Before I learned to play guitar, I was convinced that David Gilmour was a magician or an angel - something inhuman anyway - because I couldn't believe a mere human being could wring all those emotions out me, just by playing guitar. Then I learned to play, learned his solos note for note, and am even more convinced that he's a magician or an angel! Anyone can learn his solos, they're not ridiculously fast or technical, but no-one else can stomp all over my soul like he can. Oh, they can play all the right notes in the right order at the right time, but they lack the witchcraft he has in his hands.

I was at this gig. . Worth a mention that the glitter ball. . was 6 Meters diam. . mindblowing gig from start to finish

just a guy in jeans and a t-shirt let his guitar talk like no one ever... EVER... will do anymore

Guitar starts singing itself when David gilmour plays it

A well known heavy metal guitarist once said "David Gilmour can do more with one note, than most guitarists can do with an entire fret board."

Some people argue the second solo of comfortably numb as played during the pulse concerts has remained the best guitar solo ever played on this planet. I tend to agree. There are probably more skillful solos in terms of technique, but the way Gilmore makes his guitar sing and convey emotions beyond words is unmatched!

Best guitar solo on the world ever

"I know this song I've heard it before but not this performance" Immediately I thought, dude, you have no idea what an absolute treat you have headed your way!❤

The "disco ball" opens as a lotus flower. In the song the protagonist is trapped inside themself, "comfortably numb", unfeeling, and the opening of the lotus represents their opening and release. I am old enough to have seen PF in 1967. The production of music and especially its availability were very different. The first time I saw them they were in the back bar of aa north east London pub on a stage no more than 300mm high.

It's no less than rock musics equivalent to the most beautiful Van Gogh painting...It is a masterpiece of light and sound performed live!

I believe the glitter ball with the giant pink "gem" inside is a tribute to Syd. Syd was PF's "crazy diamond", the character of Pink was partly based on Syd, so when the ball opens, it reveals that Pink Floyd's Crazy Diamond shines on! Great reaction!

Davids guitar sings better than most people nowadays. Grabs your soul.

thank you so much for reacting to this, one of the most beautiful solos ever

Simply the greatest guitar solo in the history of mankind.

So happy to see young people reacting like I did fifty years ago

Whenever I experience the 'second solo' from this piece, and I have experienced it a multitude of times, it is almost unimaginable that a human being could wrest that kind of sound and emotion from a stringed instrument. It is as though I'm placed under some sort of spell - chills run up and down my body and I sway with the up and down clusters of notes being produced. Gilmore acts the sorcerer here, and we are drawn back again and again to his magic. I'm almost reluctant to admit that I'll be 79 years old this September - are there any others my age who react this way?

I was born in the 60s. The difference between music then and now is that music was allowed to be much more exploratory and diverse, as well as the beliefs of people were allowed to be. Now, musicians and people in general allow themselves to be forced into label-boxes, and individuality is demanded to be sacrificed for the sake of conformity. It's gotten so bad that if a person doesn't strictly conform to a plurality they can be cancelled and have their lives and careers demolished. This has resulted in modern-music having a canned and labeled feel to it, whereas music in the 60s and 70s was a complete buffet in comparison. Pink Floyd were fearless explorers of music, constantly trying to find new ways to express their emotions and messages through musical methods that were extremely experimental and inventive at the time. A prime example of this is that most rock musicians and groups stayed locked into using a 4/4 time signature for their music. Bands like Pink Floyd used multiple time signatures and often would shift time signatures throughout some of their songs. You can really see their exploration in this area in their earliest works as they were defining themselves as musicians. A key to Pink Floyd's music being timeless and loved by successive generations of listeners is they've been as masterful at composing their music as they've become masterful at playing and singing their music. Another major factor is that they're constantly striving to improve their songs. When you compare the Pulse performance of Comfortably Numb to the song on the album, you can see major differences in the levels of David's guitar mastery. His playing and singing has become much more emotive and nuanced over the decades. One of David's greatest gifts is his ability to play various types of guitars while losing none of his emotive ability. He can emotionally wreck a person's heart whether he's playing a Strat, an acoustic guitar, or a steel guitar. One time I told my wife that he's so phenomenal at emoting with string instruments, that he could make a crowd start weeping using just a cardboard box with rubber bands as strings and holding it up to a microphone while he plucked the rubber bands. 😁

I've been a pro prog-rock drummer for over 45 years and I'm considered by many to be a top session player, but when I watch Niel peart it makes me feel like an amateur. I'm sure you get the same feeling when you watch Mr Gilmore. ✌❤🇬🇧

I went to school in the 70's, and the music throughout the 70's, into the mid-late 80's was just so amazing, everything seemed to be bringing more talent, every record seemed to be great. We took it for granted that it would always be that way, we appreciated it, but would have appreciated it more had we known that would be the pinacle. Just amazing times, I'm so happy to have lived through it. Listen to music by The Jam, The Pokice, Blondie, Ultravox, Frankie Goes to Hollywood to hear people making just the music they wanted to make, protest music was something that was strong in the 70's as few could stand up to 'the man' in any other way. A time when music really had something to say.

