those little things, that could make a fan really happy: autographs, bachstage-passes, setlists, whatever…and the benefit goes to one of the projects that are supported by David ?!? – Just an idea…. :-)
Greets from Holland
Mel & family
Great to see the news that ‘Island Jam’ will be available soon in the UK on the upcoming single release of ‘Smile’ Certainly made me smile – thanks David!
April Fools for sure, I was perplexed about today’s message. Once bitten, twice shy perhaps. I got around to jamming with OAI. On the first lead On An Island, David hits 10th fret, bend B string with E, midway. 1st and second strings on guitar. I love that note, so I borrowed it’s inspiration and am working out a song with that in mind. Thanks, not to worry. I’ll keep it to myself. One more weekend Toronto.
Anyone who attends any of his shows I am quite jealous because I don’t think he’s coming to Ohio…His album “On An Island” is absolutely superb all…Cheerio & have a G’day all who witness him “LIVE!!!”
FEd, are you getting a lot of posts like Claude’s from the other day that you aren’t putting up? I was encouraged to see the storm of backlash that enveloped Claude upon the posting of his astonishingly selfish comments. I am happy to see that David’s fans (who in all seriousness could call Claude a fan?) are on the whole very understanding of David’s decision to mount a modest tour.
True fans, as evidenced by uncounted posts to this blog, are making the effort for David. I’ve already mentioned that, after a momentous if rather late decision, should my stepmother (bless her – she’s going to a lot of effort) be able to obtain a ticket to one of the RAH shows for me, I’ll be on a plane from NZ just as soon as I can find out where my wife has hidden my Visa card. And it seems others are making similar efforts.
Further, if the rumours of Leonard Cohen playing shows (his first since 1993) later this year come to pass, then I’ll be doing the same for him. But in more timely fashion – I won’t wait for the shows to sell out first.
Is there anybody else who can recount a story of the lengths they’ve gone to as a fan to get to a show by one of their heroes (not necessarily David)?
There must be some interesting tales out there…
[Hi Warren. As it happens, we haven't had a single comment like Claude's. - Features Editor]
Hi DG, hi Fed, hi floydians everywhere,
In this moment I am watching and listening to a some DVD “Pink Floyd live at Pompei” … do you know what I mean ok
One week ago last saturday, exactly at the same time, I was sitting in Milan’s Teatro degli Arcimboldi for the David Gilmour concert!
Well, the spectacular ECHOES was played again and I have no words, really NO WORDS to say that a lifetime of 35 years is nothing compares to the beauties od sounds and feelings that spread from that gig.
I saw David playing and singing at the venerable age of 60 and just a click here around I see David in the innocence of 27 y.o., his is breast naked due the hot sun of the late italian summer and the sound keeps on …
Thank you again to Rick Wright, without him maybe ECHOES could not be possible, at least in that way.
To all american floydians that are going to see the concert, I wish a great time and hopefully I suggest to take a look at the PF at Pompei before going to, it’s worthy enough!
E C H O E S . . . S E O H C E
No need to put this one up FED – I was just intrigued by how quickly you put up my post, complete with response. What are you doing working so late on a Saturday night?
I’m glad to hear that Claude is a loner…
[I'm making up for doing nothing all day, mate! I can't keep away from Fan Fare. - Features Editor]
Hi,
It is 3 nights until April 4th at Radio City. I was fortunate to get tickets for myself, my son (his first experience with your sounds) and a friend. Thanks for setting aside tickets for the disabled. I am sure the songs that you have been playing are great. I would like to request 4 more songs to be played. See Emily Play (my teenage daughter) One of those wild songs from Phil’s Primitive Guitars, The Nile Song and Obscured by Clouds. I understand if these songs are not in your set. Please improvise and get into your amazing jams like the old days. Thank you.
“Sir David,
What we should do to have at least a show in Montreal…let us know and we will make it happend!…Now the bones are in your hands, all the wolrd will know if you’ve have…
Tchiao!
Claude
Montreal”
“Sir” and not “dick” this time. Well, it’s a start. Still not quite got the message that DAVID ISN’T GOING TO ADD ANY MORE DATES TO HIS TOUR though… no matter how you ask/demand/beg.
[This is a different Claude, mate. The response is still: THERE WILL BE NO EXTRA SHOWS. - Features Editor]
I thought the April fool’s spoof was great!