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Nick Still Has The Knack: Mason Ends RAH
3rd Night.
In a fitting end to David's Royal Albert Hall
shows, Nick Mason joined David Gilmour
and Richard Wright for the encores of the third
and final night. After another great show which
again featured Crosby and Nash, Robert Wyatt
on Then I Close My Eyes and Mica Paris
on The Great Gig In The Sky, the hall
erupted when Nick sat down behind Steve's drum
kit for Wish You Were Here. Remaining
in place for Find The Cost Of Freedom,
he picked up his sticks again and led the band
into Comfortably Numb, to add the crowning
glory to a truly great tour.
Mica Were Here – Mica Paris Joins David
at RAH
For the first time since Paris, The Great
Gig In The Sky was performed on David Gilmour's
On An Island tour – this time featuring
Mica Paris on guest vocals, who did a sterling
job on Richard Wright's classic. As with last
night, the evening included contributions from
David Crosby & Graham Nash, plus Robert Wyatt
on Then I Close My Eyes. The addition
of 'Great Gig In The Sky' was just one more
musical high in a tour that continues to amaze,
and the thunderous applause from the packed
Royal Albert Hall audience at the end of a sensational
night demonstrated just how much David is appreciated.
Audience Numb as Bowie and Wyatt Guest at
RAH
David's first night at the Royal Albert Hall
proved as exciting as predicted, with the usual
amazing show, made even more so with the addition
of special guests. Of course, David Crosby and
Graham Nash gave their all and more, and Robert
Wyatt added his distinctive cornet to Then
I Close My Eyes, reprising his role on record.
Best-kept secret of the night was the appearance
of David Bowie, in the encore section, who gained
a standing ovation after his unique renditions
of both Arnold Layne and Comfortably
Numb.
Who knows what new thrills await in the next
two days? Keep tuning in for the latest...
You May Go To The Hall – Choir Seats Become
Available
Don't read any further – call the Royal Albert
Hall Box Office NOW on 020 7589 8212, because
we have released more seats in the choir area, right
behind the musicians. This may seem like a brilliant
last-minute effort to foil touting and high-priced
eBay sales, but actually it's fairly common to release
tickets on the day once the crew have assessed the
hall, because it's very difficult to judge the Royal
Albert Hall, in particular, until all the gear is
in. So if you had high hopes for a miracle, here it
is. Get dialling!
Crosby & Nash On A British Island
As you might have guessed from last night's
transmission of 'Later...with Jools Holland',
David and Graham have kindly agreed to reprise
their US guest appearances on the UK On An
Island dates. They appeared in Manchester
last night, but only David will be singing tonight
in Glasgow, because Graham has had to stay in
Manchester for personal reasons. They will both,
however, be appearing at all the Royal Albert
Hall dates. Their commitment to taking time
out from their schedules to contribute vocals
has been a thrilling bonus for attendees of
the shows at which they have guested.
No Empty Wallet Blues – An Intriguing Idea
If you're lucky enough to attend David's shows
at Glasgow's SECC tonight or London's Royal
Albert Hall, you should find an attractive (but
empty) CD wallet on your seat, accompanied by
a CD-label sized sticker. This is an idea from
EMI Records, highlighting the downloadable single
of Smile from June 5th. Here's what the
sticker says (on the sticky part): 'This is
a limited edition tour sticker. Download the
single Smile and make your own exclusive
David Gilmour CD with this sticker and wallet'.
The wallet is a card CD sleeve, featuring the
same art as the regular CD of Smile,
but numbered on the front. The back of the sleeve
mentions the release date and the other single
formats (CD and clear vinyl 7”), plus Island
Jam.
Apologies to concertgoers in Manchester, where
the wallets were handed out at the door, instead
of left on the seats, but hopefully the packaging
was self-explanatory. Thanks to EMI for the
idea, which seems an intriguing way to ally
the convenience of download to the possessability
of a physical CD.
David's Day: A Feast of Gilmour on June 5th.
