Night 31: Venice
Last night’s show proved another triumph, and we thank you all for your comments.
It happens all over again tonight, so if you have a ticket, do tell.
If you don’t wish to know which tracks the band performed, don’t read the fan comments below. The setlist is always revealed here – and now on the Calendar as well – even if you do have to look for it.
So have a good night, and do tell us all about it when you get home.
We’ll be waiting.
DAVID SERBIA IS WAITHING FOR YOU!!
Jan – I totally agree with you about no Pink Floyd reunion. Having heard lots of things about Roger’s tour and seeing Live 8, I just don’t know what he could bring to the table now, unless you want to see a 62-year-old man trying to act like he’s in a boy band, being a showman but not so much interested in the music, IMHO. That was never what Pink Floyd was about, was it?
I don’t understand the anti Roger sentiment.
He wrote pretty much every lyric we love to sing. Yes, musically David and Richard are superior, but without Roger the music would have been long on notes and short on words and it is the marriage of both that make Pink Floyd great.
Outside of MAYBE John Lennon, Roger Waters is the greatest lyricist popular music has ever seen and the man deserves better than to be trashed on David Gilmour’s blog.
Enough.
You aren’t censoring me are you? I truly hope you’re not allowing the two posts that pretty much slag Roger to go on and not the one that defends him? I will have posted my last if that’s the case. That kind of double standard is not something that will sit well with me.
If you just haven’t posted it yet, accept my apology.
[Apology accepted. We've been having trouble with our server, so no posts have been visible, never mind published, since Wednesday morning. However, I disagree with you. We welcome opinions, but will not allow anything disrespectful. There have been plenty of varied comments about potential Pink Floyd reunions and the quality of the solo albums of past and present members of Pink Floyd, all of which are as fair as the recent constructive criticism of 'Blue Light', to give just one example. I think most people here would agree with that. But, ultimately, it is my decision and I stand by that regardless of who takes offence or how they choose to pass comment. - Features Editor]
[Wasn't there a show in Texas for the Division Bell tour where the same thing happened, but at that time you pulled the plug on the show? - Beppo the Mime]
Hi, Beppo. I believe that would have been Houston’s Rice Stadium show. Apparently a rather torrential rain storm truncated their performance.
I attended the prior San Antonio’s Alamodome show, the second show of the U.S. leg, which was in my view not only a success, but to add –
Artistically and technologically the P.U.L.S.E Tour is literally THE absolute epitome of concert staging of THE CENTURY ! I have little to no faith that the industry will EVER see or touch that caliber again; at least not in our generation’s lifetime. I am just humbly grateful to have been birthed into this time and place to have participated in its history.
Cheers, Beppo, Fed, and all…
(–really moved by these concert reviews; my heart goes out to all of you who’ve suffered to attend……..and thank you SO much, F’ed for keeping this Venice edition of the blog alive for alittle while longer! Please keep the reviews –and therapy!– coming…..)
LG
xo
the word (david) means the belovid one..
Beautiful show and fantastic set list!
Thank you David, Rick, and all of the crew (it was great to see Dick as well – after 12 years) and yeah, see you one of these days…
Greetings from Zagreb
For several years I’ve been participating in online Pink Floyd related discussions and have seen the sort of argument that Jen made come up alot. There are, after all, very enthusiastic fans who are all entitled to their opinion.
Some people are Roger Waters Fans. Some people are David Gilmour Fans. Some people are Richard Wright Fans, or Nick Mason Fans, Syd fans, or whatever. Presumably we all love Pink Floyd’s music at one time or another. Why not leave it at that.
Right now we have an opportunity that I never thought possible. For me, by the end of the year I will have seen two fantastic nights of David Gilmour and Richard Wright, and undoubtedly three fantastic nights of Roger Waters and Nick Mason.
For me, as far as I’m concerned, I will have seen Pink Floyd this year. If there is another reunion of the “classic lineup” my credit cards are ready – for where ever it is in the world. If Roger tours near here I’ll be there. If David tours near here, I’ll be there, etc.
Let’s leave the childish put-downs of one member of the band over the other in the past, and all be happy that we get to hear music from our favorite musicians at all, and that David, Rick, Nick and Roger have all taken the time to give us more of their extraordinary talents.
-Kurt
I bought a ticket for Dave in Venice on 5th august as a 50th birthday present for my Dad. A group of 8 of us spent the weekend in Venice and of course were hugely disappointed when the gig was cancelled. The quick rescheduling mean’t that my Dad was unable to attend on the 11th or 12th. My 2 friends, my Husband and me drove from Bristol on Friday 11th and made it to Venice in time for the start of the show.
Unfortunately the downpour was too much and after freezing for the first part of the gig we decided that we would not be able to make it through.
