Pink Floyd - Live in Venice 1989: the Complete PBS Broadcast [2CD]

Format: 2 x CD
Catalogue No.: FMGZ221CD
Barcode: 5056083214303
Release Date: 29 May 2026
Genre: Progressive Rock

The 1989 concert by Pink Floyd on a floating stage in Venice remains one of the most legendary and controversial live events in rock history. Staged on July 15th to an estimated audience of nearly 200,000 people crammed into every available space along the canals and piazzas, the free performance was intended as a gift to the city and a global television event. The band performed a majestic set-list heavily focused on their then-current album, A Momentary Lapse of Reason, while also weaving in classics like "Comfortably Numb" and "Wish You Were Here," all against the breathtaking backdrop of St. Mark's Basin and the Doge's Palace.

However, the concert was swiftly engulfed in controversy. Local officials and conservationists were fiercely critical, arguing that the immense sound volume—peaking at an estimated 100 decibels—posed a grave risk of damaging the historic city's fragile architecture and ancient mosaics. The sheer size of the crowd, which far exceeded initial predictions, created a logistical nightmare, straining Venice's infrastructure to its limit. As the music echoed off the ancient stones, the event became a stark clash between modern rock spectacle and timeless cultural preservation, drawing ire from figures as prominent as the Pope.

Despite the uproar, the concert achieved a mythical status. The televised broadcast captured the band at their most visually spectacular, with the gondolas on the water and the illuminated city forming an unforgettable setting. While the city of Venice subsequently banned large-scale concerts of its kind, the event endures as a powerful, if flawed, testament to Pink Floyd's ambition to merge music with grand, conceptual art on a monumental scale, forever etching their performance into the history of both the band and the city itself.

Track Listing:
CD 1
1. Shine on You Crazy Diamond
2. Learning to Fly
3. Yet Another Movie
4. Round and Around
5. Sorrow
6. Dogs of War
7. On the Turning Away

CD2
1. Time
2. The Great Gig in the Sky
3. Wish You Were Here
4. Money
5. Another Brick in the Wall
6. Comfortably Numb
7. Run Like Hell