Some details for the David Gilmour completist:
save up for June 5th, because some special
items will be available that day. The VINYL
LP has had to be postponed to June 5th (from
May 30th). It is a great package though: heavyweight
virgin vinyl, a new Steve Knee montage on the
centre spread, a 33" x 22" poster on heavy paper
with a picture of David on one side (emulating
the 'wire man'), and the lyrics on the other,
and an inner bag with David on one side and
the wire man on the other, similar to the end
papers of the CD package.
Catalogue number is 0946 3 55695 1 3. Don't
delay – order today!
Also available on June 5th, as previously mentioned,
is the single of Smile. The 2-track CD (priced
at around £2) includes the album version of Smile,
plus the highly-collectible Island Jam, all
6 minutes and 33 seconds of it. Recorded at Abbey
Road Studios with Paul 'Wix' Wickens on keyboards,
Guy Pratt on bass and Ged Lynch on drums, it shows
David's absolute mastery of the guitar and features
some of his most expressive playing. The Catalogue
number is 0946 364719 2 1.
EMI has also made available a Limited Edition
7" single on clear vinyl. There are the
same two tracks as the CD single, and the catalogue
number is 0946 3 64674 7 4.
For MP3 fans, Smile will be available
as a download from all usual sites, while iTunes
will have an exclusive of the 'demo' version
of Smile, starting on June 5th.
Smile is on the UK BBC Radio 2 'C' List,
but it would be nice for David to have a big
solo hit, so even if you saw Island Jam
here at Christmas, rush out on the 5th and get
your own audio copy. It's a redhot coupling
anyway, so let's see it in the charts!
A Bigger Splash: BBC Repeats 'Mermaid'.
You may have seen that BBC Radio 2 in the UK is starting
a new promotion on its Web
site to promote the variety of music covered
by the BBC's various arms. David's show at the Mermaid
Theatre on March 7th was recorded for the Radio
2 'Live and Exclusive' series, and was also run as
a Webcast, proving so popular that they have asked
to repeat it.
As you know, director David Mallet created an updated
version, which ran in cinemas across the US on 16th
May, and now that version comes to the Web. It is
the 65-minute version, so it now includes High
Hopes, and it features improved colourisation
and a completely different edit. It starts on the
BBC Radio 2 Web site at 9:30 pm on Monday 29th
May. If you can't get a ticket for the Albert
Hall, you can be there in spirit via the magic of
the Web.
Reasons to be Cheerful
David's next UK single, Smile, has just
been added to the BBC
Radio 2 playlist. We have an exclusive
video, directed by David Mallet and Nick Morris,
via the
On An Island page.
Tickets are finally on sale now for David's
concerts in Venice; visit Live
Dates for more information.
Solidarity Invites David to Play Anniversary
Concert in Gdańsk for 100,000
David has accepted an invitation from Pawel
Adamowicz, Major of Gdańsk in Poland, to perform
a special concert in the Gdańsk shipyards on
Saturday 26th August. It will mark the
26th anniversary of the founding of Solidarity,
and over 100,000 people are expected to attend
the open-air event.
The concert, funded by the City of Gdańsk and
Solidarity, is set to be an annual event, titled
"It Started In Gdańsk – The Space Of Freedom".
August 26th is a national holiday, celebrating
the founding of the Solidarity trade union in
1980; nine years later the Communist Government
fell, and Solidarity leader Lech Walesa was
elected president of Poland.
Pawel Adamowicz and Lech Walesa said: "On behalf
of Fundacja Gdanska and the City of Gdańsk we
have pleasure to confirm our very strong commitment
to David Gilmour performing on August 26th at
the Gdańsk Shipyard. It is a National holiday
and celebration of freedom and democracy in
our country. The concert therefore will generate
enormous interest with the public and media".
It's apposite for David to be able to visit
Poland, since On An Island made it to
Number 1 in the charts there and is now certified
Platinum. Its memorable 'OAI' orchestral arrangements
are by celebrated Polish composer Zbigniew Preisner,
so the concert should really be something special.
No other shows are scheduled at the moment.
More Albert Tickets – The Hall Story!
As you will have seen on The
Blog, we have been able to let go more ticckets
previously held for production reasons for David's
shows at the Royal Albert Hall.
