David Gilmour performs iconic classics at the Hollywood Bowl (SHOW REVIEW)

Southern California’s classic rock fans have recently been blessed with shows by aging, but still “snappy” guitar god frontmen. First, Eric Clapton came to town on October 12, barely a year after his likely final Crossroads Festival took place in Los Angeles in September 2023. Now iconic axe-wielder David Gilmour is blasting his way through four area shows – the first US stop of his The Luck and Strange tour was last Friday at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood. This week he’s doing three shows at the venerable Hollywood Bowl. The October 30, 2024 show was the second night at the Bowl, and Gilmour graced a sold-out crowd with most of the songs from his new album, but really got them excited with several Pink Floyd classics.

David Gilmour may not have a monopoly on the title of ‘guitar god’, but very few musicians still alive and performing can compete for his place in rock history. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s work with Pink Floyd is legendary, and he was the driving force behind their last three albums following Roger Waters’ rancorous departure from the band in 1985. He has also released five solo albums, most of them recent Happiness and strangein September. The four shows he does in SoCal would be sold out, even if he toured more than once every eight years (that’s the last time he played in the US and at the Hollywood Bowl)… and even if this North US ‘road trip’ more than just two cities (US tour ends at Madison Square Garden in New York City with five shows, November 4-10). Add to that the fact that Gilmour is 78, and it’s no wonder fans flocked from across the country and around the world to attend one or more of these sparse shows. We spoke to several visiting fans, including one man who excitedly told us he had flown from New Zealand to attend all three Hollywood Bowl shows.

Gilmour’s new record is his first in nine years since 2015 Rattle that lock. The new music inspired him to get back on the road, even in a limited way. The songs from Luck and Strange were mixed into both sets during the Bowl show. “Black Cat”, the title track, “A Single Spark” and “Vita Brevis” appeared in the first set. Gilmour’s vocals have become raspier over the years, but he can still deliver the lyrics in key and with passion. His stringy ‘voice’ was on edge all evening as Gilmour switched between electric Fenders and Gibson guitars, an acoustic six- and twelve-string and a lap steel. His second guitarist, Ben Worsley, reflected Gilmour’s flexibility, occasionally standing out with slide and fingerpicking solos. The Bowl’s sound system was clear and loud, with the expert mix putting emphasis on the performers. Gilmour delivered what everyone wanted to hear as his signature solos screamed through the cool night air of Hollywood Hills.

Pink Floyd classics from The dark side of the moon‘Breathe’ and ‘Time’ were linked together in the first set for a mystical trip down memory lane. Backing vocalists Louise Marshall, sisters Hattie and Charley Webb, bassist Guy Pratt and keyboardist Greg Phillinganes provided brilliant harmonies during “Breathe.” Phillinganes provided lead vocals for the first part of ‘Time’, the iconic, animated images of wandering clocks from the ’70s were shown on the large, circular screen behind the stage. Gilmour and the other musicians remained mostly silent during the show, save for the synchronized swaying of the backup singers, so it was up to the lighting and visual effects director to provide a creative accompaniment to the music.

The show’s visuals mixed traditional Pink Floyd with newer elements: the smoke machines worked overtime while wandering mood lights filled the stage. Gilmour was too often shrouded in smoke and silhouette lighting, but every time the smoke cleared and a spotlight highlighted him and his guitar, the crowd went wild. “Fat Old Sun” from 1970s Atom Heart Mother started with Gilmour on acoustic guitar and Worsley on lap steel. An image of a glowing orange sun filled the backstage screen. The soft opening scene changed when Gilmour traded his acoustic guitar for a worn-looking but fine-sounding Fender Telecaster which he used to deliver a thumping solo.

Two songs from the opening set were the most memorable: one a Pink Floyd classic and the other, a cover of a song by British indie pop duo Montgolfier Brothers that appears on the new album. When Gilmour and Worsley began the poignant, beautifully played acoustic guitar duet “Wish You Were Here,” there was a 17,000-strong harmonic assembly accompanying Gilmour’s vocals. Worsley switched back and forth from an acoustic twelve-string to his lap steel, while Gilmour played the stirring lead on his acoustic six-string and sang the lyrics.

What made the cover of “Between Two Points” so special was the appearance of Romany Gilmour, David’s 22-year-old daughter, an accomplished singer and harp player who recorded the song on the new album with her father. Playing her small portable harp, she sang lead while Dad played and watched proudly from behind his lap steel guitar. Her stunning vocal phrasing led to her father’s explosive solo, which he performed after returning to one of his regular electric guitars. Romany stayed on to help with background vocals for the set-ending “High Hopes,” a song from The Division Bell, and for the rest of the show. Although the audience did not see a flying pig during this show, they played with giant white balloons that were released into the audience during “High Hopes” and matched the images on the screen behind the stage.

The second set placed more emphasis on Gilmour’s solo material and featured few Pink Floyd songs, but the songs that did emerge were significant. Gilmour pointed out that his wife, Polly Samson, has since provided most of the lyrics for his songs The division bell, including one of the new songs from Luck and Strange, “The Piper’s Call.” It was a beautiful vocal duet with Romany. The two Gilmours stood side by side as they sang the softer part of the song before Dad let it rip with another awe-inspiring solo. Before showing more of the new material, the band cut a specific version of Dark Side’s ‘The Great Gig in the Sky’. Louise Marshall played a grand piano topped with candles set up in the center of the stage. David Gilmour sat next to the piano behind his lap steel guitar, while sisters Webb and Romany Gilmour stood behind the piano. The mesmerizing piano riff, lap steel slide notes and wailing female vocalizations under spotlights highlighted the set.

“A boat is waiting.” Rattle that lockkept Marshall behind the wing. David Gilmour remained on lap steel, while Guy Pratt played an upright acoustic bass, and Ben Worsley another lap steel. The beautiful, emotional song, co-written with Samson, is about the late original Pink Floyd pianist Richard Wright, who loved the sea. David harmonized with all the ladies: Ben Worsley, Guy Pratt and Greg Phillinganes. Gilmour then spoke about writing ‘Coming Back To Life’, from The Division Bell, for and about his wife, who rescued him years ago from a time when he was turning to drink and drugs. She got him clean, and he gave her all the credit. The moving song opened with Gilmour in silhouette on the dark stage as he soloed, accompanied by a haunting organ riff, before glowing orange stage lights came on and the rest of the band joined in.

The set ended with three more songs from Happiness and Strange: ‘Dark and Velvet Nights’, ‘Sings’ and ‘Scattered’. The lighting engineer waited until the second set to introduce lasers into the visual elements of the show. Those trippy effects meshed well with the new songs, as they each featured psychedelic, heavy keyboard sequences and massive guitar solos. When the stage lights went down and Gilmour took his leave, everyone knew it was just a tease as just minutes later the band returned for its most famous guitar masterpiece, The Wall’s ‘Comfortably Numb’. The laser effects mixed with the heavy smoke to create an unforgettable trippy audiovisual journey as Gilmour launched into his most famous solo, parts 1 and 2. While Gilmour gave it everything he had, it felt like the grand finale of a fireworks show as he, the band and the video director pulled out all the stops for the last hurray.

No one knows what the future holds for Gilmour. He has expressed an interest in writing and recording more new material. His publicist told us he’s going to tour again – the question is when and if he can stay healthy enough to travel the world again. After seeing his strong performance at the Hollywood Bowl, which introduced solid new music and allowed his fans to relive his classics, we eagerly await all future output and performances from one of the few remaining guitar rock gods.