One of rock’s definitive guitar solos is found on Pink Floyd’s symphonic 1980 masterpiece “Comfortably Numb,” played with lyrical grace and crystalline beauty by David Gilmour. He’s translated that passage to the concert stage hundreds of times, both with and without the Floyd (as of this writing, it’s the most-played song on his solo tours), so it’s hard to imagine anything rattling him as he zooms through those bent-note flourishes and sublimely sustained notes. And he proved his elite unflappability during a fall 2024 show, not letting a busted guitar-strap derail this iconic guitar showcase.
The gig in question took place Sept. 28 at the Circo Massimo in Rome, Italy, where Gilmour balanced solo material with a number of Pink Floyd staples. He pulled out “Comfortably Numb,” per Setlist.fm, as the encore, and fans documented the song on YouTube. In the footage, the strap snap occurs just ahead of the chorus (“When I was a child…”), with Gilmour nimbly navigating around what, under the circumstances, could have been a stress-nightmare moment.
At first, he continues to sing (“Now I’ve got that feeling once again”) sans guitar, then flags down his tech and briefly steps away from the mic to throw on a different Fender Stratocaster. As he’s plugging in and getting ready, he even does a little joyous victory dance, seconds before launching into the solo as if nothing happened. For anxious people who often stress about the worst thing that can happen in any situation, this scene is a good reminder to stay calm and not freak out.
A funny sidebar is that, according to Guitar World, the broken strap may have once belonged to Jimi Hendrix. In a video interview, Gilmour says his wife, Polly, bought him a genuine Hendrix strap, featuring a similar white-cross pattern to the one in question, from an auction. He joked: “I think it makes me sound more like Jimi Hendrix, don’t you?”
The YouTube comments for the “Comfortably Numb” clip are priceless, with fans saluting both Gilmour and his unfazed guitar tech. Here are some highlights:
“The Hendrix strap that snapped whilst David Gilmour was performing Comfortably Numb. Start the auctions now.”
“Hurry up and replace my guitar, in 30 seconds I have to play the greatest guitar solo ever written”
“[L]ove the little jig he dances when he’s all connected up ready to go for the Big Solo.”
“I was there. What a smooth swap out seconds before starting one of rock’s best solos. And he was cool as a cucumber”
Gilmour has played the “Comfortably Numb” solo in some high-pressure moments, particularly during Pink Floyd’s tour behind their associated LP, The Wall. The guitarist would remain hidden while bandmate Roger Waters sang his verses, only to be illuminated by spotlight as he performed atop a massive wall. The show’s entire staging was “pretty complicated and tricky, particularly for the first few shows,” as Gilmour recalled in an interview with Paul Rappaport. “I had the whole show written out on a huge, long piece of paper that was hanging back there somewhere with all the notes for what had to happen next all the way through it.”
