Tag Archive for "mermaid theatre" tag

…but same old blog. Happy New Year, all.

As I recall doing at about this time last year, I would like to get an apology in nice and early relating to the absence of exciting news of forthcoming albums and concerts. There isn’t going to be any for the time being, I’m afraid.

I’m also sorry that silly rumours still spring up like mould on cheese you should have eaten by now and falsely raise your hopes. I guess some people just need the attention.

So, the random stuff you sometimes like, sometimes hate, will continue in lieu of the kind of thing I know you hope to see (me, too). As ever, I hope you can dip in and out as your mood allows, and I thank you for it.

Pictured is the latest from Lance’s excellent sculpture. How good is that?

And how nice that BBC Radio 2 will re-broadcast the Mermaid Theatre concert during the final week of this month, possibly the first week of the next. Precise details when they’re available, but I trust you’ll all tune in to reminisce about On an Island’s first real public airing, which many of you were able to attend, of course.

A reminder that 75 minutes from ‘Remember That Night’ will be broadcast on HBO Plus across Latin and Central America tonight, and again on Monday.

That’s Friday 22 August and Monday 25 August – at midnight (local time).

So, if you’re in Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, the Caribbean (but not Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands, sorry), Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay or Venezuela, and if you get HBO Plus – enjoy. It’s always good to see David on TV.

Wherever you are, you can listen again to David’s Mermaid Theatre concert (from March 2006) from 22:00 (CET) tonight, courtesy of Belgian radio station, Classic 21.

Click here to listen live online (select >24k or, preferably, >128k from the menu bar).

The Blog will now be closed until Tuesday, when we’ll be remembering the final concert of the ‘On an Island’ tour: GdaÅ„sk.

Until then, have a nice weekend.

That’s easier on the eye than a long page of text, isn’t it? (If you prefer a long page of text, please see my ‘Live in GdaÅ„sk’ summary page.)

Obviously, the price for each one would help you decide which is the right package for you. Prices will be here just as soon as possible (but it won’t be for a while yet).

The release date for all of the above is 15 22 September for Europe, 16 23 September for North America.

Details on how to pre-order any of these, which is strongly recommended in the case of the vinyl version, will also follow in due course.

Please appreciate that things aren’t quite finished yet. There are still details that need to be finalised before your (very good) questions can be answered to your liking.

Release date: 15 22 September 2008 (Europe), 16 23 September 2008 (North America).

Available formats (for the basics in table form, please click here):

- Two-disc version: Two CDs. Packaged in a gatefold card sleeve with 12-page booklet.

Disc One: ‘Speak To Me’, ‘Breathe’, ‘Time’, ‘Breathe (Reprise)’, ‘Castellorizon’, ‘On an Island’, ‘The Blue’, ‘Red Sky at Night’, ‘This Heaven’, ‘Then I Close My Eyes’, ‘Smile’, ‘Take a Breath’, ‘A Pocketful of Stones’, ‘Where We Start’. Disc Two: ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’, ‘Astronomy Domine’, ‘Fat Old Sun’, ‘High Hopes’, ‘Echoes’, ‘Wish You Were Here’, ‘A Great Day For Freedom’, ‘Comfortably Numb’. Recorded live in GdaÅ„sk, 26 August 2006.

- Three-disc version: Two CDs, one DVD. Packaged in a gatefold card sleeve with 12-page booklet.

Disc One: ‘Speak To Me’, ‘Breathe’, ‘Time’, ‘Breathe (Reprise)’, ‘Castellorizon’, ‘On an Island’, ‘The Blue’, ‘Red Sky at Night’, ‘This Heaven’, ‘Then I Close My Eyes’, ‘Smile’, ‘Take a Breath’, ‘A Pocketful of Stones’, ‘Where We Start’. Disc Two: ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’, ‘Astronomy Domine’, ‘Fat Old Sun’, ‘High Hopes’, ‘Echoes’, ‘Wish You Were Here’, ‘A Great Day For Freedom’, ‘Comfortably Numb’. Recorded live in GdaÅ„sk, 26 August 2006.

DVD includes 114 minutes of concert footage, plus a 36-minute documentary. Tracks on the DVD are: the complete ‘On an Island’ album, ‘A Great Day For Freedom’, ‘Astronomy Domine’, ‘Comfortably Numb’, ‘Echoes’ and ‘High Hopes’. Recorded live in GdaÅ„sk, 26 August 2006.