Being 70 I can tell you it fully felt like family a feeling i greatly miss.

Guitars ask for David Gilmour for Christmas.

Just as John Bonham KNEW the "power of the pause" on the drums, so the master David Gilmour understands the "squeezing of each note"- when to attack, when to release, & his understanding of "intervals" between notes is simply amazing: how he uses those intervals to "lift or hold" you in the melody. He's truly in a class by himself.... & a humble man. I love you, David Gilmour-you're my guitar hero! Thanks for posting, Bro'!

Mr. Gilmour plugged that damn guitar into his soul

There are no words that can adequately describe how good that solo is. Gilmour at his brilliant best he just takes us to another dimension like no, and I mean no, other guitar player can. And that voice, wow!

I have been playing guitar for decades and have to say it doesn't matter if you think you know the notes David is playing you will never be able to convey the feelings he finds so easy to convey. He both inspires you to try and conspires to make you disappointed!

You'd need to understand the blooming of the lotus flower, and the life meaning it holds. The flower opens when Gilmour's iconic guitar solo hits its peak. This is among the greatest live guitar solos (and overall performances) ever. As for the guitar solo, thanks so much for not stopping the video to analyze it. As is ALWAYS the case with Pink Floyd, not only is the musical performance a work for art, but the background art (lighting and effects?) is a work of art.

Me & my wife were there the night they recorded this. We were 23 at the time !! A live concert that will be with me till my dying day.

Knofler and Gilmour - both make a Fender Stratocaster sound incredible in totally their own way/style. nb pls check out PF's Delicate Sound of Thunder live video (I think better than Pulse)

This is definitely the best version - PULSE was extraordinary 3 stages all moving on, being played on or dismantled. Two weeks sold out 80000 per night in London at Earls Court. Phenomenal. Do something different and listen to ECHOES both at Pompeii but ALSO Gilmour at Gdańsk - the very last time it was played before Rick passed. There’s something special about BOTH versions - the Gdańsk however for me edges it because Rick and David riff so beautifully off each other.

14:02 The reason for that is that nowadays we mostly have MUSICIANS, who play an instrument and that's it, the rest will be done by a computer. Back then, music was made by ARTISTS. An artist is someone who doesn't just play an instrument, but expresses feelings and tells a story through it. And in every generation there are a few virtuoso's who've completely mastered their craft and are simply on another level from everyone else. David Gilmour most definitely is a virtuoso.

What a treat to see somebody how hasn't seen that performance before... it's a hell-ova ride into the genius of Dave Gilmore live!

did not expect your guitar to accompany the REACTION

Most solos stay in the higher notes. I love it when he goes down to the low keys.

This song, this performance, this lead guitarist, this harmony, this light show...wow. Pure magic. An all time great performance of one of Pink Floyd's best songs.

Through an improbable set of circumstances I was fortunate enough to obtain tickets to Pink Floyd and a Date in 1988 at the Los Angeles Coliseum. Astounding performance, at an Historical venue. I'll Not be forgetting it.

Can't believe this was 30 years ago, and that i was lucky enough to be in the audience

If I could ask for a Magic Desire, I just want to forget all Pink Floyd music and hear then for the very first time again.

Nowhere to hide playing at that pace,every note has to be bang on.!!!!

Congratulations on finding the finest work of music by any guitarist, in my humble opinion ever created. I have seen Gilmour (PF) in concert many times over many, many years (showing my age lol). Welcome to the world of music that plays with the soul. There is nothing like it. I still get tingles and emotional when I hear this track, and this is the music that they will carry me off too.

Pink Floyd are not just a music band, they are creators of feelings!

Faana Music, thank you for sharing this and your insights. You actually expressed so many facets of Pink Floyd in a way that I had reserved myself. It is so nice to see that I am not alone... Thank You.

Very much enjoyed you reaction and I am now a new subscriber. David is so good that he doesn't over clutter his playing with notes that are not needed. He's clean and smooth as well. This version is really an edited version. The actual solo is longer. It is, or hopefully still is, on YT. For the same reasons I enjoyed your not over analyzing it all. Looking forward to future videos.

