REVIEW: David Gilmour – Rattle That Lock Tour 2016

David Gilmour – Rattle That Lock Tour 2016
Three nights in Los Angeles

March 24 & 25, 2016 at the Hollywood Bowl
March 27, 2016 at The Forum

Writing and Photography by TourBusLive.com

We waited ten years to see him again. Ten years! And it was well worth the wait.

DAVID GILMOUR’s RATTLE THAT LOCK TOUR recently stopped for three nights in Southern California – two nights at the legendary HOLLYWOOD BOWL, and one at the famed Inglewood FORUM.

Repeating a similar limited-run North American schedule from his ’06 tour (a very good year for Pink Floyd fans, indeed), Gilmour once again decided to stop in only FOUR NORTH AMERICAN CITIES (only THREE in the U.S.!). After equally short legs in Europe and South America, the tour booked three nights in L.A., two shows in Toronto, three in Chicago, and three in New York City (ending April 12). That’s only 11 shows, which means L.A. got exactly 3/11 or 27% of the entire North American run (that math class really paid off, eh?)!! And that percentage goes up slightly, if you count Gilmour’s appearance in Hollywood on the Jimmy Kimmel Show. OH HOW LUCKY WE ARE, LOS ANGELES!

David-Gilmour_079 Yes, how lucky we are. From the moment the fans arrived for either of two consecutive nights at the Hollywood Bowl, Pink Floyd was in LITERALLY the air, as three pillars of light were projected above our heads to form the ever-recognizable Floydian pyramid high above the venue. And while fans poured into their seats, quietly piped-in in the background were birds chirping and faint sounds (occasionally Floyd song notes or words from albums) that the fans recognized, which would in turn induce cheers from the eager crowd. This visceral “entrance soundtrack” set the tone of the experience we were about to have.

Respectfully keeping to the printed call time, the band hit the stage at 8:00 p.m. sharp on both nights (well, all three, actually!). Taking the stage to support Gilmour were most of the same band members of Gilmour’s 2006 ON AN ISLAND TOUR, including PHIL MANZANERA (electric guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals), GUY PRATT (bass guitar, backing and some lead vocals), JON CARIN (keyboards, electric guitar, lap steel guitar, backing and some lead vocals), and STEVE DI STANISLAO (drums, percussion, and backing vocals), as well as KEVIN MCALEA (keyboards and accordion), JOÃO MELLO (saxophones, clarinet), and the wonderful background singers BRYAN CHAMBERS, LOUISE CLARE MARSHALL, and LUCITA JULES. And, of course, the great DAVID GILMOUR on electric guitar, acoustic guitar, classical guitar, console steel guitar, and lead vocals. Wow.

Okay, sure, Pink Floyd original keyboardist RICK WRIGHT (who passed away two years after he toured with Gilmour in 2006) was sorely missed, as was the ever soulful saxophonist DICK PARRY from Floyd’s original recordings of the sax-heavy “Us and Them”, “Money”, and “Shine On You Crazy Diamond.” We soaked in two full nights with Wright and Parry during that 2006 equally-short tour, which found itself at the more intimate venues of the Oscars-famous Kodak Theatre and the now-Harry-Potterized (and much-missed) Gibson Amphitheatre in L.A.
But I digress. Despite the absence of these two great musicians, this touring band was AMAZING.

David-Gilmour_039 Playing a fan-fulfilling set lasting just shy of three hours (minus a short 15-minute intermission mid-way), Gilmour weaved his way through the fabric of old and new songs. Starting each night with the first three songs from this tour’s focus, 2015’s Rattle That Lock, Gilmour chose to quickly appease the hungry Floyd fans with an early appearance by “Wish You Were Here.” As the set progressed, the songs were wisely selected from both classic Floyd (pre-Waters departure), late-era Floyd (post-Waters departure), and Gilmour’s last two solo albums.

At the Bowl Night One, a treat for the audience was the inclusion of DAVID CROSBY, who was luckily in town on just that night (his only night off sandwiched between a San Diego and a Tucson date on his own tour). Crosby joined Gilmour on stage to sing backup for the songs “A Boat Lies Waiting” from Rattle That Lock, both “The Blue” and “On An Island” from the album of the same name, and, surprisingly (and perhaps a little experimentally??) on the show-closing “Comfortably Numb.” The rest of the set, musically, would be shared with the following two nights’ fare.

