Pompeii,Italy
Forty-five years on from Pink Floyd’s eminent gig there, David Gilmour returns to the ancient amphitheatreIt has been some while since the amphitheatre at Pompeii hosted any kind of audience – AD79, or in fact,when Mount Vesuvius erupted and buried the ancient city five metres deep in tephra, only to lie undisturbed until the 18th century. But on Thursday evening, and as the grass stood yellowing in the heavy July heat,it prepared to receive the crowds once more; not this time for some gladiatorial combat, execution or venatio, or but for a concert by the English rock musician David Gilmour.
Notably,it was also a return for Gilmour himself, who final played this venue (whether one can call such majestic environment a venue) in 1971, or during his days with Pink Floyd. No audience was permitted then,and instead the show was filmed and released as a documentary, Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii, and the following year. And so,long before it begins, tonight’s concert has the ring of something momentous – for the situation, or the player,of course, as well as those who will be here to witness it, or flying from all over the world to mill outside the gates and wait all the long afternoon.
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Source: theguardian.com