Pink Floyd: P. U. L. S. E. Live at Earls Court (1994 TV Special) User Reviews

As far as concert videos go, this is the best there is.

[fjhuerta-2 · 9/10 · 19 February 2002]

The lightning system. The songs. The sound. A band that decides to hide beneath the complex riggings and supports (what a welcome relief!). Perfection, indeed. This is the best concert video footage I've ever seen in my life. The moment I saw it I could not stop watching it (it was too late at night, and I wanted to get some sleep) for all the right reasons.

Suffice to say, I don't think I'll ever see a concert as incredible as that one. The moment when they play the encores (Wish you were here / Comfortably Numb / Run like Hell) qualifies as the stuff dreams are made of. Laser lights, explosions, a huge rose hanging from the ceiling with a disco ball inside, huge reflectors onstage, a dancing circular screen, a dancing light stage, lights at the bottom flashing messages and to the music... I couldn't have imagined a more complex light show. Or better tunes. Or better playing.

Wow. 10/10.

Best Live Music Video, Period

[givenrandy · 10/10 · 7 December 2000]

This is the best live music video I have seen. Yes, I have seen all those "unplugged" videos, and so on. This is one that I often (once a week?) put on as background "music" while I am reading. About 10 minutes later I am looking at the video more than reading. Another 5 minutes and I watch the rest of the video, discarding the reading material. I cannot wait for the DVD version to come out so that I get a better picture and stop wearing out my VHS tapes!

ALMOST as good as being there,

[wwe3 · 10/10 · 4 March 2001]

Anyone familiar with Pink Floyd concerts would agree; this band has the best traveling shows ever. I saw P.U.L.S.E. live in New Orleans, at the Superdome and have never seen a better concert.

The show is visually fantastic; choreographed laser light show, huge circular video screen, and the Pigs. With all this going on the band seems hidden, you barely see them on-stage. Which makes the video perfect. P.U.L.S.E. captures both elements of the show, you don't miss any of the performance while getting to see the band perform.

It's not as good as being at the concert. However, you will never miss another Pink Floyd tour, after you see it.

If you like it try: "Live at Pompeii", "La Carrera Panamericana", "Pink Floyd London '66-'67"

Best Concert Video Ever

[jpbass · 5 September 1999]

Clearly the best concert video I have ever seen. The effects (at the concert) were stunning. Floyd played their absolute best. The choice of songs was excellent and covered their entire musical history up to the date of filming. This video would only be better if it was put on DVD so that the sound and video were even sharper. This is one that you can watch over and over and never get tired of it.

Another Wonderful Concert of Pink Floyd

[claudio_carvalho · 10/10 · 3 October 2004]

"Pulse" is another wonderful concert of Pink Floyd, an improvement of the also excellent 'Delicate Sound of Thunder'. Pink Floyd lost its most creative component, Roger Waters, and now is limited to repeat the same successful songs in his concerts. However, the musicians and backing vocals are also outstanding, and the stage and lighting are something unique. The most impressive is that the present generations also love this fantastic group and their songs may be considered classics. I love all their songs, but 'The Great Gig in the Sky', 'Wish You Were Here', 'Brain Damage / Eclipse' 'Time' and "Comfortably Numb" are among my favorites. I believe I will never get tired of this concert. My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): 'Pulse'

amazing live performance.

[gionloc · 10/10 · 19 November 2003]

There is no language able to tell the perfection of this artists work!!

I saw the concert a few years before on a tv station from Bucharest, but it was late in the night and I think I was too little to understand the entire industry that was developing before me. recently I bought the concert (in time I became a fan of the band) and, believe me, in a few minutes, watching the images on Shine on you Crazy Diamond, realizing the perfect coordination between music-lyrics(the meaning)-lights, I ( the inconscient is to be blame:)) begin to cry.And these was just the beginning. In the highest point of the show (Confortably Numb) I guarantee that you`ll reach Nirvana. I have to say: the experience of this concert can be hardly spot,you must try it (maybe the films of Lynch can bring you on a closer point). I pray that one day I will see Pink Floyd maybe here in Romania. I really hope that PULSE was not their last strike of great music.

