Watch David Gilmour Mash Up Pink Floyd and Prince
Add David Gilmour to the list of those remembering Prince in song, though he did so with a twist. Performing last night at London's Royal Albert Hall, Gilmour combined Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" with "Purple Rain," the title track from Prince's 1984 multi-platinum smash.
It happens at about the 4:30 mark on the video above, just after the crowd erupts into another cathartic chorus of "I have become comfortably numb." The stage lights switch from white to purple, but rather than going into the usual solo found on Pink Floyd's 1979 The Wall, Gilmour's backing singers begin to replicate the unspoken outro vocals from "Purple Rain." Gilmour doesn't mimic Prince's iconic guitar work on the song, however, choosing instead to offer a moving exploration of his own. About a minute later, the stage lights shift again, this time to red and gold, and Gilmour resumes "Comfortably Numb" as before.
He joins scores of musicians who have paid tribute to Prince since the legend's death last week at age 57. An autopsy has been performed to determine the cause of death, but officials say it could be weeks before the results are known.
The eight-minute take on "Comfortably Numb/Purple Rain" was part of a special benefit for the Teenage Cancer Trust. Gilmour launches a European tour later this summer, hitting Pompeii – site of one of Pink Floyd's most memorable performances – in July.
Longtime fans will recall that Gilmour offered a cover of "Purple Rain" before, back during a 1992 taping of the six-episode mini-series Tom Jones: The Right Time, which later aired on VH1. Jones even sported a purple suit for the occasion.
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