This DVD also includes a web pass to download 12 bonus live tracks from other concerts from the ‘On an Island’ tour – free: ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’ (Venice, 12 August 2006), ‘Dominoes’ (Paris, 15 March 2006), ‘The Blue’ (Vienne, 31 July 2006), ‘Take a Breath’ (Munich, 29 July 2006), ‘Wish You Were Here’ (Glasgow, 27 May 2006), ‘Coming Back To Life’ (Florence, 2 August 2006), ‘Find The Cost of Freedom’ (Manchester, 26 May 2006), ‘This Heaven’ (Vienne, 31 July 2006), ‘On The Turning Away’ (Venice, 12 August 2006), ‘Wearing The Inside Out’ (Milan, 25 March 2006), ‘A Pocketful of Stones’ (Vienne, 31 July 2006), ‘Where We Start’ (Vienne, 31 July 2006).

- Four-disc version: Two CDs, two DVDs. Packaged in a gatefold card sleeve with 12-page booklet.

Disc One: ‘Speak To Me’, ‘Breathe’, ‘Time’, ‘Breathe (Reprise)’, ‘Castellorizon’, ‘On an Island’, ‘The Blue’, ‘Red Sky at Night’, ‘This Heaven’, ‘Then I Close My Eyes’, ‘Smile’, ‘Take a Breath’, ‘A Pocketful of Stones’, ‘Where We Start’. Disc Two:
‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’, ‘Astronomy Domine’, ‘Fat Old Sun’, ‘High Hopes’, ‘Echoes’, ‘Wish You Were Here’, ‘A Great Day For Freedom’, ‘Comfortably Numb’. Recorded live in GdaÅ„sk, 26 August 2006.

DVD includes 114 minutes of concert footage, plus a 36-minute documentary. Tracks on the DVD are: the complete ‘On an Island’ album, ‘A Great Day For Freedom’, ‘Astronomy Domine’, ‘Comfortably Numb’, ‘Echoes’ and ‘High Hopes’. Recorded live in GdaÅ„sk, 26 August 2006.

This DVD also includes a web pass to download 12 bonus live tracks from other concerts from the ‘On an Island’ tour – free: ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’ (Venice, 12 August 2006), ‘Dominoes’ (Paris, 15 March 2006), ‘The Blue’ (Vienne, 31 July 2006), ‘Take a Breath’ (Munich, 29 July 2006), ‘Wish You Were Here’ (Glasgow, 27 May 2006), ‘Coming Back To Life’ (Florence, 2 August 2006), ‘Find The Cost of Freedom’ (Manchester, 26 May 2006), ‘This Heaven’ (Vienne, 31 July 2006), ‘On The Turning Away’ (Venice, 12 August 2006), ‘Wearing The Inside Out’ (Milan, 25 March 2006), ‘A Pocketful of Stones’ (Vienne, 31 July 2006), ‘Where We Start’ (Vienne, 31 July 2006).

The second DVD includes a 5.1 surround-sound mix of the ‘On an Island’ album, three new Barn jams (recorded January 2007) and the following audio-visual tracks: ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’, ‘Wearing The Inside Out’ and ‘Comfortably Numb’ (from the Mermaid Theatre, 7 March 2006), ‘On an Island’ and ‘High Hopes’ (from the AOL Sessions, April 2006) and ‘The Blue’, ‘Take a Breath’ and ‘Echoes’ (from ‘Live from Abbey Road’, August 2006).

- Five-disc version/Deluxe: Three CDs, two DVDs. Boxed, with 20-page booklet and tour memorabilia.

Disc One: ‘Speak To Me’, ‘Breathe’, ‘Time’, ‘Breathe (Reprise)’, ‘Castellorizon’, ‘On an Island’, ‘The Blue’, ‘Red Sky at Night’, ‘This Heaven’, ‘Then I Close My Eyes’, ‘Smile’, ‘Take a Breath’, ‘A Pocketful of Stones’, ‘Where We Start’. Disc Two:
‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’, ‘Astronomy Domine’, ‘Fat Old Sun’, ‘High Hopes’, ‘Echoes’, ‘Wish You Were Here’, ‘A Great Day For Freedom’, ‘Comfortably Numb’. Recorded live in GdaÅ„sk, 26 August 2006.

Bonus CD has 12 live tracks from other concerts from the ‘On an Island’ tour: ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’ (Venice, 12 August 2006), ‘Dominoes’ (Paris, 15 March 2006), ‘The Blue’ (Vienne, 31 July 2006), ‘Take a Breath’ (Munich, 29 July 2006), ‘Wish You Were Here’ (Glasgow, 27 May 2006), ‘Coming Back To Life’ (Florence, 2 August 2006), ‘Find The Cost of Freedom’ (Manchester, 26 May 2006), ‘This Heaven’ (Vienne, 31 July 2006), ‘On The Turning Away’ (Venice, 12 August 2006), ‘Wearing The Inside Out’ (Milan, 25 March 2006), ‘A Pocketful of Stones’ (Vienne, 31 July 2006), ‘Where We Start’ (Vienne, 31 July 2006).

