Live in Gdansk EMI

David Gilmour released a definitive live DVD of his 2006 solo tour. This double-CD/DVD set was supposed to be an atmospheric memento of a happy occasion--finishing the tour outside of Gdansk, Poland, to help celebrate the 26th anniversary of Solidarity, the trade union that helped kick-start freedom in Eastern Europe. But it's bittersweet, as Pink Floyd's Richard Wright died of cancer at age 65 the week before its release. It captures Wright's last major performance, playing vintage-sounding keyboards in Gilmour's great band. There are 22 tracks on CD and 15 on DVD, plus a 40-minute documentary; the sound and performances aren't as sublime as on Gilmour's Live At The Royal Albert Hall DVD set, with his voice a bit hoarse. But Polish strings add texture, and Gilmour revives "A Great Day for Freedom" for the first time since the 1994 Floyd tour. Syd Barrett's "Astronomy Domine" is a blast from Gilmour and Wright's psychedelic past, yielding smiles all around. But "Comfortably Numb" tugs the heart now like a eulogy. Gilmour's guitar solos embody transcendent melancholy, while Wright shares the vocals with his vulnerable, very human voice.

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