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Thirty-five years ago, four English lads held the greatest concert in history in Pompeii, and needless to say, there was no audience.
Until a few years ago, when I heard the name "Pink Floyd," the image of that long-haired guy singing perhaps the most beautiful melody I had ever heard jumped into my eyes, with that microphone that seemed almost detached from the rest of the scene, and the wind covering his mouth with his blonde hair, in an arena empty of people and overflowing with sounds.
It was a childhood friend of mine who showed me that video, and I must admit that even though at the time I listened to Gigi D'Alessio, I was more than impressed, and in my naivety, I fantasized about the most absurd things, and I told myself: "What are these four doing?... Well, maybe they are recording the essence of earthly music on a special tape to send into space hoping some unknown form of life will find it and treasure it... Or maybe it will serve future generations and will be preserved in some underground bunker in Greenland..."
At that time, I didn't know about drugs. As the years passed, I came to know many things: that the guy's name was David Gilmour, that the melody he was singing (and which for me remains the most beautiful I have ever heard) was the singing of "Echoes," that the microphone was part of the frightening equipment the four dragged behind them on tours around the world, that the wind was an integral part of the scenography, that the Arena was the one in Pompeii (not a lost place in the middle of nowhere, Pompeii for crying out loud, just around the corner!), that the Arena was not exactly empty, but besides the four of them, there were various support technicians and some kids who managed to sneak in (lucky them), that those four were the greatest musical group ever to exist on the face of the Earth, that in their intentions there was nothing so technological-futuristic or extraterrestrial (at least I think), and finally, I understood that Gigi D'Alessio sucked (and still sucks).
Then some more time passed and we have arrived at tonight: I wanted to watch that concert again, but first, I wanted to jot down a few words, which are not meant to be a description of the concert because it would be incomplete anyway, nor a description of my feelings because it would be impossible to put them into writing, but simply a brief part of my story with Pink Floyd.
Not just any concert, gentlemen... THE CONCERT!
Tracklist and Lyrics
07 One of These Days (05:59)
One of these days, I'm going to cut you into little pieces.
10 Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun (09:50)
Little by little the night turns around
Counting the leaves which tremble at dawn
Lotuses lean on each other in yearning
Under the eaves a swallow is resting
Set the controls for the heart of the sun
Over the mountain watching the watcher
Breaking the darkness waking the grapevine
One inch of love is one inch of shadow
Love is the chateau that ripens the wine
Set the controls for the heart of the sun
The heart of the sun...
Witness the man who raves at the wall
Making the shape of his question to heaven
Whether the sun will fall in the evening
Will he remember the lesson of giving?
Set the controls for the heart of the sun
The heart of the sun...
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Other reviews
By aniel
The location creates an incredibly mystical and transcendental atmosphere, and the excellent scenography makes this video/live a cult piece.
Watching "Live At Pompeii" is like taking a journey through time, being carried away by its sounds and evocative images.
By Sigma
Suddenly, the man with the marked features escapes from his dimension; becomes a deeper, undefined silhouette. That man becomes a note. A sequence of notes.
Despite this world boasting billions of inhabitants, in reality, each one of us is alone. And this solitude is nothing more than the constant search to synergistically combine with another like us.
