David Gilmour is taking to the road in some style, and has announced his first US dates for eight years. The ex-Pink Floyd man has also confirmed a stellar line-up for his backing band, including Guy Pratt on bass, Greg Phillinganes and Rob Gentry on keyboards, Adam Betts on drums, and Ben Worsley on guitar. That’s a line-up we’d pay to see, Gilmour or no Gilmour.
The deluxe tour is in support of forthcoming album Luck and Strange - Gilmour’s first solo offering since 2015’s Rattle that Lock - which itself features contributions from a stellar cast of players, including most of the above, plus luminaries of the stature of Steve Gadd and Steve DiStanislao on drums. Ambient maestro Will Gardner is on arrangement duties. First single The Piper’s Call (below), was released in April.
What was going through my addled brain I don’t know – it was fucking freezing in that barn...
David Gilmour
Sadly departed Pink Floyd co-founder Rick Wright also makes a surprise posthumous appearance on keys.
“I toured in 2006, and Rick asked if he could be in my band and I said ‘of course’,” said Gilmour. “And when we finished that tour, in January, I got together that touring band and said, “Come down to the house and we’ll jam for a week in the barn”. What was going through my addled brain I don’t know – it was fucking freezing in that barn."
Chilly it may have been, but that impromptu session forms the core of the new album's title track.
"The first jam we did on the Monday morning was the one that became that song," Gilmour continued. "I added a chorus and middle-eight, rebuilt the stuff on top with different chords.
"There’s bits where Rick’s playing a Hammond lick and I’ve put guitars on since and I’m playing with him, bouncing off his keyboards and it is a bit weird, but I’m not phased by that element of Rick being there at all at the moment.
"I just think: “Ah, it’s Rick, it’s me, we’re playing.”
Those US dates comprise just two each at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles and New York’s Madison Square Gardens and join the previously announced European leg, at similarly prestigious venues.
Rome’s Circus Maximus (or Massimo), which will host five dates is an ancient chariot racing amphitheatre, and London’s Royal Albert Hall is arguably the UK capital’s highest-status stage. Gilmour last performed live as a solo artist in a Royal Albert Hall residency in 2016.
So, tickets will be highly sought after. To increase the chances of securing a spot, you can sign up for first access Gilmour's webiste. Early access opens on 15 May, before tickets go on general sale this Friday, 17 May.
David Gilmour 2024 tour dates
Fri September 27 2024 - ROME Circo Massimo (Italy)
Sat September 28 2024 - ROME Circo Massimo (Italy)
Sun September 29 2024 - ROME Circo Massimo (Italy)
Tue October 01 2024 - ROME Circo Massimo (Italy)
Wed October 02 2024 - ROME Circo Massimo (Italy)
Thu October 03 2024 - ROME Circo Massimo (Italy)
Wed October 09 2024 - LONDON Royal Albert Hall
Thu October 10 2024 - LONDON Royal Albert Hall
Fri October 11 2024 - LONDON Royal Albert Hall
Sat October 12 2024 - LONDON Royal Albert Hall
Mon October 14 2024 - LONDON Royal Albert Hall
Tue October 15 2024 - LONDON Royal Albert Hall
Tue October 29 2024 - LOS ANGELES California - Hollywood Bowl (USA)
Wed October 30 2024 - LOS ANGELES California - Hollywood Bowl (USA)
Mon November 04 2024 - NEW YORK New York - Madison Square Garden (USA)
Tue November 05 2024 - NEW YORK New York - Madison Square Garden (USA)
