David Gilmour’s Memorable 2024 Tour Captured On ‘The Luck and Strange Concerts’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

To celebrate his 2024 sold-out Luck and Strange tour, David Gilmour is releasing his third solo live album, titled The Luck and Strange Concerts. Gilmour was feeling reinvigorated this tour as he played the new album in its entirety, along with a host of his Pink Floyd classics. 

The live album offers up 23 songs captured from various dates throughout the brief tour, during which Gilmour played only 21 concerts in Rome, London, Los Angeles, and New York. The compilation release is designed exactly as the show was presented with the songs played in the same order. The album’s pristine audio is part of Gilmour and company’s appeal, as every note rings clear.  

Supporting Gilmour on this tour were Guy Pratt – bass, backing vocals, Greg Phillinganes – keyboards, backing vocals, Rob Gentry – keyboards, backing vocals, Ben Worsley – guitars, backing vocals, Adam Betts – drums, Romany Gilmour – backing vocals, harp and lead vocals, The Webb Sisters – backing vocals, Lousie Marshall – backing vocals, piano. 

The newer offerings fit in well with Gilmour’s well-worn classics. The instrumental “Black Cat” uses a spacey, languid groove that melts into the tour’s title track, with Gilmour poetically reflecting on the cosmos and strong backing vocals before going high with his singing and cutting guitar playing to close. “A Single Spark” uses another dreamy patented solo, Romany takes over lead vocals winningly for “Between Two Points” while “The Pipers Call” starts acoustic, ends rocking, and is the best of the new offerings. 

Gilmour uses the same trio of songs from the studio album, “Dark and Velvet Nights”, “Sing”, and “Scattered” as a finale on this live record (pre-encore), and they are unfortunately the dullest run of songs presented here. Most fans desire the classics, and efforts like “Breathe”, “Time”, and “Wish You Were Here” will all scratch that itch, as the crowd at times is louder than Gilmour and company, singing with gusto. 

Division Bell sees quite a few songs played, with the piano and guitar showcase “Marooned” solid as Gilmour’s solo soars, while “High Hopes” never fully comes alive, dragging throughout. However, the monstrous version of “A Great Day for Freedom” is a showstopper and a major highlight of this offering. The theatrical song starts sparse before choir vocals add grace and heft while Gilmour’s melodic playing, combined with Worsley’s inspired riffing, climbs to a huge, soaring, pristine climax.    

The encore of “Comfortably Numb” showcases Gilmour’s best-known and still vibrant playing, while a deconstructed “The Great Gig in the Sky” proves that Gilmour is willing to try new approaches. This version of “Sorrow” is also worth hearing as a pulsing electro undercurrent gives way to some meaty jamming. 

Fans of David Gilmour who couldn’t make the concerts, as well as those who attended the shows, will eagerly embrace this release as a great souvenir of this era of the legendary guitarist’s performances. For those less obsessed, The Luck and Strange Concerts is still a fine offering of a talented artist hitting a late career high, and while far from must own, it is a fun spin all around.