Capacity: 20,000

Concert starts: 8pm

Address of venue: 1901 West Madison, Chicago, IL 60612. MAP

Website: http://www.unitedcenter.com

COMMENTS

David's 2016 tour of North America continues with this concert in Chicago, at a venue which Roger Waters has presented some of his recent shows at. The venue will again reverberate to the sound of fine music...

Tickets went on sale Friday, July 17th at 12pm CST, through this link: Ticketmaster.com although please be aware that demand is incredibly high so you might need to be patient and keep retrying, as they seem to be adding tickets for sale progressively. We also understand that there are a limited number of VIP packages available for this venue.

As an additional incentive, purchasers of tickets online who are resident in North America will be emailed a code, redeemable on the CD of David's new album, Rattle That Lock. This is subject to terms and conditions, which should be available to you from the ticketing website.

Our thanks to James Sloan for the ticket scan to the right.

WARNING - SPOILERS AHEAD!

Do not read on if you don't want surprises to be spoilt, regarding what the band played!

The final show in Chicago saw a couple of surprises - the first, the snow that fell before and during the concert, and the second, the addition of On An Island to an already quite generous set. The song fits into the second half of the set after Coming Back To Life, and before the jazz interlude…

We'd love to know in more detail how the concert went. Did you go? Let us know what YOU thought!

CONCERT PICTURE (right) by BD CONTRIBUTOR, Don Bohach

Our thanks to Don for sending in this picture from the concert, which can be viewed in greater detail by clicking the thumbnail to the right...

CONCERT REVIEW by BD CONTRIBUTOR, Kurt Wehofer

I flew over 700 miles to see this show, spent an exorbitant amount of money (at least to me) and my wife nearly froze to death afterwards. Yes it was all worth it. Absolutely it was worth it!

Despite rumors of David Gilmour's ascension in to geezer land, I can assure you nothing is further from the truth. The one word that keeps coming back to me to describe his show is intense! It was also loud! Not lacking in volume in the least. I am very grateful for that. Even though the new album is mostly somber, subdued and jazzy, those songs weaved nicely thru out the show. I would go as far as including In Any Tongue as an emotionally charged highlight on this night, with a terrific powerful solo finishing it off.

Having witnessed both post Waters Floyd tours multiple times each, I can honestly say the versions of Money, Us & Them & Comfortably Numb were as good as or possibly better than any of those tours. It was a hell of a set list. I can't really think of any song I would have added.

I won't critique the whole show. There's really no need to. If this is the last time I see David Gilmour live I will be OK with that. If it's the last show I go to, I will be more than OK with that. Not many shows now days get my interest up enough to make the effort. I never saw Echoes live. I am now OK with that. I should have found a way to make the last tour. Life events at the time wouldn't allow that. I am now OK with that. RIP Richard Wright.

PS: The wife has recovered with no missing digits despite taking nearly forty minutes to find our driver, in as she describes it "blizzard conditions". Once back at the hotel she had to keep reminding herself that "she is a southern girl" as she thawed her toes. Good night and goodbye Chicago.

CONCERT REVIEW and PICTURE (below) by BD CONTRIBUTOR, Curtis

The crowd at the United Center was electric as everyone filtered in. The last time I saw a show there was Roger Waters The Wall in 2010. While Roger's production was much grander, David’s production uses Mr. Screen as the primary visual draw.

Having never seen David live, I watched a number of YouTube videos to prepare. My dad, who saw Pink Floyd in '87, '88, and '94, sat next to me and we enjoyed the show whole-heartedly. Unfortunately, I had a ruptured ear drum that rendered the experience to mono. Oh well.

The first half was smooth; the mix was the best live mix I've heard. Faces of Stone sounded as crystal-clear as the album. And there was clear dynamic contrast! For example, What Do You Want From Me was appropriately loud and powerful, followed by a soft, gentle rendition of A Boat Lies Waiting. The Money guitar solo did the same thing dynamically. It came down to a whisper and built back to a roar. I love dynamics in concerts.

The first half lighting seemed simple and elegant. My dad and I find it humorous that this show needs spot-light operators at all. The folks on stage hardly move! Marc Brickman could set up 4 extra Clay Paky Sharpies and they'd be set.

The second half lighting was flashy, though still conservative in comparison to PULSE. They kept the lasers dimmed until Comfortably Numb. Their added visual punch was inspirational. The one song that could have used a little laser inclusion was Sorrow. David’s solos in that song feel like they're made to have some big beams cutting through the air in unison. It was still very good regardless.

