Rome is calling

In exactly one week, for me, the most exciting concert tour of my life begins. As I already wrote on the Epic Metal Blog, the current year is a special one for me: 30 years ago, Pink Floyd's 14th studio album The Division Bell was released – and with this release, my journey into the universe of a band that has always fascinated me, moved me emotionally and taken me to places I would never have known existed without them, began. Just as you can only wholeheartedly love a football club, I believe there is only one band that you can adore with every fibre of your being. And in my case, you guessed it, it's Pink Floyd.

My anniversary year began on 8 March with a gig by the excellent tribute act The Australian Pink Floyd Show at the Oberhausen Arena. The performance of the lads and lasses from Down Under was, as expected, strong – and a wonderful appetizer for the summer. The inflatable kangaroo is a gimmick that every Floyd fan should have seen with their own eyes at least once in their life.

No fewer than four times in late July and early August, I had the chance to see Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets. The Pink Floyd drummer's band focuses on the early days, i.e. they only play songs composed before the monumental masterpiece The Dark Side of the Moon (1973). It was a dream to experience Nick, Guy Pratt (Pink Floyd bassist since 1987, though not an official member), Gary Kemp (known from Spandau Ballet), Dom Beken and Lee Harris up close in Cologne (27 July), Berlin (30 July), Hamburg (31 July) and Frankfurt (1 August).

I thought about the following statement for quite a while, but with a distance of almost two months, I remain convinced: Never before have I seen a better band on stage – the performance of the epochal “Echoes“ alone was worth each of the 1700 kilometres I travelled. I knew that Nick is a terrific entertainer, but he actually managed to make me laugh every night. His “phone call“ with Roger Waters, who was looking for the gong he always used for “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun“, would have been right at home on a comedy show.

And now the whole thing could be topped again: On 1st, 2nd and 3rd October I will witness David Gilmour at the Circo Massimo in Rome. It still sounds unreal when I write this. A year ago, I would not have thought it possible to see the Pink Floyd guitarist and singer live again. In 2006, he gave me the most wonderful concert experience of my life at the Konzerthaus Dortmund, thanks also to Pink Floyd keyboarder Rick Wright, who unfortunately died of cancer two years later.

Of course, I already know the setlist: at the two rehearsal gigs in Brighton (September 20th and 21st), to which 1500 spectators were allowed to attend each time, David focused, as expected, on his marvellous current solo album Luck and Strange and the aforementioned anniversary album The Division Bell. You could argue that the setlist contains few surprises, but in my view it is very coherent – and it is 100% in line with the David Gilmour of today. The fact that it contains all three titles that will be played at my funeral demonstrates how well it suits my taste. I am very pleased that two new tracks are left for the end of the regular set. This shows courage and underpins the ambition to continue being an artist who has something to say.

Since David is now 78 years old, this could really be the last opportunity for me to see the greatest musician of all time live again. The three performances will therefore be a very emotional affair for me – and I am already sure that one or two tears will flow. The atmosphere in Rome is likely to add to the emotion.

I am also very much looking forward to experiencing Romany, David's extremely talented 22-year-old daughter, who is a singer and harpist in the band. On Luck and Strange, she completely enchanted me with her lead vocals on “Between Two Points“. The chance to watch Guy Pratt again, who, as stated above, I have already seen live four times this year with Nick Mason, also makes me look forward to the show, since the bassist is a real showman. At heart, the son-in-law of Rick Wright is a fervent Pink Floyd fan who has had the great privilege of sharing the world's stages with his heroes for the past 37 years.

I will, of course, report on my experiences in detail on this blog. Please also check out the associated Instagram profile, where I will post numerous photos and probably also reels.