It seemed like Pink Floyd was never meant to be a five-piece. The band’s early days were spent under the leadership of Syd Barrett, who was seen as the act’s mastermind. So, when Barrett had to leave due to his stubborn nature and mental health issues, many believed Pink Floyd wouldn’t last long. Even with the newest addition to the band, David Gilmour.
The four-piece act with Gilmour, now in Barrett’s place, had to prove themselves again. Even more importantly, David had to prove himself to his new bandmates and Pink Floyd’s audience. So, the band started to write, and Gilmour sang and played in the best way he could. The rest became history, then.
David managed to carry on Pink Floyd’s reputation even without Syd. So, when he went on to produce solo works, his albums also had the creative shine Gilmour had established on his own. The only rocker who took a solo path wasn’t David, however. Another four-piece band, The Beatles’, dissolution also proved that rockers could be successful as solo acts.
Paul McCartney had successful works of his own, but the influence the Beatles had on him was evident in his stage shows. Various artists filled in for John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr when he rocked the stage with his former band’s songs. Yet, his collaboration with Gilmour, a guitarist who had proven himself more than once in his career, was something else.
Perhaps, it was challenging for David to fill in for Lennon since the latter musician’s legacy has survived to this day. Still, Gilmour’s performance with McCartney in 1999 was magical for the Pink Floyd guitarist. David later recalled their collaboration in 2003 while chatting with fans.
He remarked how he had convinced Paul to play ‘I Saw Her Standing There.’ The collaboration occurred at the famous Cavern Club as various other rockers played alongside McCartney. The concert was filmed live for the Beatles icons’ documentary, ‘Live at the Cavern Club.’ The show became immortal through the recordings, and it seemed like Gilmour was still mesmerized by the collaboration four years later.
The Pink Floyd icon was asked if he had felt lucky to play alongside McCartney, Pete Townshend, with whom he had collaborated on their project, ‘Deep End,’ and Bryan Ferry. David Gilmour remarked how he felt like a child among them and discussed how he had filled in for John Lennon’s parts while performing, ‘I Saw Her Standing There.’
“I’m a kid, really,” remarked the guitarist. “You get into Studio Two at Abbey Road, you’re sitting there with Paul McCartney, and your guitar is plugged in. You think that’s an ordinary day’s works, but of course, it isn’t; it’s magical! Managing to persuade him to sing ‘I Saw Her Standing There’ at the Cavern, with me doing the John Lennon parts, was absolutely fantastic.” He continued jokingly. “I’ve been in the Who, I’ve been in the Beatles, and I’ve been in Pink Floyd! Top that, m*therfucker.”
David Gilmour was always there when he needed to fill in for a musical genius. At the beginning of his career, it was Syd Barrett’s shoes he had to fill in, and later, even for a brief duet, he filled in for John Lennon during a performance with McCartney. These facts are simply evidence of David’s musical talent itself.