DVD includes 114 minutes of concert footage, plus a 36-minute documentary. Tracks on the DVD are: the complete ‘On an Island’ album, ‘A Great Day For Freedom’, ‘Astronomy Domine’, ‘Comfortably Numb’, ‘Echoes’ and ‘High Hopes’. Recorded live in GdaÅ„sk, 26 August 2006.

The second DVD includes a 5.1 surround-sound mix of the ‘On an Island’ album, three new Barn jams and the following audio-visual tracks: ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’, ‘Wearing The Inside Out’ and ‘Comfortably Numb’ (from the Mermaid Theatre, 7 March 2006), ‘On an Island’ and ‘High Hopes’ (from the AOL Sessions, April 2006) and ‘The Blue’, ‘Take a Breath’ and ‘Echoes’ (from ‘Live from Abbey Road’, August 2006).

Memorabilia consists of: a reproduction postcard, ticket, backstage pass and artist’s pass; a large double-sided poster, a guitar pick/plectrum and seven photographs.

- Five-disc vinyl version: Five LPs. Boxed, with a 20-page booklet and web pass to download concert.

LP #1: ‘Speak To Me’, ‘Breathe’, ‘Time’, ‘Breathe (Reprise)’, ‘Castellorizon’, ‘On an Island’, ‘The Blue’, ‘Red Sky at Night’, ‘This Heaven’. LP #2: ‘Then I Close My Eyes’, ‘Smile’, ‘Take a Breath’, ‘A Pocketful of Stones’, ‘Where We Start’. LP #3: ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’, ‘Wot’s… Uh The Deal’, ‘Astronomy Domine’, ‘Fat Old Sun’, ‘High Hopes’. LP #4: ‘Echoes’, ‘Wish You Were Here’, ‘A Great Day For Freedom’, ‘Comfortably Numb’.

Fifth LP includes ‘On The Turning Away’ (Venice, 12 August 2006), ‘The Blue’ and ‘Echoes’ (from ‘Live from Abbey Road’, August 2006), plus two Barn jams (recorded January 2007).

Performing at Gdańsk were: David Gilmour (Guitars, Vocals, Saxophone), Phil Manzanera (Guitar), Richard Wright (Keyboard, Hammond Organ), Guy Pratt (Bass), Jon Carin (Keyboard, Lap Steel), Steve DiStanislao (Drums), Dick Parry (Saxophone), Leszek Możdżer (Piano) and The Symphony Orchestra of the Polish Baltic Philharmonic, conducted by Zbigniew Preisner.

Facts about the concert and what it commemorated:

GdaÅ„sk was the final show of the ‘On an Island’ tour: 26 August 2006. It was also David’s first ever performance in Poland.

It marked the 26th anniversary of the founding of Solidarity, the inspirational trade union.

Solidarity was founded in the GdaÅ„sk shipyard in September 1980, after strikes the previous month by shipyard workers – the first successful strike behind the Iron Curtain.

David was invited to perform in GdaÅ„sk by Poland’s former President and Solidarity leader, Lech WaÅ‚Ä™sa, and the Mayor of GdaÅ„sk, PaweÅ‚ Adamowicz.

GdaÅ„sk is the sixth-largest city in Poland, as well as the country’s maritime capital.

The Polish Baltic Philharmonic Orchestra was conducted by Polish composer, Zbigniew Preisner.

Renowned Polish pianist, Leszek Możdżer, also joined David and the band on-stage.

All of the songs from David’s ‘On an Island’ album featured orchestral accompaniment, as well as ‘A Great Day For Freedom’, ‘Comfortably Numb’ and ‘High Hopes’.

The arrangements on the Pink Floyd tracks are by the late Michael Kamen.

‘A Great Day For Freedom’, a song about the optimism which followed the collapse of the Berlin Wall (from Pink Floyd’s 1994 album, ‘The Division Bell’), was only performed once during the 2006 tour – in GdaÅ„sk.

These extra discs that we’ve been talking about…

Well, you’ve asked about it on more than one occasion, so here it is: a 5.1 surround-sound mix of ‘On an Island’.

