Echoes Live from Pompeii by Pink Floyd - First Watch/Reaction 

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Pretty sure they weren't on psychedelics. Apart from Syd, that wasn't their thing. In a recent interview Roger Waters said that he'd smoke hash once in a while but psychedelics, no. They were pot smokers, and in the 80's Gilmour had himself a cocaine period. Re: this reaction. Not sure what happened to the beginning of the song. A minute or two appears to have been lopped off.

“Strangers passing in the street By chance, two separate glances meet And I am you and what I see is me And do I take you by the hand And lead you through the land And help me understand the best I can?” This is one of my all time favorite verse/lyrics. To me, it’s about seeing your own humanity in the eyes of others and realizing that we are all the same and all we’re doing is walking each other on the same journey.

The first live performance in that arena in 2000 years. The audience are ghosts.

The greatest song that's ever been written and performed. By the greatest band that has ever been.

Pink Floyd members actually stayed away from drugs especially after Syd Barrett losing it. They were musically geniuses, didn't need drugs to do it.

Syed, I seriously doubt that any of the band members were on psychedelic drugs during this performance. In fact, Syd was the only one who was into LSD. I've seen this many times and never get tired of it; please make sure to do part 2 as well. After Rick Wright passed in 2008, David wouldn't perform Echoes again because of their connection in the song and as friends.

with the exception of Syd Barrett who left the band in '68, years before this was filmed, Pink Floyd had no issues with drugs psychedelics or the like. Don't know where you heard that. If anything Syd's situation scared them straight!! The idea that they could be performing such intricate material so meticulously while strung out is patently ridiculous. 🙄

Every song from Pompeii is incredible. Set tbe Controls to the Heart of the Sun. One of These Days. Saucerful of Secrets. If you watch the whole film, you'll see them in the studio making Darkside of the Moon.

I’m pretty sure the amphitheater was designed for surround sound originally. Great job Pink Floyd for capturing the music in that setting

Drugs really were not their thing. The Syd dealings spooked them. This is Wright's master piece but Mason really shines here. He brought it that day

That was part 1. The second part is equally excellent.

Pink Floyd isn't the only band to explore these amazing historical landmarks. You should check out Spinal Tap's homage to Stonehenge as well.

It IS an Effing Masterpiece that's for certain, and this is only part 1, there are 2 parts. I think you would absolutely love the video I've linked below. It's a 2006 live performance of "Echoes" by David Gilmour and Richard Wright, two years before Richard Wrights' death in 2008. The video is one of the last times Gilmour and Wright performed this song together live. Gilmour said after Wrights' death that he will never play the song again! So, this 2006 concert below is in Gdansk Poland, Gilmour is 60 years old, and Wright is 63. Also, they do both parts 1 and 2 back-to-back. It's an incredible live performance, and the production is off the charts as are all Pink Floyds live shows. I would love to see you react to it, I check out lots of Pink Floyd reactions, and the past couple of years I've only seen a handful of reactions to this version. Most everyone reacts to the Pompeii performance, and that's quite understandable. Still, it is strange that so few have reacted to the 2006 version, because it's such a spectacular rendition, and Pink Floyd fans most certainly will have moist underwear watching it! lol. It is long though, slightly over 25:00,.... but it's Pink Floyd right? At the very least you will surely enjoy it watching on your own,.... but I think it would be great for Pink Floyd fan to hear your intelligent, insightful analysis of it. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-fZBOCbX2v8o.html

Awesome Syed, now you have to do Part 2! Also of note, David Gilmour does this song for a last time with Rick Wright at his Gdansk gig in 2006. Please do it when you can, another remarkable display by 2 of the Floyd members with able side men to bring it to life. Enjoy! 🎵🎸🎤🎹🎶

The 2nd part is a must. Gives final closure to the journey.

It would behoove you to react to the rest of the FILM/CD of that performance which showcases a number of their songs in that VERY location. Awesome to say the least!

These guys were and are professionals - unfortunately Syd was wrecked by psychedelics as has been documented - I don’t think the others were into them, certainly not in this performance. It’s perfect. Fabulous album “Meddle” listen to the whole vinyl LP ~ it’s heavenly ✨🙏💖

You're right about the musicians being in sync and at the top of their game (and Syd's psychedelic use, sadly, kept him from reaching this pinnacle). Echoing (no pun intended) the comment below that PF didn't go for psychedelics (pot, yes, but even then probably not to extremes). There is another half of the song to go (as you know), but this is a great start (even with the first minute or so cut off). In any case, thank you for your commentary and thoughtfulness; I really enjoy it!