There are tickets for EVERY NIGHT, so call the
Royal Albert Hall box office now on 020 7589
8212 before any eBayers get a look in!
Jiminy! Tickets! Albert Hall Releases More
Tickets.
Withdraw that eBay bid – more tickets have
just been made available by the Royal Albert
Hall Box Office. Call them on 0207 589 8212,
but hurry!
Tickets are for David's performances on Monday
29th, Tuesday 30th and Wednesday
31st May. We will be filming all three Albert
Hall nights for David's DVD, so please don't
bring those pesky flash cameras or photo-phones.
Tickets On Sale Info – Check 'Live Dates' Page
Further to yesterday's news re: David's European
Summer Tour dates, we have now added ticket
and venue details to the Live
Dates page, so please check there right
now.
On Sale Dates are:
Clam Castle, Munich, Vienne – NOW
Florence – Friday 19th May at 17:00 (local
time)
Venice – TBC
The dates are still:
| July |
|
|
|
| Thursday
27th |
Austria |
Nr. Linz |
Clam
Castle |
| Saturday
29th |
Germany |
München
(Munich) |
Königsplatz |
| Monday
31st |
France |
Vienne
(south of Lyon) |
Théâtre
Antique |
| |
|
|
|
| August |
|
|
|
| Wednesday
2nd |
Italy |
Firenze
(Florence) |
Piazza
Santa Croce |
| Friday
4th |
Italy |
Venezia
(Venice) |
Piazza
San Marco |
| Saturday
5th |
Italy |
Venezia
(Venice) |
Piazza
San Marco |
Take A Piazza My Art – David's Grand
Tour d'Italia.
Regular pleading from The
Blog has obviously paid off, because David
has just announced he will be hauling his gear for
his own Giro d'Italia – albeit only in the North.
As with the dates already announced, they are all
in the open air, and should all be memorable experiences.
The schedule is now:
| July |
|
|
|
| Thursday
27th |
Austria |
Nr. Linz |
Clam
Castle |
| Saturday
29th |
Germany |
München
(Munich) |
Königsplatz |
| Monday
31st |
France |
Vienne
(south of Lyon) |
Théâtre
Antique |
| |
|
|
|
| August |
|
|
|
| Wednesday
2nd |
Italy |
Firenze
(Florence) |
Piazza
Santa Croce |
| Friday
4th |
Italy |
Venezia
(Venice) |
Piazza
San Marco |
| Saturday
5th |
Italy |
Venezia
(Venice) |
Piazza
San Marco |
Ticketing information should be available shortly.
(Ciao Lucia!)
Another Chance to See David Live: in US Cinemas
Tomorrow!
Don't forget that there's a chance to see David
Gilmour's live show in one of over 100 US cinemas
tomorrow, Tuesday 16th May. As mentioned previously,
David's live appearance at London's Mermaid
Theatre has been scheduled to run for one
day only in cinemas in almost every US state.
David Gilmour: On An Island is presented
by National CineMedia and Network LIVE in high-definition
and surround sound at more than 100 participating
Regal, United Artists, Edwards, Cinemark, AMC,
and Georgia Theatre Company cinemas across the
USA.
Check out the official ticket sales site, where a couple
of judicious clicks should then connect you to the Web page
that will sell you a ticket. You can search
by Zip Code to find the location of your closest
theatre.
For new readers: It was the first public appearance
of the 2006 David Gilmour touring band, and
the presentation was scaled down for the small
theatre, which means there are no lasers for
instance, but the powerful performances more
than make up for it.
The concert showing will consist of tracks from
David Gilmour's UK Number One album On An
Island: Castellorizon; On An Island;
The Blue; Take A Breath; and Smile.
There are also stellar renditions of Pink Floyd
classics Shine On You Crazy Diamond,
Wearing The Inside Out, High Hopes,
and Comfortably Numb.
The evening's programme has been extended by
the inclusion of the full promo clip for On
An Island, and the Electronic Press Kit
for the On An Island album, which includes
David himself talking about the album's creation,
plus footage from the album recording sessions.