You get that with the four-disc package, by the way. Packaged in cardboard, with a 12-page booklet. That’s two live CDs, one live DVD (114 minutes of concert footage from GdaÅ„sk, plus a 36-minute documentary)…

Plus an extra DVD which, as well as the 5.1 audio, also has 11 bonus audio-visual tracks, three of which are never-before-heard Barn jams (from January 2007), courtesy of David, Richard Wright, Guy Pratt and Steve DiStanislao.

The other tracks are from the Mermaid Theatre (‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’, ‘Wearing The Inside Out’, ‘Comfortably Numb’), AOL Sessions (‘On an Island’, ‘High Hopes’) and Live from Abbey Road (‘The Blue’, ‘Take a Breath’, ‘Echoes’).

So, hands up who will be able to listen to ‘On an Island’ in 5.1…

So, I’ve finally told you just about all there is to know.

Here’s a summary of ‘Remember That Night’:

- It’s released on Monday 17 September in Europe, Tuesday 18 September in North America.

- There will be two discs (DVD-9 dual layer discs, in fact, which allow a greater playing time).

- There will be high-resolution versions in both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD to follow the standard release. I’ll let you know the release date as soon as I can.

- Disc one is the concert, containing 23 songs from the Royal Albert Hall gigs of May 2006. If you played Blotto, you’ll know them by now. Click here if you don’t.

- Disc two is full of extras.

- For starters, there are five bonus songs from the Royal Albert Hall: ‘Wot’s… Uh The Deal, ‘Dominoes’, ‘Wearing The Inside Out’, ‘Arnold Layne’ and ‘Comfortably Numb’.

- There will be three documentaries. The main one, ‘Breaking Bread, Drinking Wine’, contains behind-the-scenes tour footage from the rehearsals in Bray right through to the final show in GdaÅ„sk.

- There’s also a short film from America’s West Coast. Richard Wright is to blame for shooting some of the backstage footage.

- The third is a documentary on the making of the ‘On an Island’ album. This is an edited version of the Electronic Press Kit (EPK), but with some extra songs from the recording sessions.

- The tracks ‘Castellorizon’, ‘On An Island’, ‘The Blue’, ‘Take A Breath’ and ‘High Hopes’, from London’s Mermaid Theatre (March 2006), will be included.

- ‘Astronomy Domine’, as recorded for the ‘Live From Abbey Road’ television series, is on there…

- As is ‘This Heaven’ from the AOL Sessions. (This has been re-edited, by the way, so is an improvement on the version that can be found on the ‘Live And In Session’ disc.)

- The ‘Dark Globe’ video that we’ve been showing on the website is included.

- The promo videos for ‘On an Island’ and ‘Smile’ are also on there.

- There’s a new version of ‘Island Jam’, featuring David, Richard, Stevie and Guy.

- There is also a fine photo gallery.

How does that sound?

Please hold on to your answer for the time being, because you’ll notice that there’s no comment form. That’s because the blog is closed for the weekend. I do, however, have a new poll for you. You can let us know how you rate this DVD by casting your vote.

Thank you all for your comments about the DVD. I think we’ve all enjoyed reading them.

Now, that’s your lot for this week. Back on Monday.

Have a good weekend… and please find time to play some of Syd Barrett’s songs on this, the first anniversary, of his death.

It was nice to find out what you’re all wishing for from David’s DVD.

It’s nice to be able to tell you that many of you are going to see your wishes granted soon. We’re not going to tell you exactly whose wishes have been granted yet, of course, but we will say that the disc full of extras will include footage from the Mermaid Theatre.

‘Castellorizon’, ‘On An Island’, ‘The Blue’, ‘Take A Breath’ and ‘High Hopes’ will be included.

That’s all for yet another week. Have a good weekend and we’ll tease you some more when you get back.

We’ll also have an update on the ‘Arnold Layne’ contest.

Hang in there if you’re still waiting anxiously. We know that it’s torture being kept in suspense like this, but the extra time that’s being spent on choosing the winner is in your best interests.

Belgian radio station, Classic 21, will be broadcasting tracks recorded live at David’s Mermaid Theatre concert tomorrow at about this time.

So, if you’re mourning the end of the tour, this could be just the fix you need.

You can listen live online from 9PM local (Central European) time. Just click the banner to enter the site and then click >24k or >128k to open a media player.

To find out what 9PM CET means in terms of your local time, and to brush up on your geography skills while you’re at it, see here.

I hope you’ve seen the latest photos from GdaÅ„sk over in the Galleries. There are some great ones, including the one above, so do have a butcher’s.

Many thanks to everyone who has popped into the chatroom over the last two days. Do continue to let me know what you think of it, and if you’ll ever consider going back for more.