And, apparently, the shows were planned to be similar, as we believe a DVD of these shows (or maybe the tour?) is in the works. And it seems to be true, judging from the additional cameras strategically moving about the Bowl, the fact that the band wore exactly the same clothes both nights at the Bowl – down to Guy Pratt’s “That’s All Folks” t-shirt – and, well, the most obvious hint: Warnings posted at every entrance that we were being filmed!

Yet, despite the production efforts to keep things the same, you can’t control the crowd. Although the Bowl audiences on both nights lived up to their reputation of having a party-like “listen to me talk, even if David Gilmour is playing a solo” attitude (trust me, it wasn’t good), mostly Thursday night’s 17,500 in attendance were rather subdued (maybe because it was a ‘school night”?). So subdued, in fact, that their low energy seemed to rub off on the band. Or perhaps the band’s slight lack of energy was due to this being the first of the tour after their recent hiatus. Whatever the reason, it was noticeable.

David-Gilmour_006 The second night’s Bowl crowd, however, was much more lively, and the band was, in turn, much more energetic. Guy Pratt surprised us with several jumps (that rivaled an 80s punk band – and which also got a few grins out of Gilmour) and the mood on stage seemed lighter and much more playful. Sure, there were a few bobbles – even Gilmour had a few barely-noticeable missteps on Friday that even HE acknowledged by sticking out his tongue or rolling his eyes, and he had trouble producing his whistle intro to “In Any Tongue” on Friday night, which was a cooler, drier night than the night before. But, for the most part, the Friday night show was noticeably better.

Leaving the Bowl behind (and using the day between to reflect and collect our breath), Sunday night saw an equally-sized crowd (again 17,500) arrive at The Forum in Inglewood for one last local chance to see the full show.

What we found in store for us: The lack of huge stage projections and giant fireworks gave way to a more intimate, yet still equally visually-interesting performance (the video screen and the lasers from the Bowl shows were easily transferred to The Forum). And then there was the sound. The acoustics at The Forum were PERFECT. Putting a roof over this show enabled the sound to bounce back down to the audience, rather than dissipating into the air as it did at the Bowl. We were immediately enveloped, surrounded, and even consumed by the notes coming from stage. At one point, during “Sorrow” (or was it “In Any Tongue”??), we literally FELT Guy Pratt’s bass note reverberate through our bones. It was AMAZING. They truly rattled OUR locks!

If you weren’t able to catch a show on this short North American run, update your passports, as the tour picks up again in June in Europe, and then ends with a four-night run at the Royal Albert Hall in late September.

And, if you are REALLY a dedicated fan, find your way to Italy on July 7 or 8, as Gilmour is going to bring the music back to the Anfiteatro Romano di Pompeii. Yes, that’s right…the ancient amphitheater in POMPEII – where THAT ONE SHOW happened 45 years ago. Seriously, you might want to consider it.

TO SEE ALL THE PHOTOS FROM THE FORUM:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154125513039345.1073741945.142668909344&type=3

SPOTTED IN THE CROWD:

Hollywood Bowl: Police drummer Stewart Copeland, California Guitar Trio member Paul Richards, the legendary Joe Walsh, former Eagle Don Felder, David Crosby (who joined Gilmour on stage for several songs), 2010-13 The Wall Tour singer Robbie Wyckoff, and actor Corey Feldman (whom we’ve seen at every Floyd band member show we’ve ever seen ourselves). We did hear Foo Fighters Taylor Hawkins and Dave Grohl were there, but we didn’t see them.

The Forum: Toto guitarist Steve Lukather and his guitarist son Trev, guitarist Howie Simon, 2010-13 The Wall Tour backup singers and band Venice members Kipp and Pat Lennon, and, again, actor Corey Feldman.

Undoubtedly – there were so many more we did not see. Hope everyone had a great time!
SET LISTS:

HOLLYWOOD BOWL NIGHT ONE:

Set One:

1. 5 A.M.