Tickets are on sale now, priced at $10:00 in
advance and $12:50 on the day of the show, and
a splendid time is guaranteed for all!
Some Happy Returns
You'd be forgiven for thinking that David's Albert
Hall shows are the hottest ever, judging from the
resale prices on eBay, but, life being what it is,
it turns out that some fans can't make it, prompting
several requests from fans wishing to sell their tickets
via The
Blog. We thought long and hard about the pros
and cons of allowing this, but have decided that it's
best not to.
As you know, we are against profiteering and
exploitation of fans. We don't believe that
anyone should have to pay over the odds to get
tickets from touts, which is why we have been
monitoring Internet auction sites, and encouraging
returns to the point of purchase, to be reissued
to genuine fans at face value. However, after
strong words about re-selling, it probably wouldn't
be wise to be involved in any ticket-selling,
even at arm's length.
Unlike the purchase of, say, a jumper from Marks
& Spencer, you are not normally allowed a refund
for a concert ticket (strictly speaking, refunds
are for goods that are unfit for the purpose
of purchase). However, we have been able to
get a dispensation from official ticket sellers
(Royal Albert Hall, Stargreen, See Tickets)
to refund David Gilmour tickets, in order to
ensure that other fans can purchase them at
a fair price.
It has been a complicated and time-consuming
operation, but it has been very successful.
Lots of fans have persevered and have been able
to purchase tickets – so the system does
work.
Hopefully there aren't too many more who suddenly
have the in-laws to stay or have to wash their
hair that night, but if you do have tickets
that you can't use for a very good reason (unlike
the above), please do return them to the point
of sale (official sellers only) for a refund.
Sorry we can't do it here, but thanks for your
understanding.
Know How Many Stubs It Takes To Fill The Albert
Hall...More Tickets If You Act Swiftly!
Dateline 2:00 pm British Summer Time –
As regularly mentioned on The
Blog, tickets do become available for various
reasons at London's Royal Albert Hall.
We have had advance notice that a quantity are
going to be available NOW, yes, NOW,
from both the Albert Hall Box Office
and Stargreen ticket agents.
Tickets are for TUESDAY 30TH MAY, in
either Grand Tier or 2nd Tier Boxes, and WEDNESDAY
31ST MAY in the Arena.
Some people prefer the Arena, since it's closer
to the stage. The floor isn't raked, but you
should have a good view. Some may prefer to
go on May 30th, since that is one of the nights
we are filming for a live DVD (we are not filming
on the 31st).
Check out the Royal Albert Hall Web
site to see views of the hall: the boxes
are very plush, and although they can be the
furthest seats from the stage, the venue is
very intimate, and they are regarded as premium
seats. Please call now to reserve your
seats. An added thrill, of course, is that you
might find yourself sharing a box with a fellow
DavidGilmour.com reader. Don't forget to greet
them with the secret password: 'Didn't They
Do Well' (or if you're the Editor, the Peter
Crouch song).
Most of these 'Top Price' seats will be sold
via the RAH Box Office on 020 7589 8212, but
there will a limited number via Stargreen Box
Office on 020 7734 8932.
Forecast Sunny as David Confirms New Summer
Shows in Europe
You don't have to be a weather man to see the
cloud of depression banished across Europe,
as we can exclusively reveal that David's Royal
Albert Hall dates won't be the last, after all.
David has just confirmed some additional
live shows, which are at open air venues
with capacities of between 4,000 and 8,000.
More dates will be added, but the first three
are:
| July |
|
|
|
| Thursday
27th |
Austria |
Nr. Linz |
Clam
Castle |
| Saturday
29th |
Germany |
München
(Munich) |
Konigsplatz |
| Monday
31st |
France |
Vienne
(south of Lyon) |
Théâtre
Antique |
More information about Box Office
contact details and ticket prices will be confirmed
shortly, and look out for photos of the venues on
The
Blog.