Good music touches the soul, this bring a tear.

Give me the chills every time I here this

Also Sorrow and High Hopes from the Pulse tour have great live solos and Marooned from the Division Bell album has the most emotional solo ever recorded in music history...

If only everything in life could be this perfect.....

I was at the Tampa and the Orlando shows... Outstanding! 🤘🔥

The best endsolo ever, period!

I really appreciate when I see today's youth appreciate the music of the late 60's and 70's. (before disco ruined everything!) 😕 Thank you so much.

Thanks for great commentary! I wish you all the best

I would have sold my mother to be at this concert !

A very awesome reaction, i've watched you react to Dire Straits and what you said about a time when people were actually nice to each other ...Music in the 70's , early 80's was made to be enjoyed, to make a difference, not souly to make money....The bands cared about making music that changed peoples lives .

In the dictionary under the definition of the word 'epic' it says "see Dave Gilmore's Pulse solo to comfortably numb"

So, the giant mirror ball, when it opened revealed a diamond in the middle of it is in reference to the song "Shine on you crazy diamond" which is a tribute to one of the original cofounders of the band who tragically passed away early in their career.

at the end the guitar lit a cigarette

the only guy in this world who does not need guitar lessons - he reached the limit

Just to point it out, this song was originally sung by Roger Waters and David Gilmour. Roger sang the "doctor" part & Dave sang the patient/performer part. Since Roger was not in the band when this tour happened, PF came up with this unusual reworking of the doctor vocals, sung by a muted chorus of the rest of the band. That's why that part sounds so different to you.

pink floyd are a british national treasure ! earls court 1994 . luck enough to be here that night youth of today dont know what they have missed

The staging and light show cost 25 million--back in 1994. They were always cutting-edge in terms of live performance. I was lucky to see them a couple of times live back in the day. Check out the live version of 'On the Turning Away'--the vocals are mind-blowing, especially a capella. The 'Pulse' concert is worth checking out in full--they also played the entire 'Dark Side of the Moon' as part of the performance.

I find your comments fascinating even before the end of the clip

My 2 favourite bands, Pink Floyd and Dire Straits :D

beautiful guitar to go with it too 🎸🎸

Absolutely phenomenal!!!

David Gilmour looks like a guy comimg over to fix a leaky faucet and then performs the greatest guitar solo ever

DAVID GILMORE IS ONE OF THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD..!!🤟✌

We should have warned you.

Faana commented on the amount of work involved in producing this performance. First I really knew of PF was when I caught the whole of this Pulse concert by pure chance on late-night TV in the late 90's, I just couldn't stop watching, the music and the lightshow were stunning. Just think of the computing power used to operate all those hundreds of lights individually in 3 dimensions and colour (and co-ordinated with the music). I became a Pink Floyd addict overnight. And Dave Gilmour's playing, of course.

Oh ya it’s brilliant and beautiful

Meaning behind the ball opening up: "Art."

The ball represents a lotus flower!

70's yes but really from the 60's experimental since 66' 67' is an amazing year nights in white satin' whiter shade of pale' .. pink floyd and david is blues progression

Thats Pink Floyds Master Piece ever ! Not from this earth rather somewhere from the universe😊 Not discribable with words.

Hi. David sings through his guitar, and it is hard to define.😪

I was lucky enough to be there - doesn't seem like 30 years ago this year.

you have to react to the concert in pompeii the guitar solo there is PERFECT

I am 64 and Pink Floyd forever !

Boy did I party hard listening to this in early 70's so many good bands back then

You should consider High Hopes from the same concert……from Spanish guitar to steel slide 👍

Remember Pink Floyd has sent more people to space than NASA!!

Not a Glitterball! Its the Opening of The Lotus Flower! I actually felt my unconscious expanding and opening in tune with the Lotus Flower! Its timed perfectly to opening at a certain high point of the guitar solo n the musical sound......it worked perfectly for me listening n watching this the first time. .....I literally my minds consciousness open it was incredible....and i immediately knew that Id just heard rhe greatest guitar solo of all time no doubt, despite the polls! I don't know who many truly experience this a mind consciousness opening experience, but i was always described as a very sensitive child growing up, and I try to keep that sensitivity. Unlike most PK fans also, Id never heard the song all the way though or the guitar solo! So coming to this video only a year ago.....in bed, in the dark....in a very relaxed state, it literally blew my mind! I was reeling n almost mentally floating for days afterwards from the whole experience.😮🙏

David Gilmour, Mark Knoffler and Ritchie Blackmore, three of the greatest.

remember... the ENTIRE main guitar solo was in strict 12-bar blues format. He would always return to his roots.

