Gilmour reminds fans to "Remember That Night"

The next chapter in the Pink Floyd saga comes in DVD form, showcasing the vocal skills of Pink Floyd's David Gilmour. Gilmour will soon release a recorded concert from Royal Albert Hall in London, known as Remember That Night, containing songs from Gilmour's Pink Floyd and solo careers. The concert took place in May 2006, and the DVD edition is due to be released on Sept. 18. Copies are available for pre-order on the Internet.

No matter what your musical bent, it's likely you have a place in your heart for the music of David Gilmour and Pink Floyd. You first heard them, more than likely, a while ago, when you were rummaging through your parents' half-abandoned record collection. You put a Pink Floyd album on your father's pride-and-joy stereo system and wondered to yourself, "Exactly what strange and horrible things did my parents do in college?"

Pink Floyd is remembered among rock fans as one of the most influential bands of the '70s and '80s. Their musical stylings - laid-back, trippy guitar mixed with technical effects and the profound lyrics of Roger Waters, David Gilmour and others - have inspired many artists over the years.

Vintage LPs of Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall still sell for top prices in used record stores, and Pink Floyd has been chosen as the ultimate musical accompaniment for psychedelic laser light shows. Fans today still listen to Dark Side of the Moon while watching The Wizard of Oz and admiring how well Pink Floyd meshed the two.

A promotional CD was released for Remember That Night containing five songs and providing excellent clues as to what can be expected from the soon-to-be-released video. Roger Waters and David Gilmour shared many of the lyrical writing credits of the songs from Remember That Night, but Gilmour breathes new life into them with his skill as a guitarist and vocalist. When he picks up his guitar, Gilmour makes the years drop away, and the songs seem new again.

Many of the songs to be performed by Gilmour were first made famous by Pink Floyd in the '70s. As an added bonus, however, Gilmour will perform multiple tracks from his solo albums, produced apart from Pink Floyd. The songs included in the preview represent the best in slow, thought-provoking progressive rock.

The guitar riffs are complicated and moving, the vocals are classic Pink Floyd, and the overall mood created by the works lull you into a "Comfortably Numb" stupor. "Comfortably Numb," incidentally, is included as a central feature of the concert. Highlighted songs for the concert include "Shine on You Crazy Diamond," a Pink Floyd epic, and "Wish You Were Here," a showcase for Gilmour's vocal talents. Also highlighted is David Gilmour's "On An Island," taken from one of his solo albums.

To compliment Gilmour on stage are the keyboard and vocal styles of Richard Wright, a member of Pink Floyd since 1965. Some surprising appearances are made by David Bowie - who assists Gilmour in singing "Comfortably Numb" - and Crosby and Nash of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young fame. Although David Bowie is a talented singer and his presence adds quite a bit of entertainment value to the concert, die-hard Pink Floyd purists may object to David Bowie singing vintage Pink Floyd songs. Nonetheless, David Bowie brings his own flare to the Pink Floyd classics, adding his own talent, but in the process, he changes them slightly. Despite Bowie's changes, even the most critical of Pink Floyd die-hards will have to admit that Gilmour's performance is quite enjoyable.

The DVD should prove to be an entertaining visual spectacle as well, for those of us too unlucky to see the concert in person. The concert was performed complete with the subdued lighting that goes so well with David Gilmour's and Pink Floyd's music. The addition of David Bowie into the mix only promises to make the video a more entertaining experience. For those of the college generation who enjoy the sounds and messages of Pink Floyd songs, David Gilmour is sure to deliver. For those of the baby-boomer generation, Gilmour will provide an enjoyable reminiscent romp through the '70s, harkening back to the original albums that made Pink Floyd a household name in progressive rock. While much of the concert focuses on Gilmour's rich musical history, he's not stuck in the past. Fans will also get to hear some of Gilmour's new additions to the world of music.