The next chat will be tomorrow at 5PM UK time.

Please keep checking the calendar for details of the latest scheduled chat sessions.

That’s all for the weekend. Have a good one.

Due to popular demand, as of Monday night, you will be able to see improved footage of the Mermaid Theatre gig on the BBC website.

It’s the same as footage shown recently in cinemas across the US, minus the promotional material. It will also include ‘High Hopes’, which wasn’t included on the original BBC webcast.

It’s improved in the sense that this will be the full nine-camera edit rather than the five-camera edit used previously. The sound has also been remixed.

We’ll remind you of the webcast on Monday.

For now, please see the Latest News page for a new release date for the ‘On An Island’ LP, plus details of the ‘Smile’ single, download and limited edition 7" vinyl.

If you haven’t requested that the assorted Radio 2 presenters play ‘Smile’ on their shows, then what are you waiting for? We can’t have it on the C List, can we? It’s much better than that.

Please also note that tickets for the Venice concerts are now finally on sale. Please see the Live Dates page for all the details.

Just to update you on the ticketing situation for the one-night only showings of the Mermaid Theatre concert on Tuesday 16 May.

Obtaining tickets has caused quite a few headaches. Not all theatres have an online booking option in place, so your best bet is to contact the cinema directly if you can’t get anywhere with the Big Screen Concerts website.

Click here for a full list of the 101 participating cinemas across the US, then find the telephone number of your chosen venue online or in your local directory. Give them a ring and they will be happy to assist you.

If you’re determined to book online, then you can also give Fandango a try, as many of you have told us that you have purchased your tickets through them already.

The concert, recorded in London on 7 March and attended by many blog regulars, features the following tracks: Castellorizon, On an Island, The Blue, Take A Breath, Smile, Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Wearing The Inside Out, High Hopes and Comfortably Numb.

Do let us know if you’ve got tickets. If you’re curious, have a look at the 8 March post to read what those who attended the concert had to say about it.

That’s all for one week. Have a good weekend, all.

That’s screens of all sizes (Rick and Jon, too).

It was ‘The Tonight Show with Jay Leno’ on the small screen last night (which you can view online if you’re in Europe and can’t wait until Tuesday), but we can confirm that David will be appearing on the UK’s premier music show, ‘Later.. with Jools Holland’, in May.

Of course, Jools played piano on ‘The Blue’ and often joins in with his guests on his show, so expect much speculation about which songs they’ll perform. Full details next week.

A bigger screen next. Regal Cinemas will be showing the 7 March concert at London’s Mermaid Theatre on 16 May across the US. Originally filmed for a BBC webcast, the footage has been edited and enhanced by director David Mallet and is scheduled to run in around 50 cinemas.

Tickets are on sale now so click here for further details.

And today you can see David’s AOL Session online, so you could watch that on a really tiny screen if that tickles your fancy – like so many of the concert videos you keep telling us about recording on your mobile phones.

As well as short interviews and behind-the-scenes footage, you can view the entire set, which includes four songs from David’s new album (‘On An Island’, ‘Take A Breath’, ‘Smile’ and ‘This Heaven’) plus two Floyd classics (‘Comfortably Numb’ and ‘High Hopes’). That’s not to be missed.

Listen out for an interesting titbit about David’s ‘new’ guitar strap, trivia fans.

Have a good weekend.

The opening night of David’s ‘On An Island’ tour at Dortmund’s beautiful Konzerthaus last night seems to have gone down a treat, with lots of compliments flying in regarding the sound, lights and surprise setlist. Thank you very much to all who shared their experiences.

Tonight David and his band are playing in Hamburg. Again, we want to hear all the lovely details, so do let us know how it went if you were in attendance.

The setlist will, naturally, be mentioned among the fan comments below. If you don’t want to know what was performed, then please don’t read on. We don’t wish to spoil the surprise for you if you will be seeing David on tour at a later date.

Don’t forget to check past entries for features on each of the theatres that David is visiting on tour. We have already covered Dortmund and Hamburg.

More importantly, do remember to tune in to BBC Radio 2 tonight from 8:30PM (UK time) for exclusive footage of the Mermaid Theatre gig from Tuesday night. Full details are on the website.

It was great to hear that our competition winners had such a good time last night at the Mermaid Theatre. We asked them to keep quiet about the setlist, but you won’t have to wait much longer to discover what was played and how it sounded.

Tune in to BBC Radio 2 right now, because the first live version of the ‘On An Island’ single, recorded last night, is coming up within the next half hour on Johnnie Walker’s show. Don’t miss it.

If you do miss it, don’t worry because you can ‘Listen Again’ as many times as you like for a whole week.