The final live version of this song with Richard Wright is by far my favorite. The back and forth between him and David Gilmour is epic all the way thru even in the outro.

This is the best Floyd album. They were at their peak during the recording of Darkside and Meddle, and this captures that point in time. Beyond the album Wish your were here, it became more Roger Waters band than it was Pink Floyd. Syd was the one who used psychedelics. The rest of the band were occasional weed smokers.

You should listen to some songs from the song remains the same live performance. Great video!

4 musicians on separate trips? In sync? Not possible.

What an epic performance, in a place of past catastrophic destruction and unimaginal human loss. And now a place reclaimed by living, soaring music that echoes life. It makes me feel as one with the universe.

Ive seen this vídeo in other reaction. The song is incompleto. It lacks the other half

No. I doubt very seriously they were on anything doing this! If you have never done any psychedelics you haven't a clue what it's like to "trip". If you have experienced psychedelics, well you'd know what I'm talking about! 🤷‍♀️✌

You missed the first minutes. That ICONIC "ping», and the rest of the dreamy into. And remember pt 2. Drugs? Some pot or hashish after work for sure, but not much more at that time. They were not acid fans, and the coke came (and went away) much later. This was really not a druggy band, surprisingly. Of course, not squeaky clean, just this hilarious clip of a very stoned Gilmour: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-enzNePWJvI4.html&ab_channel=FMQBProductions

The band wasn’t into any psychedelics or any other controlled substances. They were drinkers. Big drinkers. What happened to Syd Barrett weighed heavily on them. Plus, try to work your way through playing such a complex song on LSD.

After the keyboardist Wright died of cancer, not sure the year, Gilmour said he would never preform Echoes live ever again.

i know i commented this at least once before, but don't miss "One of these days" from Pompeii, a track from the middle of the album, which visually features Nick's drumming.

Obviously they had to be sharp and fit to stay so tight together for such a long performance. If drunk or drugged it would have fallen apart within the intro. lol

I’ve seen the videos of “Echoes” for both “Live at Pompeii” and “David Gilmour: Live at Gdańsk”. Because of technological limitations, the Pompeii performance just doesn’t compare favorably to Gdańsk. That version of “Echoes”, featuring both David Gilmour and Richard Wright as well as other Pink Floyd alumni, was released in 2006. I realize the setting in the Pompeii amphitheater is unparalleled when compared to the Gdańsk shipyard. That said, the performance itself is FAR superior to that of Pompeii in every way. Check it out. I’ve no doubt you’ll agree.

David said you can't play this music high. They aren't a drug band, you can trust him. I think that what happened to Syd woke them all up to the dangers. 🤷‍♀

You should listen to the second half of the song.

David Gilmour and his band returned here to do an epic concert at night. Many Floyd songs featured and you should indulge by watching the whole gig beautifully captured on video and cd etc

Finally, I’ve been waiting for this for too long! Thank you!

nice reaction, live at pompeii is an epic performance. and yer right, height of their powers, the synergy between them is just otherworldly

So measured. So precise. Met in Architects school.

R.I.P. Richard Wright…

Santana ~ Soul Sacrifice at Woodstock in 69 ~ also played on acid. To an audience of half a million many of who were also on acid. Also immortal.

Do you know how long Dark Side of the Moon..........has charted..........like twenty years or something; may still be charting.

You’ve gotta do Grateful Dead - Dark Star>El Paso Live In Veneta, Oregon. It’s a truly incredible piece of music, Dark Star was written to be a vehicle for musical exploration, and the improv on this one is truly next level. They then reign the jam in and effortlessly transition into a gorgeous rendition of El Paso by Marty Robbins (of Big Iron fame). The performance was professionally filmed, but because the band AND crew were tripping there is some missing footage, which the filmmakers filled in with some really cool psychedelic collage animation that’s very Monty Python

Your generation is lucky. I had to rent this on VHS from a local movie store back in the 80's; also The Wall; and Stairwell to Heaven; and !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Much More. 😆

This was Pink Floyd at the height of their power

Rodger Waters said that the basis of the song is that people need to connect, more in "empathy than antipathy." Some have said that this song is also a point of demarcation between the more experimental Floyd and more refined sound of Dark Side and future albums. The song describes the potential mankind has, which has remained unexpressed, suffocated by ambitions, the pursuit of success, power and money. Of course, these are themes that are explored more in future albums: Dark Side, Wish You Were Here, and Animals.

