Tag Archive for "san francisco" tag

This is the one I picked as my favourite for July.

Possibly one of the youngest fans to attend an ‘On an Island’ concert anywhere – with mum, Rachael.

Thanks for sharing one of your snaps from the Paramount gig with us, Rachael.

Our Flashback series continues this weekend, as we’ll be looking back to the concert at Klam.

If you were fortunate enough to have tickets for that, or any of the summer shows, please have your stand-out memories at the ready, because we’d love to reminisce with you.

As usual, there will be a post for each gig, and you can still leave your comments for the ones we’ve already covered; just use the Archives drop-down menu on the right to locate the month you need, or select ‘Tour’ under Categories and scroll ’til you need scroll no more.

If you missed today’s chat, the chatroom will re-open on Monday at 12:00 (UK).

Until then, have a good weekend.

San Francisco’s shows were both at Oakland’s Paramount Theatre: on the 16th and 17th, two years ago.

Were you there?

You can read about these concerts here.

Clicking Polly’s photo will take you to the Galleries, where you can see this stunning shot in all its glory. (It’s one of my favourites, but is it one of yours?)

The chatroom is now open. Closing time is at 13:00 (UK).

As I mentioned a few weeks back, David has very kindly donated some rather interesting tour paraphernalia to Crisis, the homelessness charity of which he is vice-president, to auction off on eBay.

Bidding starts next Monday at 5PM (UK time). Of course, I’ll remind you before then.

Items include signed proofs of the ‘Remember That Night’ DVD artwork, as well as a signed photograph of David with David Bowie.

If you’d like to see these items (minus the photo, that is), and perhaps contemplate placing a bid for any of them, please click the (slightly fuzzy) scan above. We would all greatly appreciate any effort you can make to help boost the final price.

It goes without saying that these items, unlike much of what you see on eBay, are completely authentic – not to mention original and highly collectible. Whilst we hope that they go to a good home, our main hope is that their sale will help those unfortunates who have no home.

Here’s a little more from Phil Taylor to finish with.

David used many different types of guitar on his last tour – more than previously, I think, and more songs with guitar changes. Is this a headache or a pleasure? (Kieran)

There is always a challenge in both putting together everything that I am responsible for on stage, and making it all work perfectly, every time that David and/or Pink Floyd do anything. It is just normal for me; it is what I like to do. So, in short, a pleasure.

David and Phil Manzanera have been playing some interesting Gibson Jumbo acoustics on this tour. Can you tell us more about the models and vintages? (EchoesBob)

They are both Gibson Country and Western models. One is 1958, the other is 1959.

Can you tell us a bit about David’s “new” blonde Telecaster (the one he started playing during the US leg of the ‘On an Island’ tour)? (Henning)

We were in Oakland and, during sound check, David decided he wanted to play ‘Astronomy Domine’. I was not carrying a Tele on the road. A quick call to Billy Siegel at Fender, who responded magnificently and instantly (he made the FedEx man wait until he had found a suitable guitar, it was late Friday afternoon). It arrived the next day and it required a little work to be at its best. David then used it during the rest of the tour. He later gave it to Charlie, his son, for Christmas.

If you’re going to the concert at the Gibson Amphitheatre on Thursday 20 April – and if you’re a regular blog visitor (sorry, no first-time posters, please) - do let me know.

I know that many of you let me know yesterday, but this is different and you have to humour me.

Just write “Yes indeed, I shall be seeing David Gilmour at the Gibson Amphitheatre next week and I am looking forward to it tremendously!” and nothing else. It’s Easter, I’m supposed to be on holiday, so please keep it short and sweet if you want to keep me sweet.

And you will want to keep me sweet, believe me, because I’ve got a little surprise that I’d like to share with you.

Ask no questions, because there will be no answers. All will be revealed on Sunday.

And if you can guess what the surprise is, keep it to yourself or else you won’t be considered eligible. I do hold grudges, so don’t try me.

Remember, all I want to see is: “Yes indeed, I shall be seeing David Gilmour at the Gibson Amphitheatre next week and I am looking forward to it tremendously!”

Thanks.

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!

Well, it seems that the remaining tickets to the New York, Toronto and Chicago shows sold out in record time.

From your comments, it seems that many of you were left disappointed, not least to see many of these tickets being sold on eBay moments later.

For what it’s worth, we share your irritation. We are annoyed by the fact that this is allowed to happen, and your views on this issue are important to us.

It is doubtful that eBay could be forced to alter their policies on the sale of tickets unless there was a great enough response to it. In the case of London’s Live 8 concert of July 2005, these tickets had been won through a text contest and so, technically, were free.

The uproar was that, as Sir Bob Geldof put it, "The weakest people on our planet" were being exploited, as the show was, of course, designed to raise awareness of global issues and to put pressure on the G8 leaders to do something to help the world’s poorest nations.

We still feel that selling any tickets on eBay to make personal profit is, as Sir Bob put it, "sick profiteering" and we encourage you to have your say. Judging by those of you who have passed comment on eBay so far, it seems that you despise the idea of anyone making money off the back of David’s popularity and the desperation of his fans – who have been unable to acquire tickets by regular means – to see him in concert.

What’s left of the Oakland and Los Angeles tickets will be going on sale shortly (the Oakland box office opens at 10AM and the Los Angeles box office at 12 Noon). Good luck. Let us know what it’s like trying to snap up the remaining tickets. We hope you will be successful.

Meanwhile, here is the next section of the ‘Five favourites’ results chart:

042. Yet Another Movie
043. Love On The Air *
043. Pigs *
043. Young Lust *
046. Astronomy Domine *
046. Let’s Get Metaphysical *
048. Raise My Rent
049. All Lovers Are Deranged *
049. Blue Light *
049. Cruise *
049. I Can’t Breathe Anymore *
049. Mudmen *
049. One Slip *
055. Mother
056. A Saucerful of Secrets *
056. You Know I’m Right *
058. Money
059. Burning Bridges *
059. Careful With That Axe, Eugene *

* Equal number of votes polled. Alphabetical order, not preference, dictates a song’s order in the chart.

Interesting?

Please note that, for obvious reasons, we cannot include new votes in this chart. The results have now been counted and, short of completely altering the chart every other day and posting it in its entirety, we cannot include your latest suggestions.

Yet still feel free to have your say in the ‘Five favourites’ blog (29 December). There has been great debate over this and we hope that similar polls can generate such a positive response.

Thanks again to everyone for chipping in and helping to create a really interesting list of songs.