Video footage coming on Saturday 11 March.

So drop whatever it is you’re doing (as long as you’re not holding a baby or small animal) and tune in your radio to 88-91FM.

Alternatively, get online and enjoy!

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Thanks for keeping yesterday’s blog ‘On An Island’-free to allow as many birthday greetings as possible. Quite a few, weren’t there? Thank you all very much for your well wishes. David was touched by the staggering number of messages posted and would like to thank you all.

Some parts of the world are still waiting for the release of ‘On An Island’ (you poor, unfortunate people), but most of the planet has now heard it and we’d love to know what you think of it.

David and his band are, of course, performing tonight at the Mermaid Theatre in Blackfriars, London. If you will be there, then have a terrific night. We would appreciate it, however, if you could keep details of the concert to a minimum. The tour starts in its own right in Dortmund on Friday, and although we have no doubt that fansites will spill the beans before then, we won’t.

So enjoy, but please don’t spoil it for the many fans who, for their sins, like being kept in suspense. Thank you.

Don’t forget that BBC Radio 2 will have exclusive video footage of the Mermaid Theatre gig on Saturday 11 March. Please visit the website for further details. You will be able to replay this as many times as you can manage courtesy of the ‘Listen Again’ feature, which allows you to replay any programme a week after it is first broadcast. We’ll remind you of this on Saturday so that no one misses out.

There was a phenomenal response to our Mermaid Theatre competition. Thanks to all who entered and made us laugh. Rather worryingly, we are still receiving entries, even though the competition has now been closed since midnight Tuesday. If you’re still trying, please, give up.

Could Nick Page and Don Thompson please let us know their full postal addresses immediately? If you cannot get this information to us by midnight tonight (UK time), then I’m afraid these tickets will be offered to someone else. We have people on standby whom we will notify first thing tomorrow morning if we do not hear from you.

As we have been told by many different people, you can still win tickets to see David at the Mermaid Theatre here. The competition closes at 2PM on Monday. The best of luck to those who missed out previously (third time lucky?) and thanks again to all who wrote to tell us about this final opportunity.

We should apologise to anyone outside the UK, for whom this past week’s blog posts must have seemed just a little cruel. We do hope that the extensive US radio play, which we have informed you of over on the Latest News page, goes some small way to compensate.

From tomorrow, Mainstream and AAA stations will be playing a one-hour special (please check with your local station for full details). Do let us know what you hear and where you hear it.

Just to put the Mermaid Theatre issue to bed once and for all (at least, until our lucky competition winners tell us all about it on Wednesday), please be aware that the BBC Radio 2 website will not only be playing, but showing, exclusive footage of the gig, which you can view regardless of where in the world you happen to find yourself.

There will be an hour-long broadcast on BBC Radio 2 on Saturday 11 March at 8:30PM (UK time). You will then be able to listen to this whenever you get the urge thanks to their handy ‘Listen Again’ feature, which allows you to replay any programme a week after it is first broadcast.

Thanks to the wonders of digital television, you can see half an hour of the gig at 9:30PM – and you can keep replaying it until 14 March if you want to.

If half an hour just isn’t enough, then fans all over the world can see a full hour on the BBC Radio 2 website if their internet speed will allow them to.

This will be the first taste of what you can expect from David’s tour, so be sure to tuck in.

More tomorrow, but for now, here’s Phil Manzanera at rehearsals.

Needless to say, there are plenty more of Polly’s photographs to follow, not to mention video clips.

Keep telling us what you think. We love to hear from you.

Rome’s Parco della Musica is a vast multi-function music complex where three large concert halls, each with different capacities (2,800, 1,200, and 700 seats) are separated, yet joined at the base by a continuous lobby.

The fan shaped layout is formed around the central piazza, with lush greenery all around it.

Each of these structures, structurally separated for sound-proofing, are built of red Roman brick with lead rooves.

There is also a fourth concert hall, an open-air amphitheatre for 3,000 people.

The 2,800-seat concert hall, known as Sala Santa Cecilia, is intended for symphony concerts, with room for both an orchestra and choir. This is where David and his band will be performing. As you can see from the picture, the central stage guarantees perfect visibility, as well as natural acoustics.

If you will be in attendance on 26 March, then do let us know. We are confident that you will have a splendid time and look forward to hearing all about it.