Musically and sonically, the second half was just as satisfying as the first half. David seemed to extend every solo. While he had a couple inconsequential flubs during solos, he was clearly on top of his game throughout the show.

The band is, as has been noted by many others, in top form. David asked for more applause for the vocalists while introducing the band, which they deserved. David was also noodling on the guitar while introducing the band, which made me laugh.

A friend of mine made the joke that at the rate David releases music and tours, we won't get to see him until he's 79. I hope that's not the case. But if I can't see him again in the future, this was the perfect show to see him at.

CONCERT COMMENTS by BD CONTRIBUTOR, Tom Farley

I just saw David Gilmour in Chicago on his 2016 world tour. I really did not know David Gilmour was such a guitar grand master. I saw techniques of every great blues player displayed (only better) with the greatest of rolling rock rhythms. Roger Waters can not come close to replacing David Gilmour even as good as his players are in his great show.

I hope David releases a cd of this 2016 show.

CONCERT COMMENTS by BD CONTRIBUTOR, Mike

I attended the April 8th Daivd Gilmour concert at the United Center.

For the most part it was like seeing the 80s or 90s Pink Floyd without the name. It wasn't that cold as other reviewers have said. Gilmour even had some of the same musicians from the 80s and 90s tours.

Gilmour played 60s and 70s Pink Floyd songs but also songs from A Momentary Lapse Of Reason and Division Bell as well as his two latest solo albums. For some reason Gilmour doesn't play anything off his first two solo albums or Jokers Wild. Gilmour can still play guitar and sing and as well put on visuals with Mr Screen backdrop films, some from previous Pink Floyd tours.

CONCERT COMMENTS and PICTURES by BD CONTRIBUTOR, Diana Allen

Friday's concert at the United Center was just as incredible, as Wednesday's at the Auditorium. It had quite the different feeling being in sports arena with 20K people, compared to a small theater with nearly 4,000 people. Experiencing both concerts, watching David Gilmour live was a dream come true.

CONCERT REVIEW and PICTURE by BD CONTRIBUTOR, Bruce Colon

(As also seen at weekendwordsmith.wordpress.com
So I am sitting down to write this a few days after David Gilmour's final show in Chicago, following a weeklong stint that included one show at Roosevelt University's Auditorium Theatre sandwiched by two larger-scale shows at the United Center. The U.S. tour, his first in 10 years, is a fairly exclusive affair encompassing only three cities (L.A., Chicago, and New York) before heading back to Europe. And at 70 years old, there's no telling when or even if he'll be back. Other than the early Floyd years, Gilmour has never been much of a road warrior. Since taking the helm of Pink Floyd in 1986 following the legal departure of founding member Roger Waters, he's manned exactly two (albeit massive) world tours under the Floyd banner, the first from 1987-1990 and the second in 1994. He's done very limited U.S. touring on his own, the last time in support of 2006's On An Island – a show I was foolish enough to miss, despite being a full-on Floyd freak (if you know the band as Sigma 6, the Architectural Abdabs and the Meggadeaths, you are far beyond the realm of casual fan). So to say that I was grateful to get one more opportunity to see one of my favorite musicians of all time (and favorite guitarist bar none) is an understatement.

In a way, the delayed gratification worked in my favor. Gilmour is currently touring in support of 2015's Rattle That Lock, a much stronger solo album than his last in my opinion, which makes the introduction of new material in a show heavy on classic rock standards much more palatable. Newer songs like the Leonard Cohen-influenced Faces of Stone and In Any Tongue held their own much better than the "On An Island" material last time around. The overall setlist was stronger than 2006 as well, with a brisker pacing of the solo and Floyd material. While no longer doing the epic Echoes (most likely due to the loss of close musical partner Richard Wright in 2008, whose sonic signature is all over that song), we got the reappearance of Us and Them, the stinging blues of What Do You Want from Me, the thundering Sorrow, and Wall classic Run Like Hell. He also brought back Mr. Screen, the Vari-Lite-rigged circular projection surface made famous on all of the classic Floyd tours of the '70s and '80s (but missing in 2006's solo outing). The venues are bigger this time around as well, with more arenas than theaters playing host and this is music custom-made for large, panoramic spaces.

