David Gilmour a Roma

Strange, the way the mind works. "Beyond Words" comes to mind. There's a Pink Floyd song "Lost For Words".

The main event. The reason for this trip. The final David Gilmour concert in Europe (on this tour, hopefully not forever).

Circo Massimo, a place with such incredible history. I regret missing Gilmour play in Pompeii, this is making amends. The sky testing me. 15 mm of rain in the two hours prior. Who plans this stuff open air?

Soaked to the bone (except around the middle, thanks to the truly waterproof Haglöfs rain jacket), I honestly consider leaving. For a short moment.

Meet a wonderful French-Dutch family, skipping from French to German to English. Grateful to have a common language, despite regrets I don't speak one of their languages as well as they speak mine. Making a note to study and travel more!

Soaked to the bone, shivering a bit from the cold, no longer thinking about leaving. Grateful for human connection and – Pierre noticed and pointed it out – no one using their phones. Thank the heavens for the rain!

Slight delay, Gilmour starts playing. Solo album songs and, of course, Pink Floyd. The crowd decidedly more excited about the latter. The price for having done something so great earlier in life. No chance to make a truly unique mark anymore.

The music: lost for words. No photos or videos. You have to see and hear it for yourself. You'll find it on Youtube soon enough. Do yourself a favor. Don't watch it. Buy tickets for the show. And leave your phone in your pocket. Stop being your life's cameraman and start living it!

Two and a half millennia of history at this site and I get to live as one of the greatest guitarists of all time performs. The rain has stopped, the clouds clear, stars dot the sky above, Gilmour bends the high notes.

Oh, this is why it's open air.Read more