Please note that the Mermaid Theatre competition is now closed. Winners are listed in the previous entry.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: COMPETITION WINNERS ANNOUNCED (01/03/06)

The following will each receive a pair of tickets to see David on Tuesday night at the Mermaid Theatre in Blackfriars, London:

Ray Aird, Richard Allen, Carlos Arias, William Armstrong, Chris Bacon, Dave Beaman, Nick Bowker, Carolyn and David Briggs, Tom Byars, Vince Cater, Helen and Paul Chatfield, Julian Collins, Karen Dale, Jonathan Dancey, Martin Davenport, Dominic de Vere, Liam Downey, Stephen Dutton, Nick Fine, Kieran Fleck, Andrew Gall, Gavin Gardiner, David Gaylor, David Gray, Alex Guildford, David Haddock, both James Hamiltons (!), Stephen Harcourt, Jacob Harders, Gary Hembling, Mike Holifield, Paul Hunt, Gary and Melissa Hurley, Titus Jennings, Paul Johnson, Adam Kahan, Adrian Kavanagh, David Kenyon, Dave Keyte, Jeremy King, Baptiste Lelong, Keith Lester, John Mann, Derwin McFarland, Gary McGann, Lewis McInnes, Neil McOnie, Jack Nicholson, Nick Page, Mike Parker, Ian Pearson, Matt Pearson, Linsey Pithers, Kevan Porter, Neil Pudney, Damian Radcliff, Mark Reed, Mark Richards, Jack Rodgers, Chris Royle, Adrian Saunders, Martin Sharkey, Andy Shaw, Matty Shaw, Robert Simmons, Lyndsey Sinclair, John Slinn, Don Thompson, Malcolm Veal, Royston Vince, Tom Weiss, Mark Wellington, Emma Wheeler, Ken Wherrell and Kevin Wright.

If you said that you’ll take your Dad or your daughter, then please make sure that you do!

Commiserations to anyone not listed. A lot of consideration has gone into deciding the competition winners, and although blog regulars were given priority, if you have already made it clear that you shall be attending several shows, then it seems fairer to allow those who were not so lucky in obtaining tickets the opportunity to see David on this occasion.

Any entries submitted after midnight last night did not count. Sorry, but there have to be some rules and that was the cut-off point. It didn’t stop more than 50 hopeful entries coming in today, though…

Confirmation e-mails will follow tomorrow, but all the details you need to know are included below.

Congratulations once again.

We’ve got a real treat for our most loyal UK bloggers.

Thought you’d missed out on the chance to attend the Mermaid Theatre gig on 7 March? Well, have no fear, you will be going to the ball! Well, maybe.

We’ve got some tickets to give away. All you need to do is turn up.

First of all, we’ve got BBC Radio 2’s list of winners. We’ll post them here, so winners will not be allowed to enter our competition. (If you try, we will catch you!)

So, if you can get to the Mermaid Theatre in Blackfriars in London on Tuesday 7 March, let us know. We’ve already got a shortlist of people we’d like to contact first with the offer of two tickets (based on their loyalty to the site since Day One), but we won’t contact anyone unless they enter. You need to be in it to win it, as they say. So, please let us know that you’re interested and you might just get an e-mail from us tomorrow.

If you don’t get an e-mail, please don’t write to ask us why not!

The gig will be at the following address, so please check out travel arrangements and accommodation first. Tickets are non refundable and we want everyone who has a ticket to attend. There will be a crowd of just 600, so please only express your interest if you are sure that you can attend.

Mermaid Theatre, Puddledock, Blackfriars, London, EC4V 3DB

As we anticipate a load of newcomers who will be posting here for the first time ever, just to get a chance to blag some free tickets (the scoundrels), then you lot will have to work especially hard to prove your worth to our little community before we hand over anything. Blog regulars get priority and, when our allocation of tickets has gone, the competition ends.

We’re not posing a question that anyone could find the answer to with a little help from any old internet search engine. You need to write, using exactly 30 words, just why we should give you a ticket. If we like your answer, then you’ve got yourself a pair of tickets.

Any tickets found shamelessly whored on eBay will immediately be invalidated, so do not bother bidding on any such auctions. As has been the case with the Royal Albert Hall tickets, we know which ticket has been given to whom, and we will be keeping an eye on eBay to make sure that no one tries to cash in on this offer.

Furthermore, both ticket holders will need to show photographic ID and evidence of name/address, all of which will be checked at the door and must match what we already know, so these tickets simply cannot be resold.

So get writing, remembering to include a cheery "Yes, please! I’d give my right arm to be at the Mermaid Theatre next week!" (very important, that) before setting out your grounds for inclusion, and you will be considered.

Please include your full postal address, too. Don’t worry, this will only be visible to us for cross-referencing purposes, and will not be made public in any way. If we do not have your address, you will not be allowed into the theatre. Simple.