Why say or assume drugs?? Why?? All the groups of musicians I've ever heard trying to play high really make an unholy mess. This sounds good and intertwined. Tuned into each other rather than any personal trippy tangents. Drugs take that ability for empathy away from you. -- (Edit) I just wanted to add that this kind of meme about "they were tripping at the time" in productions like this are just absurd. Think about it: legal, logistical, financial, managerial, staffing, licensing, film production, agenda, and other stuff I'm sure. All this is costly and difficult to organize. So the musicians at the centre of it all are going to risk all that by getting high just before the performance??! You'd have to be more than just simply crazy, you'd have to be cuckoo for coco-pops, and you'd get fired from the band. Obvious! -- What they do in spare time to relax is their business, but any kind of business savvy, and you don't mix business with pleasure.

It wasn't really Pink Floyd's idea to play in the amphitheatre in Pompeii. Scottish director Adrian Maben came up with the idea. He visited the site on holiday and left his wallet behind during the tour. He went back alone and was so taken by the atmosphere of the empty place that he came up with the idea of making a Pink Floyd film there. In fact, only three songs ("Echoes", "A Saucerful of Secrets" and "One of These Days") were filmed there. The other songs from the film, released in 1972, were filmed in Paris...

Awesome performance. Great reaction. Maybe do part two next. They also performed saucer full of Secrets and other even more psychedelics tunes for this film. You are right, the urge to take some acid in this setting would be strong but then it was an expensive and important project for them too. I don’t know, I’d put the odds at 50/50

They were not on LSD during this , this was 4 guys displaying pure unadulterated musical perfection & unity . Pisses me off when assumptions are made

I can't say what LSD sounds like, but I've heard this while experiencing it. Don't do drugs kids! I've seen it absolutely destroy a human brain from a single use.

Pompeii (and Herculanium) are pivotal do the development of modern European culture. The ruins, when discovered at the end of the 18th century, kickstarted an interest in Classical forms, in Art and Architecture, which dominated the first half of the 19th century and persists to this day.

You do realize you only watched part one of Echoes,. Do part two next! Looking forward to your reaction to Animals LP and Final Cut LP

You started it after the beginning

"One of These Days".... If you want the sound of psychodelics at the time😉

NOW I'VE HAD A CHANCE TO WATCH JUST ABOUT THE ENTIRE REACTION AND I HAD TO PAUSE IT WITH ABOUT 3 MINUTES LEFT JUST TO SAY THAT IT'S SO INTERESTING THAT YOU DESCRIBE THIS AS LSD THAT YOU CAN HEAR!! LET ME SEE IF I CAN DESCRIBE THE MEMORY I HAVE OF TRIPPING ON ACID AND EXPERIENCING A LIVE PERFORMANCE OF THIS SONG!! THIS WAS AN OUTDOOR VENUE THAT I HEARD PINK FLOYD AND AT THE TIME IN 1975 THEY HAD QUADRAPHONIC SOUND WHICH WAS A FOUR SPEAKER BANK SETUP!! TWO SPEAKER BANKS ON THE STAGE IN FRONT OF THE CROWD POINTING TOWARDS THE CROWD AND TWO SPEAKER BANKS BEHIND THE CROWD POINTED TOWARDS THE CROWD AND THEY COULD MAKE THE SOUND REVOLVE AROUND ALL FOUR SPEAKER BANKS!! SO BY THE TIME ECHOES STARTED WHICH I HAD RECOGNIZED WHEN IT STARTED I WAS PRETTY WELL INTO MY LSD TRIP!! WHEN THEY GOT TO THE MIDDLE SECTION OF THE SONG WHERE EVERYTHING GETS CRAZY WITH THE WEIRD SOUNDS AND THE ECHOES AND THE SPACEY KIND OF SOUNDS AND THEN BUILDS TO A CRESCENDO OF SOUND, I WAS PEAKING!! THIS WAS GOING AROUND THE FOUR SPEAKERS AND GRADUALLY INCREASING IN SPEED!! MY LSD AFFECTED BRAIN STARTED TO THINK THAT THE ENTIRE STADIUM WAS A FLYING SAUCER THAT WAS SPINNING AND GETTING READY TO TAKE OFF INTO SPACE!!! THIS CONTINUED FOR A FEW MINUTES UNTIL I REALLY THOUGHT THAT I WAS GOING TO START HAVING A FREAK OUT AND JUST WHEN I COULD BARELY TAKE IT ANYMORE AND WAS READY TO START FREAKING THEY BROKE INTO THE PART OF THE SONG THAT I RECOGNIZED WITH THE LYRICS STARTING UP AGAIN AND IT JUST INSTANTLY CALMED ME DOWN AND LEVELED ME OUT!! TO THIS DAY I FEEL LIKE THE TIMING OF THAT SONG AND MY TRIP ALMOST FELT LIKE IT WAS DONE FOR ME PERSONALLY!! NOW I KNOW THAT THAT'S PRETTY MUCH IMPOSSIBLE BUT IT'S AMAZING WHAT LSD WILL DO TO YOUR MIND!! SOMETHING THAT I DON'T THINK I WILL EVER FORGET UNLESS I GET DEMENTIA!!