It was heartbreaking to be leaving to the sound of Shine on you crazy diamond. We then had to start driving again as we had to get the ferry back on Sunday evening. We – especially my Dad! (and I’m sure many other fans) are now hoping that Dave will put on some more shows in the UK so that the nightmare of Venice can be forgotten.
Dear F.Ed.
Just back on my p.c.for a couple of minutes as I’m on holidays….but I must tell you about Venice Saturday’s show:
U N F O R G E T T A B L E
A show that has been worth seeing although the heavy rain (It was raining “cats and dogs”!) (Venice is a city to be always forgiven…..)
I don’t know how many Artists there are in the world who played for a so long time with the rain and the public can stay there without any complaint!
I felt a deep emotion to see them all , I’ve been touched and I ‘m not ashamed to confess to have left there many tears…..
They performed wonders during the long 3 hours of amazing music: the new beautiful sounds and songs and the always loved old ones (every song a memory!) …the glasses filled by water…the sax ,the PERFECT VOICE , His dreaming guitars…and the fantastic keyboards…the all very famous Bandmates, what so magnificient and special laser lights!
Please don’t let us wait too much for the next work!
Thank you very much indeed, Mr.Gilmour, Mr.Wright and all the Band!
Elisabetta -Italy
FloydianLeaf
I think you misunderstand me (if it’s my comments you are referring to). I think Roger is a great lyricist, but, if we are talking about being on a stage together for a reunion, I stand by what I said, I don’t think it would work. I think Roger just wants to be a showman with a backing band (sorry that’s how I feel).
My comments are nothing compared to what is said by Roger’s fans about David, by the way.
Sorry fed, I accept my lumps for jumping to the conclusion you were not allowing my post.
Apologies.
Lesley and Jan, I’m sorry but my opinion is that anyone who says they can’t see a Pink Floyd reunion as having any merit due to Roger “not bringing anything to the table”, shouldn’t even be calling themselves a Pink Floyd fan.
I’m sorry to say, but without Roger there wouldn’t even be a Pink Floyd.
Have some respect for the man for God’s sake.
I’m done with this, it is David’s blog and is for talking about David. I just wanted to make sure that Mr Floyd was given his fair and quite frankly quite earned, due.
Shine on.
[Maybe you can stop slagging me off on other forums now, eh? Just one person moderates this blog and if the server's down, I can't do anything about it. I couldn't see the posts, let alone publish them (and for the record, it's more like 10% deleted/edited as opposed to 10% published). I take pride in that rough statistic. Go back and read about the boring new album, the limited tour dates, the over-priced merchandise, the shambolic ticket sales, the incompetent management... It's all there and I want it there because I'd deservedly get even more of a slating from fans like you if I only published the good stuff, which is incredibly boring all the time. I happen to agree with much of the criticism. We have to have rules, even if they do seem harsh, but for an official artist's website, they're absolutely necessary. I personally don't give a toss about record sales or chart positions. I care that the music is good and that people like it. I don't want the blog to be sickly-sweet (although when I have the gall to suggest what the blog should perhaps be, certain people throw their toys out of the pram because it clashes with their own ideas), yet neither do I want it to descend into the petty, squabbling nonsense that ruined the official Pink Floyd forum. You can say whatever you like on an unofficial forum, but we have to behave with a bit more restraint. That said, for every perceived attack, I like to see a defensive retort to keep a sense of balance. Fortunately, that's always happened and it certainly happened with your post. Isn't that what makes life interesting? If we want to spice up the blog a bit, how can we do so without allowing certain 'controversial' opinions every once in a while? The same day that I allowed the two allegedly anti-Waters posts, I also allowed many more posts knocking 'About Face'. If I simply delete anything I happen to disagree with, then the blog is dull and bland and I'm rightly criticised for being a tool. I don't believe that the comments you were offended by were all that harsh when compared with some of the rubbish that I read every day, which has to be deleted - the kind of stuff that unofficial forums are chock-a-block with. I do sincerely apologise that it so enraged you but, like I said, please feel free to trawl back through some of the other posts and you'll see that there are worse remarks. No hard feelings on my part, but please accept that all of the above is perfectly reasonable. I can't be fairer than that. - Features Editor]
FloydianLeaf
This is my last post to you. Please don’t include Jan in the comment that I made about “not bringing anything to the table”. That’s not fair.
All my comments relate to the “here and now”, not in the past. I am not denigrating Roger’s part in Pink Floyd. By the way, I don’t think I ever said I was a Pink Floyd fan, I said I was a David Gilmour fan.
Your comment “Without Roger there wouldn’t even be a Pink Floyd”, I think, sums up where you are really coming from!
Sorry FEd, I respect your wish not to post this.
FED, you’re a good man and like I said I apologize.
