COINCIDING WITH HIS ON AN ISLAND ALBUM DEBUTING AT NUMBER ONE WITHIN DAYS OF HIS 60TH BIRTHDAY, THE “VOICE AND GUITAR OF PINK FLOYD” EMBARKED ON HIS FIRST FULL TOUR IN 12 YEARS.

Among the extra dates that were added to the European leg of the tour were 4th & 5th August in Piazza San Marco in Venice, and 26th August at the Gdansk Shipyard in Poland to celebrate the 26th Anniversary of the founding of the Solidarity trade union

MARK CUNNINGHAM REPORTS FROM AMSTERDAM...

With the surprise and awe of last summer's Pink Floyd reunion at Live 8 still a spine-tingling memory in many quarters, David Gilmour's new solo album, On An Island, captures a man who is clearly very happy with his lot. Released on his 60th birthday in March, the collection — his first complete studio project since Floyd's The Division Bell in 1994 — is a beautifully mellow showcase for his unmistakable guitar sound and articulate vocal style. So tranquil, in fact, that one can almost feel the warmth of the Mediterranean sunset that inspired Gilmour and his lyricist wife, Polly Samson.

It was once very accurately said that while Roger Waters made Floyd fans think, Gilmour made them listen. And nothing could be further than the truth on the guitarist's current European tour production which confidently marries a performance of the entire On An Island album with a second set consisting of Pink Floyd classics ('Shine On', 'Time', 'Wish You Were Here', 'Comfortably Numb'), rarities ('Fat Old Sun', 'Wot's... Uh The Deal') and a true epic that Gilmour has hardly ever played live since the 1970s, 'Echoes'. With the bonus of Floyd co-founder Richard Wright in the line- up, it's an irresistible, must-see package.

Accepting an invitation to the second of two dates at Amsterdam's Heineken Music Hall in March proved fortunate, for not only is this venue purpose-built for live music, with all facilities thoughtfully designed to cope with the practical requirements of incoming productions, but on a personal note, Gilmour's show provided an intimate audio experience unrivalled by pretty much anything to date. A bold statement, perhaps, but from the heart.

Although Gilmour ventured out in a minor way during 2001 and 2002 with a handful of acoustic shows, it's been 12 years since he's needed a full-scale touring machine around him. Therefore, Phil Taylor, his production director and guitar technician since 1974, needed to assemble a crack team in time for initial rehearsals at Genesis's one-time hideout, Chiddingfold Social Club in Surrey, then at Black Island Studios in Acton for the final production rehearsals before warm-ups at London's Mermaid Theatre for a BBC radio broadcast and Porchester Hall on the guitarist's birthday.

Familiar faces Colin Norfield (FOH engineer), backline tech Huw 'Sid' Pryce and LD Marc Brickman of The Wall fame have been joined by Macca's monitor mixer John Roden and keyboard tech 'DJ' Howes, and erstwhile Cliff & The Shadows production manager Roger Searle, while Britannia Row continues its Floyd association as audio provider with Mike Lowe in office.

The highly respected Searle maintains a happy ship upon which an air of polite Englishness resides. As they say, the vibe always comes from the top, and it's a cosy family affair with Mrs. G documenting the tour photographically, guitarist Phil Manzanera's wife Claire Singers looking after publicity, and Wright's son-in-law Guy Pratt on bass.

"I've known Phil Taylor for many years and because he needs to focus on David's stage requirements, it made sense to bring in a production manager to take the strain. I was delighted to get Phil's call," said Searle. "In my area of work, you move from one act to another, and although the names change the basic rules still apply. There are some people here who have been with David a long time, but no one is so rigid that they're not happy to do things slightly differently, and everyone's been getting on famously — maybe all the time off in between shows helps!"

It was partly Searle's experience on the last Shadows tour of the recently-launched Turbosound Aspect system that influenced its choice for the Gilmour tour and, ultimately, the extraordinary sound quality. Phil Taylor had already been discussing its merits, having decided that a line array was not suitable.

Explained Searle: "I mentioned the great results we achieved on The Shadows with Aspect. Given that David and Hank Marvin share certain melodic sensibilities as guitarists, and that this tour was mostly visiting theatre-type venues, in my mind the Aspect system was perfectly suited. So Colin Norfield, our FOH engineer A-B tested it against the tried and tested Turbo Flashlight/Floodlight system, and decided it would work." Norfield, who shared FOH mixing duties with Andy Jackson on The Division Bell tour as well as Gilmour's more recent acoustic shows, was immediately impressed with Aspect. He said: "When I first heard the Flash/Flood combination, it was a great moment for me because I started to hear 1" drivers — the high end became cleaner and crisper, and it was something I couldn't achieve with 2" drivers. Generally, systems have improved although nothing really gripped me. But I was very interested in hearing Aspect.”

"The brief for this tour was that the system had to be clear and very hi-fi, and it was lovely to hear in the A-B test that Aspect was an even further improvement on Flash/Floodlight, as well as being easier to control. I like to make a mix sound transparent, so that it's almost like the PA isn't there, and then your focus is on the stage which is what I hope we've achieved."