The live band will be the same as that which
has stunned audiences on the first legs of the
European/North American tour:
David Gilmour – Guitar and vocals
Richard Wright – Keyboards and vocals
Phil Manzanera – Guitar and vocals
Dick Parry – Saxophone
Jon Carin – Keyboards, steel guitar and
vocals
Guy Pratt – Bass guitar and vocals
Steve DiStanislao – Drums and vocals
XM – No Static At All
As mentioned in the News
section (Tuesday 18th April), when David was
in New York he undertook a session for the US
XM Satellite Radio in a low-key acoustic
presentation, and XM has now confirmed the broadcast
date as Monday 5th June.
In front of a small audience, David and Phil
Manzanera answered questions and played songs
on acoustic guitars. It was more of a discussion
than a performance, since in an hour they played
only Smile and Where We Start,
but there was a wide-ranging dialogue, including
a mention of the carbon-neutral status of On
An Island, apparently the first time this
has been done for an album in the US. The idea
is that, by contributing a sum for each CD manufactured,
the artist goes some way towards erasing the
carbon footprint of the cost of pressing and
distributing each CD.
The Vinyl Cut – On An Island LP due May 29th.
Vinylly...we can announce that EMI Records in
the UK and Europe plan to release the LP version
of On An Island on May 29th.
The package will be a heavy-weight, virgin vinyl release,
including a gatefold sleeve and 12" x 12" renditions
of Steve Knee's artwork, plus all lyrics and
credits. The album has been Mastered in Los
Angeles by Bernie Grundman and Doug Sax, but
does include slight edits to the songs on Side
2, to optimise the audio quality.
Release plans via Sony BMG for territories outside Europe have
not yet been finalised, so there will be more
news about those countries in the near future.
Press Up and 'fess Up
As you know, David and the band are all back
at their various homes and have, no doubt, enjoyed
the Bank Holiday weekend if they're in Britain.
We thought you might appreciate a guide to some
of the press that's in the Press
section, since there's now quite a lot of it.
There's a stack of press coverage from the US
tour dates, and you can guess from the publication
name which date it refers to.
Some people have written in with technical queries.
Before you think of any question, please read
the FAQs
(Frequently Asked Questions) section –
a lot of information is contained there. Also
please read the article in the Press section
from Total Production International,
which goes into eye-watering detail about which
particular in-out digi-fetzelgreeber was used
to flange the double-stop on the magni-quad
inphase double-muffled laidback quark inputs,
and why the tour went into the red on supplies
of chewing gum, Blu-Tack, rubber bands and string.
(Just kidding, Phil, Marc, Roger, Colin and
Nick – the tour was actually fantastically
well organised, and the sound and lights universally
praised.)
For an insight into the album art, please refer
to the article on designer Steve Knee in Area
of Design. We have also just added a couple
of features that give an insight into the other
side of David Gilmour – the UK MOJO
article from March, and a new interview from
Classic Rock.
Finally, you will see the new issue of UK Guitarist
magazine, with David on the cover. The original
feature (of which this is an expanded version)
ran in sister publication Guitar World
in the US, and it seems that you can also get
the US magazine in the UK. It has been seen
in WHSmith, Waterloo Station. Even if you're
not a guitarist the item of interest in Guitar
World is the free accompanying CD-ROM which
includes instruction from a Stratocaster player
named Jimmy Brown on how to play David's classic
solos from Comfortably Numb and Another
Brick In The Wall, Part 2. Now, Jimmy Brown
is a good player, and he gets across David's
technique in a very helpful way. If you play
in the Floyd tribute band it's no doubt very
helpful, but the most interesting thing is that,
no matter how 'correct' the playing is (and
it's not actually always spot-on), at no time
do you believe it's David Gilmour playing the
licks. From which you can deduce three things
if you're trying to emulate DG:
1. It's an awful lot more difficult than it
looks;
2. It takes a long time, and you might be better
off discovering David's
influences and developing
your own style from that;
3. There's only one David Gilmour – so
don't bother.
Your Last Chance For Two Albert Hall Tickets!
Don't forget that today is the last day to win
two free tickets for David Gilmour at London's
Royal Albert Hall in May, donated very kindly
by EMI Records. |
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