David Gilmour Live at the Circus Maximus, Rome
3.5 out of 5 stars

By J.C. Correa

With almost universal consensus amid rock enthusiasts and connoisseurs, over the past 50 years, David Gilmour has been considered one of the absolute premiere guitarists of the genre. Watching this latest concert film, David Gilmour Live at the Circus Maximus, Rome, should leave no doubt among skeptics as to why exactly that is.

Recorded in September of last year across several nights in the Eternal City, in the midst of Gilmour’s tour in support of his most recent album, 2024’s Luck and Strange, the movie sees the revered Pink Floyd guitarist tackle a set list that is heavy on his latest record, while also revisiting three songs from his 2015 album Rattle That Lock. Floyd fans should not fear, however, as half of the production is dedicated to showcasing material from the legendary band.

Gilmour made headlines in the fall of last year for the highly acclaimed performances that were part of this short, 23-date tour. The trek saw him play multiple nights only in a few hallowed venues like New York’s Madison Square Garden, The Hollywood Bowl, and The Royal Albert Hall in London. Rome’s Circus Maximus, which is adjacent to the ruins of the city’s Forum, was distinguished enough to be included in the jaunt, as in the film Gilmour declares that he is always looking for special and unique places to play. Coming from a guy who has twice rocked out in Pompeii (and made movies out of it), it is not surprising to hear this. 

Directed by Gavin Elder, who has worked extensively with Gilmour, as well as with Duran Duran, the film has just been released for a very limited run on IMAX screens (before dropping on home video next month), where it benefits enormously from the stellar speakers that those theaters are equipped with. It opens, appropriately, with the vaunted guitarist exclaiming to camera, “I’m David Gilmour and I’m a fucking legend!” The tongue-in-cheek humor is welcome and, dare I say, delightful from someone as humble and likable as Gilmour, and the same line would likely not land in a similar way if it were to come out of the mouth of Roger Waters. Gilmour, ever the consummate professional, cheerfully interacts with his current touring band (which on keyboards and piano includes Greg Phillinganes of Michael Jackson fame) during the picture’s opening moments, and we see the unit run through soundcheck renditions of more recent tunes like “5 A.M.” and “Black Cat.” 

After introducing a title sequence that quickly segues into black and white footage of the Italian capital, the band officially commence the show by launching into Luck and Strange’s title track, with Gilmour’s Gretsch electric guitar producing smooth and silky tones. They follow it up with The Dark Side of the Moon classics “Breathe (In the Air)” and “Time.” On the former, touring musician Ben Worsley plays slide guitar on a lap steel to great effect, while three female backup singers (Louise Marshall, and sisters Charley and Hattie Webb) join in on “Time.” Armed with a black Stratocaster that features the small outline of a cat on its upper body, Gilmour’s tone is amazing, particularly on the second of these songs.

His voice sounds good on the next selection, “Fat Old Sun,” and after its acoustic intro the guitarist busts out a weathered-looking Fender Telecaster, on which he wickedly performs its outro solo. Elder also uses this number to focus evenly on the band members as well as their leader. Before long, Gilmour has switched to a red Stratocaster for The Division Bell’s “Marooned,” which allows him to repeatedly roam around the lowest part of the fretboard, striking the highest notes imaginable for the tune’s whammy bar-heavy opening. Worsley joins him soon after on a 12-string guitar for the famed double-acoustic intro of “Wish You Were Here.”

Elder’s coverage of the concert, while reliable, is not revolutionary. The director employs the standard blend of close-ups with wide establishing shots that present the entire stage, the scope of the location, as well as the approximately 17,000 attendees. That said, he does noticeably rely on close-ups of Gilmour’s hands as they go to work and frequently bend strings, or at the very least, makes it a point to showcase the specific techniques that the guitarist uses to attack the material. When not lost in his own musical bliss, we also get to often see the feeling of clear satisfaction upon his face as he performs the songs. 

After warmly introducing his band, Gilmour brings out his daughter, Romany Gilmour, to perform harp and sing on “Between Two Points,” a duet on his latest record. After having Romany join the rest of the female singers for the remainder of the set, things transition into a rendition of “High Hopes,” on which drummer Adam Betts (whose kit is slightly off to the side to allow Gilmour to always be center stage) repeatedly strikes a bell, before Gilmour himself tackles the slide guitar on a lap steel. Switching back to a black Strat, this one with another whammy bar, Gilmour ushers in the doom-sounding intro of “Sorrow,” from Floyd’s 1987’s offering A Momentary Lapse of Reason. The phrasing on the solo that he performs for this number is nothing short of outstanding.  

It is to Gilmour’s credit that the show, for the most part, only seems to get better as it rolls along, which helps to confirm the enthusiasm of audiences who caught it on tour last year. Its most unique moment, if not its best, is an intimate rendition of “The Great Gig in the Sky,” which Marshall performs on the piano, while Romany and the Webb sisters contribute an almost gospel-like vocal to accompany her. Romany’s father, with a pronounced smile upon his face, joins them on the slide once more, and the overall effect is magnificent. 

The concert does eventually begin to run out of steam near the very end, specifically at a point that is dedicated to covering Luck and Strange tracks “Dark and Velvet Nights” and “Scattered.” Perhaps aware of this, Elder uses this portion to set his camera on various enthused audience members. For the encore that follows, Gilmour, inevitably, offers “Comfortably Numb,” the only selection from Pink Floyd’s other indisputable masterpiece, The Wall. Fittingly, bassist Guy Pratt sings the verses on this one, much like Roger Waters did in his day. And though the performance of it is not the showstopper you might expect, it still serves to remind that the dreamy composition is an absolute all-timer.

Perhaps the best case for the utility of Elder’s movie can be made as a decent substitute for not having actually been lucky enough to catch one of Gilmour’s gigs last year. In that regard, it certainly offers a wonderful opportunity to witness such a highly acclaimed spectacle. As a concert film, however, it is not groundbreaking or particularly unique on any level and does not reach the novelty and pathos that even Floyd’s Live at Pompeii document achieved, which was in fact rereleased in theaters earlier this year. But maybe it doesn’t need to either. Showing the maestro at the top of his game, even at the age of 78, may be reason enough to justify its existence. 

David Gilmour Live at the Circus Maximus, Rome is currently playing in a limited theatrical run on IMAX screens.