Kino Film Theater, Rotterdam [NL]
Wednesday, 17th September 2025
A third cinema visit with a certain David Gilmour. The first time he as a contributor in a documentary about the design collective Hipgnosis, and more recently as a band member in the re-released classic Pink Floyd at Pompeii. And now as the absolute star in a live concert entitled Live at Circus Maximus. This special premiere took place worldwide on 17th September, and I once again chose the old Kino Theater in Rotterdam to witness it. Moreover, I was one of the lucky ones who had the privilege of seeing the legendary guitarist perform live last year during one of the shows during the same tour, at the Royal Albert Hall in London – a fantastic experience. Now there’s an opportunity to relive it.
The tour, entitled The Luck and Strange Concerts, began with two warm-up shows at the Brighton Centre and then moved to Circus Maximus in Rome for six nights. This was followed by another six performances at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Later, they moved to the United States for shows at the Intuit Dome and the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. Finally, there were five concerts at Madison Square Garden in New York. All were sold out.
The filming took place in Rome, with special permission from the Italian government. Director Gavin Elder, a long-time Gilmour collaborator, presents us with stunning footage of the band, the audience, the theater, and the surroundings. The sublime spectacle against the backdrop of Rome’s ancient ruins is an absolute delight. The sound is Dolby Atmos and therefore the quality leaves nothing to chance. The film runs for approximately two and a half hours and begins with a short documentary about the making and preparations for the show. Intimate atmospheric footage of the band and its entourage during rehearsals and soundcheck. The relaxed atmosphere and the calm radiated by the great frontman are striking.
The moment when the great man himself speaks is amusing, with a nod to the words his wife Polly Samson uttered last year: ‘I’m David Gilmour. And I’m a fucking legend!’ I heard my neighbor say out loud: ‘And rightly so!’ Gilmour also admits that, in his opinion, these are the best concerts of his career, accompanied by the best musicians—remarkable.
The show is simply impressive, just like in London. With one small difference: the series of shows in the center of the Italian capital attracted approximately 18,000 spectators each evening, more than three times as many as in the English capital. And that location, well, what can you say about that iconic spot in historic Rome where chariot races were held two thousand years ago? This is further enhanced by the drone footage that shows the skyline and the theatre’s surroundings.
For me personally, the close-ups of Gilmour are the highlights – moreover, his intense playing and complete focus are enough to make the hairs on your arms stand on end. Despite playing many different guitars, the maestro always sounds like himself. As mentioned, the shows are primarily centred around the songs from the 2024 release Luck and Strange, which also gave the concert series its original title.
The Pink Floyd songs are all sung along to enthusiastically by the excited audience. But for me, the new songs were the highlights in several cases. Like the duet with daughter Romany in the magnificent Between Two Points. A visibly proud father occasionally casts a tender glance at his little darling. An excellent, mature performance by Romany Gilmour, as if she’s been on stage for years. The intimate intermezzo with the semi-acoustic version of Great Gig in the Sky followed by A Boat Lies Waiting once again give me goosebumps. Sorrow, The Piper’s Call, and Coming Back To Life are also perfectly performed.
Slow motion photography, perfectly suited to the tempo of the music. The cinema experience is beautiful, especially comfortable, but it doesn’t quite compare to being physically present at a live concert. Perhaps the relatively low (!) volume in the cinema played a role in this. Next time, please step it up a notch. Only an estimated forty people in a venue with a capacity of about 120, a bit on the low side. No applause or enthusiastic shouts this time, but a lot of talking in between the songs, unfortunately. Now we just have to look forward to the Blu-ray, DVD, double CD, and quadruple LP sets that will undoubtedly follow soon. And then there’s also a new studio album looming on the horizon. Will there be another cinema show next year?
SETLIST
5 A.M.
Black Cat
Luck and Strange
Breathe (In The Air)
Time
Fat Old Sun
Marooned
Wish You Were Here
Vita Brevis
Between Two Points
High Hopes
Sorrow
The Piper’s Call
A Great Day For Freedom
In Any Tongue
The Great Gig In The Sky
A Boat Lies Waiting
Coming Back To Life
Dark and Velvet Nights
Sings
Scattered
Comfortably Numb
MUSICIANS
David Gilmour – Guitar, Vocals
Guy Pratt – Bass, Vocals
Greg Phillinganes – Keyboards, Vocals
Rob Gentry – Keyboards, Vocals
Adam Betts – Drums, Vocals
Ben Worsley – Guitar, Vocals
Louise Marshall – Vocals, Piano
Romany Gilmour – Vocals, Harp
Hattie Webb – Vocals, Mandolin, Harp
Charley Webb – Vocals, Guitar, Ukulele
LINKS
David Gilmour – Website | Facebook | YouTube | X | Instagram