The pre-show itself was the first sonic treat of the evening for Floyd obsessives, as familiar sound effects pulsed through the P.A. (a plane flying overhead, helicopter sounds, the backwards-guitar seagull wails from Echoes and spoken-word snippets from Dark Side of the Moon to name a few). This provided the first clue as to the first-rate sound engineering that would take place all evening, the best concert sound I've heard since, ironically enough, Roger Waters's solo version of The Wall a few years back. Pink Floyd's concert sound is just as legendary in the industry as their visual effects, and Friday's show at United was all-enveloping. You felt the music deep in your bones; it was that loud, dynamic, and three-dimensional.

The show itself opened proper with the instrumental 5AM off the new album, Gilmour's signature elegiac guitar tone instantly recognizable as it cut through the gentle, cinematic backing. One note in and the audience instantly erupted in rapture and would pretty much remain that way throughout the entire performance (to the point where Gilmour himself would make reference to the crowd's enthusiasm several times during the evening).

This understated opening soon gave way to the bouncy Rattle That Lock, inspired by Milton's Paradise Lost. Along with Today, the song's production harkened back to a late-'80s funk-lite feel. The sound was punchy and huge, with Gilmour's strong vocals cutting through the mix. He sounded confident and in command from the start. The rest of the first set breezed by in a near-perfect blend of new and old: Faces of Stone led to a surprisingly early appearance of Wish You Were Here, a ballsy gambit that actually worked. The lush harmonies of the Wright tribute A Boat Lies Waiting (especially fitting with Wright's daughter, son, and grandson in attendance) sounded enormous and rich, shimmering like the surface of a lake. This was followed by the ultra-serene The Blue, which obviously didn't have the intended effect on the two "gentlemen" sitting near me who nearly broke out in a fight. Grown men. At a David Gilmour concert. Perhaps someone wasn't sharing the herbal "enhancements" that substituted for oxygen at this show? Who knows, but the foolhardy twosome nearly got themselves bounced by a whole phalanx of United Center security. Ah, good times…

After a one-two punch of Money and Us and Them, the first set closed with the foreboding High Hopes off 1994's The Division Bell. Accompanied by iconic Storm Thorgerson video, Gilmour played both nylon guitar and pedal steel with exquisite taste and ease. The band then took a fifteen minute intermission before resuming the show with the Syd Barrett-era Astronomy Domine, the psychedelic lighting and projections harkening back to 1967's London underground. The nod to Floyd-founder Barrett continued with classic requiem Shine On You Crazy Diamond, the introductory guitar figure generating some of the biggest cheers of the night. This classic Floyd staple and Gilmour showcase was played alongside more vintage Thorgerson footage. After watching it on the Pulse video and DVD for so many years, it was a real treat to see this footage projected live. It has aged beautifully. Other highlights of the second set included the pastoral Fat Old Sun, the aforementioned Sorrow and the visual/sonic attack of Run Like Hell. Whether comforting or menacing, Gilmour's guitar tone was impeccable throughout. All of the signature hallmarks were there in abundance: the refined bends, sustained and delayed notes, all gleaming like liquid glass.

The show closed with an encore of Time, Breathe (Reprise), and of course Comfortably Numb. After playing this song and all-time classic guitar solo so many times, one could forgive Gilmour for struggling to find the requisite power and feeling anymore, yet he delivered. Perhaps it was the energy of the crowd at United Center spurring him on, but it felt as sublime and transcendent as you would hope for, the vivid lasershow a mere backdrop for the real magic happening onstage. Credit must be given to his backing band and singers, many of whom are veterans of previous Floyd and solo tours. They injected fresh life into these classic warhorses, custodians of some of the most beloved staples in rock history. It also helps that Gilmour now tours at his own pace and terms. Financially, he's never had to tour again past the '87-'90 trek, but like McCartney he does so because pure musicianship courses through his veins. He can now cherry pick his live appearances and it shows. This is not a working musician slogging it out on a 100+ date tour. This is a relaxed veteran at peace with himself and his legacy. His current state-of-grace is a blessing to his audience and if this turns out to be a final victory lap, it will be a more than worthy one.

YOUR HELP NEEDED! We want to cover David's concerts the best we can, to share the experience with everyone, especially those who won't be able to attend the shows. We'd love to see ANY pictures, tickets scans, reviews, newspaper reports, and anything else you come across for this show - we look forward to hearing from you!