This week David Gilmour performed two spectacular shows at the legendary Pompeii Amphitheatre in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, marking the first time he has played there in 45 years.
The performances were the first-ever rock concerts for an audience in the stone Roman amphitheatre which was built in 90 BC and entombed in ash when Vesuvius erupted in AD 79.
The amphitheatre was only uncovered after the Second World War and David Gilmour’s concerts are the first time that there has been an audience present in the arena in almost 2000 years.
This happened last night beneath Vesuvius. David at Pompeii -first public performance since the gladiators. ????????????????❤️???????? pic.twitter.com/UZE7P09m4I
— Polly Samson (@PollySamson) July 8, 2016
In 1971 when Pink Floyd played at the amphitheatre for the film ‘Pink Floyd Live At Pompeii’ there was famously no audience present, but this time the 2600 strong crowd stood exactly where gladiators would have fought in the first century AD.
The crowd was treated to an audio visual spectacle featuring lasers, pyrotechnics and a setlist featuring songs from throughout David’s career. Tracks performed over the two nights ranged from his latest album ‘Rattle That Lock’ to the Pink Floyd classic ‘One Of These Days’, the only song that was also performed at the 1971 show.
Both concerts also saw very special performances of ‘The Great Gig In The Sky’ from ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’ which David rarely plays as a solo artist. The full setlists for both shows are below.
David, now officially an honorary citizen of Pompeii, said of the shows ‘It’s a magical place and coming back and seeing the stage and the arena was quite overwhelming. It’s a place of ghosts…in a friendly way’.
A special guest at the second show was the world renowned classicist Mary Beard, an expert on Ancient Rome as well as a lifelong Pink Floyd fan, who treated David and his wife Polly Samson to a guided tour of the amphitheatre.
The Rattle That Lock World Tour 2016 will continue in Verona, Stuttgart, Paris, Weisbaden, Nimes, Besancon and Tienen in Belgium before ending up with a five night stand at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Vesuvius last night ???? #davidgilmour #ReturntoPompeii pic.twitter.com/Gv1N6NY3v2
— Polly Samson (@PollySamson) July 9, 2016
David Gilmour set list Verona Italy July 10 2016
Set 1
5 A.M. (from Rattle That Lock, 2015)
Rattle That Lock (from Rattle That Lock, 2015)
Faces of Stone (from Rattle That Lock, 2015)
Wish You Were Here (from Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here, 1975)
A Boat Lies Waiting (from Rattle That Lock, 2015)
The Blue (from On an Island, 2006)
Money (from Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon, 1973)
Us and Them (from Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon, 1973)
In Any Tongue (from Rattle That Lock, 2015)
High Hopes (from Pink Floyd’s The Division Bell, 1994)
Set 2
One of These Days (from Pink Floyd’s Meddle, 1971)
Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V) (from Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here, 1975)
Fat Old Sun (from Atom Heart Mother, 1970)
Coming Back to Life (from Pink Floyd’s The Division Bell, 1994)
On An Island (with David Crosby) (from On an Island, 2006)
The Girl in the Yellow Dress (from Rattle That Lock, 2015)
Today (from Rattle That Lock, 2015)
Sorrow (from Pink Floyd’s A Momentary Lapse of Reason, 1987)
Run Like Hell (from Pink Floyd’s The Wall, 1979)
Encore
Time (from Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon, 1973)
Breathe (Reprise) (from Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon, 1973)
Comfortably Numb (with David Crosby) (from Pink Floyd’s The Wall, 1979)
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Never miss a story! Get your free Noise11.com daily music news email alert. Subscribe to the Noise11 Music Newsletter here
Listen to the Noise11 Music News channel now at iHeartRadio
Follow Noise11.com on Facebook and Twitter
NOISE11 UPDATES are now in Apple News