David Gilmour At His Best

[JeremyRusso · 10/10 · 29 March 2019]

I've always enjoyed watching pink floyd performances post-Roger Waters just to see and contrast the difference between the Waters led band and the Gilmour led band. It's always a hard choice but I have to saw I lean towards Gilmour, say what you will but he's that good to me

better than Delicate Sound of Thunder, neat set-list, though not the very best of Floyd live

[Quinoa1984 · 9/10 · 12 September 2006]

It's terrific to see Pink Floyd playing well together in their mega-dynamic way here in the PULSE concert, now remastered wonderfully for a DVD set. They go through many of their hits, most notably all of Dark Side of the Moon, and seeing the band go through Shine on You Crazy Diamond is as amazing as it gets from the group (a great opener that is hard to top). And overall the core of the musicianship of David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Richard Wright do gel together at times. But then there's the thing of it being such a HUGE event live, lasers and special videos on a big screen behind them included, that they have to work that much more harder to keep up with the theatrics. They're up to task, but there's something missing from it all too, and not just the obvious (Roger Waters, who is now doing his own version of this show more or less on his Dark Side tour). Maybe it's me putting it too much into perspective; seeing the film that preceded this one some twenty years before, Live at Pompeii, PULSE isn't as forceful and tremendous even on such a scale as playing in Earl's Court to who knows how many people.

I guess this is my way of saying that the concert, for me at least, is not a flawless one like Pompeii comes close to (even if that is, by turns, not in the same style of performance as in PULSE). And in comparison with many of the classic Floyd songs of the 70s, the newer work (with a couple of exceptions like Learning to Fly and Keep Talking) sort of falls up short, with a song like High Hopes one that I fast-forward past. But this aspect of the concert is not very detrimental, just a minor liability for more die-hard old-school Floyd fans. In terms of just capturing the band live, and the band with its immense ensemble of back-up players and singers, the director gets it all down without a hitch. If it also has a little added historical value to it too, it may also be because, unless something happens in the next few years (and in 2006 both Gilmour, with the occasional Mason and Wright in tow, and Waters went on their own solo tours), this might be the last time Pink Floyd are seen live on video.

An incredible piece of art.

[mattmacc87 · 10/10 · 9 February 2005]

I am a fairly new fan of Pink Floyd. I'm only 17, and I'm listening to songs written 30 years ago? And enjoying them?? This is why Dark Side of the Moon STILL sells more than 8,000 copies a week. Their music is unique, artistic, and really very "smart" compared to many modern bands. Rarely do we find an album that tells a story seamlessly.

PULSE is the first live concert I have ever actually gotten chills down my spine during some parts, especially the glass ball during "Compfortably Numb" and the incredible jam session "One Of These Days." Their renditions of classics like "Astronomy Domine" "Another Brick in the Wall" and "Shine On You Crazy Dimond" all lived up to their respective history.

"The Great Gig In The Sky" Is surprisingly well done. The three backup singers deservingly get their time to shine.

But the absolute best, and the one that really makes this DVD a must have to any musical collection, is "Compfortably Numb." David Gilmours' solo is unforgettable. The visual effects, including the previously mentioned 16 foot wide glass ball, perfectly moved with the mood of the song. When the ball opens, its as if the entire concert climaxes.

The reaction from the record-breaking audience makes me jealous to have not been...there...to see it in person. But this is the absolute next best thing. It's seamlessly constructed and extremely entertaining. A MUST SEE.

Probably the best show ever!

[larsadb9 · 10/10 · 11 November 2006]

I once said that "Roger Waters Live in Berlin" was the best music show I had ever seen. But I think P.U.L.S.E is slightly better. The lightning effects and with the powerful sound of David Guilmore's guitar, this concert is the best I've ever seen. The most powerful song on this concert is with no doubt Comfortably Numb. I always think that the next song after Comfortably Numb is dull, because of the awesome guitar solo, but on this show, with "Run Like Hell" I didn't have that feeling at all. However, I missed songs like "Hey You"... (but maybe Roger Waters wrote that... I don't know for sure). But apart from that, I didn't miss anything, but of course Roger Waters. But P.U.L.S.E is with no doubt the BEST ROCK SHOW EVER!

How I wish, how I wish I'd been there

[Jeremy_Urquhart · 9/10 · 3 February 2020]

The 9.3 rating on here and the glowing reviews could well have set me up for disappointment, but thankfully this didn't end up happening. Consider my voice added to the many that have already claimed this to be the best concert movie of all time.