It's a fallacy that Pink Floyd were on psychedelics most of the time. Sure they probably dabbled in LSD in the early days and we know the Syd Barrett story. Roger Waters said in an interview he gave up smoking weed/hash around this time so I seriously doubt they were tripping. Only Floyd would play a concert for the Gods and ghosts at Pompeii, absolute genius. Cool reaction

Watch the RU-vid video that uses this song as the soundtrack for the ending of 2001 a space odyssey and your appreciation of the song will skyrocket (pun intended).

This performance was referenced directly in the official video for Sabotage by the Beastie Boys... the camera even pans across the back of their amplifiers which are stenciled PINK FLOYD LONDON. And I don't think the Beasties were taking the piss, it seems to me it is a sincere homage.

After losing their leader to LSD, I doubt the rest of Pink Floyd had much appetite for it after that.

1972 IIRC? Anyhow, not terribly important.

Loved this reaction Syed, your analysis is pretty much the same as mine, this performance is off the chart is is like the studio performance amped up to 11, Nick Mason is a legend, so understand and so good, the harmonies between Rick and David are off the chart, you can understand why David never performed this song following the death of Rick. My take on the drugs question is, the song was conceived on Psychedelics, but performed clean, they were just to tight for it to be anything else.

Notice how Lloyd Webber nicked the riff for his Phantom?

The slump back into the chair moment was when I knew they had you for this performance! Agreed, Nick Mason really kills it in this one.

Lucklily, when I play, I can tap into all the trips Ive taken..

Yes! Nick Mason, unsung hero, was outstanding!

Well...Phenomenal..

Yes! Pretty sure I suggested this one a few times Pink Floyd is the GOAT.

Please react to Part 2 of the song which is Also played at pompei

"Strangers passing in the street By chance, two separate glances meet And I am you and what I see is me" This right here I found it fascinating...so many different meanings to me at different ages since I first listened. Im 50 now and discovered Pink Floyd from my Dad in mid 70s and loved them ever since.

I’m so glad you reacted to this video! The whole film, especially the live performances at Pompei, is worth viewing multiple times. I hope there’s a reaction to Part 2, which is just as good as Part 1. Keep up the good work presenting this amazing music to a new audience!

The greatest band of human race.

Hi Syed, thanks for this reaction and all the others you do on this really enjoyable channel. As some others have said, it is very doubtful they were on psychedelics - they were wary of drugs after what happened to Syd, and Roger Waters has said that he couldn't conceive of performing while under the influence, he simply wouldn't be able to function. As for the meaning of Echoes, at the time it was released the band said that their music was up to each listener to derive their own meaning, but later on Roger said that it is about empathy and is a celebration of life. The best interpretation of its meaning is a fan-made video set to the studio version of the album, it's brilliant and very moving and I highly recommend that you check it out the next time you want listen to Echoes. The link is: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-TL6AJcjijts.html

You nailed it! This is the sound of acid.

I think the meaning has changed for me over my lifetime. I've been listening to this album all my life (thanks to older brothers who played it when I was an infant!) and the meaning is quite elusive but satisfying. It's transcendent...

The best Waters lyrics. The best Wright and Gilmour harmony. The best Mason performance. The best Song of all time.

No audience except the ghosts of Pompeii. The other pieces from this concert are also killer!

I don’t know where you got your information from, but I think where you heard the rumor that the band was on drugs this performance…..They and/or you are on bad stuff. Take 3 hits of “Orange Sunshine” then try to comment. 😂 The real Sunshine. Hard to find good blotter nowadays.