So get your thinking caps on. The more imaginative your reasons, the better.

Be quick and good luck!

We apologise that this competition is open to UK residents only. These are BBC terms, which we abide by. The same terms and conditions as the BBC’s contest will apply. My decision is final. One entry per person only.

By the way, we are logging your IP addresses, so try as you might, you won’t fool us!

Lots of good news for all you fans in the States, as we know that many of you are rather unhappy that the BBC competition is open to UK residents only.

First, as has been noted by you among yesterday’s frenzied comments (a fine source of information you lot are), US fans have their very own chance to win tickets to one of David’s shows, as well as many other exciting prizes. You don’t even have to answer a question.

The good people at Columbia Records are offering you the grand prize of a round trip for two to Los Angeles, complete with tickets to the show at the Gibson Amphitheatre on 20 April. You will stay at the legendary Chateau Marmont hotel and transportation to, and from, the concert is included. If that’s not enough, there’s also a signed guitar, a brand new ‘On An Island’ CD, as well as David’s other two solo albums and DVD.

25 second place winners will each receive a signed David Gilmour lithograph and 10 third place winners will each receive a David Gilmour baseball hat and a copy of David’s fabulous new album on CD.

This competition is open to US residents only. The very best of luck to all who enter.

The ‘On An Island’ single is now available on iTunes. Not in Europe though. Europeans will have to wait until 6 March, unfortunately.

Also, look out for the latest edition of Billboard, which has a rather interesting Q&A with David. As we’re so good to you, you can read it right now over on the Press page.

Many thanks to Guy Pratt for kindly giving us an update on how the rehearsals are coming along. Proving that no one bothers to read anyone else’s posts, at the time of writing, no one appears to have noticed Guy’s message. Oh well, some of us appreciate you dropping in, Guy!

One thing we are sure you’ve noticed, however, is the ‘On An Island’ video. Do let us know what you think of it.

There. Happier now?

How do you like the new-look site, then? Do let us know what you think.

Stuart Maconie tonight announced, on BBC Radio 2, details of the competition to win tickets to see David and his band on 7 March. It will be an exclusive performance by David and his full ‘On An Island’ band at London’s Mermaid Theatre. The concert will later be broadcast on Radio 2 and we will let you know where you will be able to hear it around the world.

Clear details of how to enter the competition are available here, so have a look.

The very best of luck to all who enter and please remember that this competition is open to UK residents only. Unfortunately, overseas fans are not allowed to enter.

Another of Polly’s photos for you, with many more coming soon.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: BBC RADIO 2… RIGHT NOW! (MONDAY 20TH)

Stuart Maconie (covering for Johnnie Walker) has just announced details of the competition to win tickets to see David and his band on 7 March in London… and he’s only gone and played ‘Money’ instead of ‘On An Island’.

Feel free to do what you’ve already done to such tremendous effect and let BBC Radio 2 know what you think. You can listen to the live show online until 7PM (UK). Text 88291 or e-mail the show so they know that we want David’s new song, not old Pink Floyd ones.

Details of the competition are also on the website. Good luck to all who enter, and please remember that this competition is open to UK residents only.

If you contacted BBC Radio 2 on Friday, then pat yourself on the back. Not only was the song played, but it was played twice due to there being such a great response from people keen to hear it again. So that’s twice in the space of just 90 minutes.

Now, although we couldn’t possibly encourage you to lobby your radio station and request the full album version instead of the single edit, how about lobbying your radio station and requesting the full album version instead of the single edit?

Johnnie Walker will also be playing ‘On An Island’ on his show on Monday, so do tune in.

At this rate, we hope that the single will soon be promoted to the B List. So thanks again to everyone who has requested it.

If you want to hear it again, then visit BBC Radio 2 and LISTEN AGAIN to last Friday’s ‘Steve Wright in the Afternoon’ show. You want 39 minutes for the first play and two hours and six minutes for the second.

When you’ve stopped patting yourself on the back, how about three cheers for Richard Allinson (who was filling in for Steve Wright on Friday)?

A quick point about the sound clips that you’re hearing – and loving – on the homepage.

These are not taken directly from the album as it were, so please don’t judge the album from these loops alone. What you’re hearing are extras from recording sessions which may, or may not, be expanded upon on the album. As I’m now boring myself by saying this – so I dread to think how tired you are of hearing it – I’m afraid you’ll just have to wait until the album comes out to judge it properly.

Not long to wait now, though. 16-17 days, but who’s counting?

More tomorrow to make up for a quiet past week, including more of Polly’s fabulous photographs.