I am a very passionate Pink Floyd fan and although my father always taught me it was religion and politics that should be avoided, I can’t do it. Why? Because Pink Floyd is my religion and the split between David and Roger and the two camps of David/Rick and Roger/Nick and the fans who seem polarized by it as well, is my politics. lol
You see, I am not a David fan, Rick fan, Roger fan or Nick fan, I’m a Pink Floyd fan and love them all.
I am one of those who has never understood the back biting and the division that exists between David and Roger and the us and them that make up their fans.
This is why when I hear someone slag any member of the band I freak.
Nick and Rick with their incredible sense of composition and ability to add dynamic to the melodies and their sense of timing, David’s voice and guitar and Rogers’ words, passion and animated gestures live is what makes up the band. Take any piece away and it just doesn’t have “it”.
I know there are a million opinions on a million different sites and that there are diamonds and there is garbage among them all. I also understand fully (I moderated a very busy Maple Leafs forum for several years) that your job is a hard and thankless one.
Especially in light of that I want to once again apologize to you publicly and hope that there are no hard feelings.
As for David or any other band members who may be lurking here, I love you all and have for 27 years and I for one would love nothing more than to see each of you bring your gifts to the table and give your fans one last fleeting glimpse.
One of these days indeed David, one of these days…
Michael
“Your comment “Without Roger there wouldn’t even be a Pink Floyd”, I think, sums up where you are really coming from!”
Yeah, reality.
Whatever, this isn’t getting us anywhere. Believe what you want and don’t let Roger Waters’ name all over the writing credits on the Pink Floyd albums keep you from believing what you believe.
-out-
[And that can be the end of it, thank you. - Features Editor]
So getting back to David and Richard after all that…I can see you smiling FED.
I was very impressed at the length of the show. I don’t know if it’s because he gave a little something extra in light of the week long postponement or if this is the set he is doing tour wide, but holy smokes! Playing until after midnight and throwing those nuggets like Arnold Layne and On The Turning Away was mind blowing!
Very nice guys and very appreciated…even if the concert did end 5 hours before I had to catch my water taxi to the airport.
Superb.
[Maybe you can stop slagging me off on other forums now, eh? - Features Editor]
Hey F.E…Do you have a bit of Canadian in you?..I ask this because “eh?” at the end of a sentence is usually identified with us.
[Funnily enough, I do have family in Canada. - Features Editor]
ciao david, im cinthia from venice italy.
i wanted to send you a msg to express my heartfelt thanks for the wonderful concert you had in my city.i know there were trials and tribulations but in the end you gave us a brilliant night worth waiting for.i was so happy to be lucky enough to be part of it listening to the fabulous music and for your generosity in giving part of the proceeds to emergency organisation.
thank you so much for such amazing night, i cannot express my gratitude enough nor tell you how much your music means to me.grazie mille.cinthia
please give my best regards to gino strada, he is a wonderful man!
thanks again, Cinthia
venice, italia
I don’t want to be “out off topic”, so I post here, but I think it’s too late to be read…
I have just finished to read all the ” Venice entries and problems”, I just wanted to say
- that I was delighted that so many people enjoyed the concerts. so happy for them…
- that I do understand those who were turned down (?) by the cancellation of the two previous shows, how desappointed they must have been !!!
- I don’t know how I would have reacted myself, but I think there are sometimes and rather often shows that are cancelled without any explanation and there is no site and nobody to take care of the poor fans, so I don’t understand people who were so aggressive; in their misfortune, they had at least someone who took care of them
Michèle
One day I will see David or the Floyd in my country again. USA. It’s been since 94. Remember the fans here who helped make and love them.
[With respect, you had the chance to see David in April. - Features Editor]
I`m going to David`s gig on saturday in Gdansk! and I am sure I`ll love it!
I can`t wait for echoes , shine on and fat old sun!!!
I also hope to hear some tribute to the legend of SYD (not only in Shine on).
It was only one time in Poland where a PF member played – it was R.Waters in Warsaw few years ago (I really loved the show-espacially Set The Controls and Perfect sense), and now – WITHIN only 2 days we got Roger in Poznan with CA IRA and David in Gdansk!!!
I cannot afford to be in both gigs, but if I had to choose – NO DOUBT – David would be the man I wanted to see!!! If anyone of you still dont have tickets (I dont know if they are still in sell, but they cost 35 and 40 EURO) and want to see the gig – believe me – there are some places (hills) in Gdansk (I work there) where you may see and hear the music very well even outside the shipyard where the concert will take place. SO, LETS ALL FUNS FROM EASTERN EUROPE JOIN US AND THEM ON SATURDAY IN GDANSK, in the place where the fall of the communism began in 1980 by the hands of the workers who destroyed “The WALL” only few months after the record was made!!!
Przemek,Gdynia, POLAND
jan
Thank you for your kind words, It was a win win situation! And in the context of the charitable nature of the gig of very little consequence
B