Where do you get iconic from , this is the worst LIve performance by Pink Floyd , they became far better live after Dark Side of the Moon . You obviously dont know anything about Pink Floyd which is expected being a fan of hip hop which is shite music

This is the hardest I've ever heard floyd go

I remember the flat, rectangular microphones. Great venue. How Floyd.

Some say you don't need drugs to enjoy Pink Floyd, but you do need Pink Floyd to enjoy drugs. Also, Careful With That Axe Eugene is an absolute BANGER from Pompeii. Nick goes full BEAST mode!

they did were on lsd.look at their eyes on a gig in 1969 in switzerland,with zappa. maybe not here,but did trip.

Mysterious yes. I think thats why pink Floyd's choice of that location. Perfect. Because the music they created at that time. I've got it on DVD. editor's cut. From UK 🇬🇧👍👍

If you really want to know what being on LSD sounds like you need to listen to the Grateful Dead. They were on insane amounts of it pretty much all the time. Once you get into their live performances its a deep rabbit hole full of legend and lore.

There is a meaning behind the song you are lisning to at Pompeii. But no what you think. It's to long to explain it. look it up please. It's fascinating. You'll find out why the location was picked . FROM UK 🇬🇧👍👍

Next up: Close to the Edge (Yes)? It’ll make you realize the Floyd’s shortcomings as musicians 🎉

I gotta stay off the psychedelic's...I swear I saw Hillary Clinton at 5:28!

I didn't read EVERY comment, but I notice a few others have rightly expressed doubt about the band being on psychs during this performance. There's no need to speculate; unequivocally they were not, here in Pompeii or anywhere/when else. The reason isn't too hard to parse; they had a front-row seat to the mental disintegration of their dear friend and former band leader, and all made the conscious and very sensible decision to run as far away from that whole scene as possible. They drank like fish and smoked a metric @$$load of pot, but that was the extent of it.

On a friends account. This lugs mug here. But I have to say you may do well to help in the creation of the music. I can see what it will be and the musicians you will work with. Great musicians. Been watching for quite awhile. Well, from the beginning of your trek here. Excellent job. Perhaps you'll help create in a studio in conjunction with the next Floyd out there., if that were possible. Another Floyd.

I love the reaction: I interpret the first lyrics as ‘man’ crawling from the ocean for the first time. * no one showed us to the land * no one knows where or why * something stirs inside, we TRY, and seek (climb toward) the light.

You took me only half way home, Syed!!! This is the first half and the climax happens around minute 23! Still yours are my favorite reaction 💜

Until I saw Live at Pompeii, I thought Nick Mason was the Ringo Starr of psychodelic rock... Invisible, nothing too flashy, but perfect for the material. After watching this performance and One of These Days, I saw him as a much stronger force of the live experience of Floyd. It also becomes clear at an instrumental level, Waters was the least talented of the four, being limited to playing the same galump, galump two-note bass shuffle that was recurrent in much of their material.

I belive from what I have heard from PF they were inspired at times by LSD but performing in such a high pressure situation would be very unlikely ..

Syd was the only one ever on drugs and he lost his mind in 68-69. He had to be dismissed from the band which is when David Gilmour came in. None of these members took drugs, they're just creative geniuses.

I don't know if you realize the volcano killed the entire population........for me it has always been about the echoes of their souls.........there is a youtuber of huge repute and subscribers who is a musical powerhouse and he analyzed this video and I highly recommend you watch it; you will learn a lot about what is going on musically. His name is Rick Beto

I doubt any of them was on psychedelics and as a fairly dedicated fan for 38 years have never heard that. Certainly not Dave or Rog. Maybe their roadies. Dave and Rick enjoyed a smoke and later a snort. Rog and Nick were beer guys. Promise. It’s just a good performance and done by fairly sober men.

Echoes is and always was a jam created by Rick Wright and Dave Gilmour - there's a live video where they play it for the last time ever, shortly before Wright dies and I believe the name echoes is purely the interplay between Gilmour and Wright duelling it out for the last five minutes of the song. Call and response = Echoes

I'm not sure whether psychedelics really do help with artistic inspiration and innovation. Is this a myth or is there actual evidence that they do?

I think all the listeners were tripping but not the band. Yes this is aural LSD/'shrooms. Yes drum n bass before drum n bass was a thing. Mason's drumming is mega on point.

One of the two most legendary live performances in history. The other is of course Ten years after at Woodstock doing I'm goin' home.