Yes, no one can make the guitar sing like David

Run like hell is another great one from this same concert

David Gilmour like Jerry Garcia can show up in a black T-shirt and jeans like they came to fix your refrigerator and then just proceed to melt your face with their guitars.

Hi New here like it so far but I was looking through your reactions and out of the 70's the best two bands were pink floyd and led zeppelin they were peers in quality and composition I see you have not done any zeppelin they were a blues hard rock band if you could react to their song...since I've been loving you live at Mattson square garden 1973 it will give you a good feel for the bands style.

The whole Pulse concert was one of a kind - and this was 30 years ago! The lights were computerized (for the first time ever on a scale like this). This was the tour / concert of a century.

I was at this concert. Ahoy Rotterdam NL. Beginning of November 93. Perfect acoustics 🎉🎉🎉

One very young lady I saw reacting to this same video said that the opening of the disco ball seemed to her "like watching an angel being born" ... To me that pretty much sums up the entire performance.

I've never heard anyone talk about its significance (probably cause I never looked into it), but to me the MIRROR ball seems to open up like a Lotus Flower.. representing Spiritual Awakening & Growth, Purity and Beauty coming out from the mud... Then at the end the Phoenix Rises with the raising of the wings ... Representing Rebirth, new life... pause it at the end with the wide shot.. So the lyrics speak about how life is tough and you get comfortably numb.. but Gilmour's solos brings us back by its purity & beauty and we spring back to life.. or are reborn to this world with a hope unfound up to this point.. Thoughts are welcome.

The Orb opening for me symbolized a spiritual rebirth or cleansing. It is the best way I can describe it for the many reaction host shedding so many tears. Myself included.

That's the mother ship coming down to pick him up.

The song is from their album titled "The Wall", you need to listen to the entire album to get the meaning of the song. Or better yet watch the movie "The Wall".

This solo is so good that every time I hear it, it starts from goosebumps and ends up with tears of happiness

Enjoyed your knowledgeable reaction. Nice to see a real guitar player react to a masterpiece and understand how great it really was. I was an old rocker myself back in the 70’s….. and you are right about the difference in mood and purpose of music back then. We didn’t relate music for the money. We created music because we had something to say. Now it’s all about sales, and fame, and money. We just played what we felt, and if it became popular, that was just a bonus. I think we were much happier back then.😎🎸🎶🇨🇦

During the thousands of times I’ve watched this performance, I found myself thinking that the the lotus-ball opens and we catch that ‘fleeting glimpse’ - which is in the lyrics ‘when I was a child I caught a fleeting glimpse out of the corner of my eye, I turned to look but it was gone…’ So it quickly goes out as the song is finished… Just a matter of opinion - everyone shall find one’s own meaning, it’s an art) Great reaction, thanks!

Thanks for this - I appreciate your thoughtfulness. I was around then (I'm 59). I don't know that the world was any nicer or more cohesive, but the splinters didn't have a megaphones and were forced to consider others much more often when voicing opinions, because there were no impenetrable echo chambers. Also, absolutely right about the music culture. It was more about groups coming together with similar desires to create music. At the time, it was simply required and expected that whatever music you produced had to be played live in order to survive. Bands INTENDED to be on stage performing their music, so you were always subject to the quality of your last performance. It's trial by fire 100+ nights a year for years! People these days really do not understand how different music sounds when you are actually in the venue with bands like PF. As freaking awesome as this recording is, there is a completely different, existential feeling produced when you have the live sound separation, resonance and community experience of such a concert. I think, maybe, this cultural example of the art influencing society, not vice-versa, that's a reason I don't believe people were fundamentally nicer.

A crittic said people don't want to listen to this kind of music anymore, they want to listen to disco music. So this was the biggest two fingers up to that comment by given him the mother of all disco balls, hope that answers your question.

The story of the disco ball: Back in Pink Floyd's early days they got a review from a music critic that said their music was fine but "not something you could dance to." The band found this hilarious so at their next show they brought out a disco ball so "people could dance if they wanted to." The disco ball became a running concert staple over the years and Floyd even released a compilation album called 'A Collection of Great Dance Songs.' As for any symbolism of the disco ball blooming; I think it's mostly that it looked cool but feel free to find your own meaning for it.

You’ve just watched arguably the greatest live guitar solo of all time. Gilmour’s guitar playing sings to your soul. 🎸