The Aspect system for the tour consists of 18 TA-890H mid-highs, 24 TA-890L lows, and four TQ-440 full range infills. "It’s easy to set up," declared Dominic Harter, Turbosound's European Sales Manager. "As soon as the points were in, the flown stuff was up in 15 minutes per side, and as soon as we had enough local crew, the rest was up in half an hour. There’s someone from Turbosound on every gig as a crew member, and it's been a two-way street of support between us and Brit Row. There’s very little in the way of processing or measuring going on at all. We time-align the PA using clicks and pink noise, and then Colin EQs it to his taste."

Searle added: "We've had great sound reviews not only in the mainstream press but also the fan sites [such as www.davidgilmour.com and www.brain-damage.co.uk], which I've grown to take notice of because they are the consumers and their opinions are extremely valid."

Did Norfield consider the line array route? "Not really. Phil told me he'd discussed this with David and they didn’t really like any that they had heard and thought that they'd be unsuitable for the venues. I've used line arrays often with some of the German acts I work for, but ultimately whatever you use, you have to be able to EQ the PA properly if you're going to achieve any kind of a result. But being a point source system, this is about as ideal as you'll get for this kind of tour. Not only is the high end very good, but also the mids are very clean. It doesn't take your head off when you raise the levels; it remains pretty smooth all the way through and nicely balanced."

The Aspect is driven by Turbosound-badged MC2 switch mode amplifiers which boast a positive power/low weight ratio. "We use T45s with T25s on the high end," said Brit Row's crew chief, Aron Ross. "I didn't know they had orange LEDs on them until the other day because they are very efficient and draw very little current for a really loud show. I was grateful for them at the Paris Olympia because things were so tight, we had to stack the five amp racks." System processing is handled at FOH by the XTA DP428 four input/eight output audio management system.

Unknowingly, Norfield 'warmed up' for this tour by hitting the road recently with top tribute band The Australian Pink Floyd Show. "The Aussie Floyd are a fantastic band, and it's worked to my advantage, because they play 'Echoes'. When David wanted to include that song for this tour, hardly anyone had played it before and it's a complex number to get right, but I was well prepared!" Norfield is quick to admit that despite his enviable mixing skills, he has little regard for new technologies, and as he says, "I'm too old now to get interested in all the new gear; I quickly get blinded by science, so I leave it to the kids and just get on with my job!" His down-to-earth, meat 'n' two veg character is made even more endearing by his ability to harness the very best from the Aspect system and deliver sound reinforcement in the purest sense of the phrase.

Five numbers into the set, the quality of what I was hearing suddenly hit me. The jazzy blues lollop of 'This Heaven' was so incredibly intimate and clear, it sounded as though someone had just turned the stereo up in front of me. It was that hi-fi. Similarly effective was the jaw-dropping reworking of 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond' whose sensitivity gave extra meaning to this ode to dear old Syd Barrett.

As for the rest of the show, it was possible to enjoy every instrument, voice and effect, either as separate entities or as the glistening whole, seemingly without any colouration. The combination of Gilmour's band, the venue's friendly acoustics, and Norfield piloting an Aspect system from a D5 is one that will be hard to beat.

On stage it's very dynamic, changing from "pretty loud" (115dbA) on 'Take A Breath' to pindrop quiet on 'A Pocketful Of Stones'. It's a 56-input show and monitor engineer John Roden generates 13 stage mixes including effects. With one exception, everything is sent to Crown-amplified Turbosound TFM-450 or 420 wedges. "I run one in- ear mix to our drummer, Steve DiStanislao, for his backing vocals and a count-in. He's singing out of his natural range and needs that extra monitoring support. He has five mixes, going to a left and right wedge, a thumper, a TQ-425 sub-bass and the IEM."

Playing saxophone live (on 'Red Sky At Night') has been a new experience for Gilmour, especially from the stage monitoring perspective. "It's been problem- free," assured Roden. "David is such a dream to work for and very undemanding as long as you give him a good foundation. His wedges are essentially for his vocals, acoustic guitar, sax and a couple of cues; he finds himself a sweet spot and then listens to the stage, and he's happy."

He added: "It's a real privilege to have been asked to tour with David. I have Sid Pryce to thank for that — it was Sid who recommended me to Phil, having spent years on the road with him on McCartney, AC/DC, Sabbath and Ozzy."

There was a gleeful irony about Rick Wright taking Roger Waters' vocal part in 'Comfortably Numb', particularly as Wright had been fired from the band at Waters' behest during the recording of The Wall in 1979. Maybe this is a further sign of the healing process that began at Live 8?

Whatever the intention, the faultless delivery of this Floyd gem as the finale in Amsterdam reignited my passion for the greatest rock guitar solo of all-time — it was the crescendo of a rare evening spent submerged in aural pleasure.

Extract from feature courtesty of TPi
Photography by Phil Dent & Polly Samson

Comments from http://davidgilmour.musicblog.co.uk

Both shows were brilliantly mixed; the sound was excellent from my seats both on the floor and in the balcony.
Posted by: David Warner at April 19, 2006 08:05 PM

The band sounded tight, tight, TIGHT. David was in top form; people near me were commenting on his "bends" and "sustain". The sound quality was crystal clear.
Posted by: Jason at April 20, 2006 09:09 AM