It was one of the fastest 144 minutes I've spent watching a movie. You get sucked into it insanely well. It's maybe not quite as immersive as it was for the people lucky enough to attend in person, but this recorded performance has to be the next best thing (even if I am slightly jealous I didn't get to see it). It's very well filmed overall, and does a great job at cutting between wide shots that truly display the spectacle of the stage, the lighting, and all the special effects, and more close-up shots of the performers that highlight just how skilled they all were (I never realised until watching this how brilliant Gilmour is as a guitarist).

It's truly spectacular, and to cite too many specific examples that wowed me would almost feel like spoiling it, in a way. I will say that experiencing Dark Side of the Moon played front to back, in its entirety, was truly special, because as clichéd as it sounds, that has always been my favourite Pink Floyd album. The fact it sounds almost as though it is one continuous 40-minute song meant that playing the entire thing live was a very smart move.

If there are any criticisms to be levelled at this, they're honestly pretty minor. There were a couple of songs in the first half that weren't amazing, in my opinion, and I would've loved to hear at least something from Animals (or maybe Echoes from 1971's Meddle) in their place. Otherwise the track list was incredibly strong. Most of the songs I wanted to hear I did, and even when they played songs I didn't absolutely love, the spectacle of it all was entertaining enough to keep me engaged.

It's largely that spectacle which makes this one concert film I could recommend even to non Pink Floyd fans. Watching all 144 minutes of this might well make such a person a fan, and if you are already into Pink Floyd, and haven't yet watched this, you really do need to as soon as possible. It's a stunning final concert from one of the best bands of all time, and a near perfect concert film that may well stand as the best in that genre.

Epic - and well worth waiting for!!

[DaveNUL · 10/10 · 10 January 2007]

I went to see Floyd on this tour (actually at Earls Court 7 days prior to this gig) and they were awesome! No DVD can hope to live up to a (Pink Floyd) live performance, but this one comes closer than any other I have ever seen.

I have been a Floyd fan for well over 30 years and as a fan I am not sure what buddraft (see "Thoroughly Disappointed") was on when he saw this footage, or even if he was watching the same gig! As far as I'm concerned the DVD is damn near flawless (my only gripe is the splitting of the actual concert footage over the two DVDs - they should have put the concert on one disc and the features on the other - but this is a minor flaw), the performances are astounding (as is the musicianship), the sound is stunning and the camera-work is excellent.

THE best live DVD ever, and something for all other bands producing live DVDs to study before they produce one.

Good renditions of classics, but too much Momentary and Division

[yaniv_ilanotv2 · 7/10 · 9 July 2008]

I'm a great PF fan and I was looking forward to see this DVD. I will start with the positive: Disc 2 is amazing, Dark Side is my favorite all time album and the version here is pretty good (not as good as the record, but what in the world is as good as the dark side record?), and the solo in Comfortably Numb is amazing (the only true "better then the original" moment in the set).

But sadly, there's also Disc 1... Shine On is a masterpiece and it's played nicely and One of These Days is always a treat (sadly the only song played from pre-dark side times), but the rest of it is just BAD. A Momentary lapse of a reason and The Division Bell are just very average albums, and the band play too much of them! I ended up skipping all those songs because they have nothing of the beauty earlier PF records had. And then, there's Another Brick In The Wall, which has a good solo but it is still a very very bad song.

And another thing, I don't like the style of the show. Too showy and grandiose; too much use of lightning, background movies, special effects and so on, and you can barely see the band. In the CN solo, there are hardly any closeups on the guitar which is a shame.

So my suggestion: Get Remember That Night by Dave and Rick instead, it is just much better.

Should've been much better

[theclintdavis · 4/10 · 13 March 2020]

This review is going to get downvoted like crazy by the people on here, judging by the legion of delusional 10-star reviews, but stick with me.

I consider myself a huge fan of the Floyd and consider Dave Gilmour to be among the best lead guitar players in history but Pulse was such a massive disappointment after I'd seen all the stellar grades from fellow fans. The first DVD is almost entirely skippable because of the laughable songs chosen for the set list. Who needed 35 minutes+ of consecutive tracks from the band's generic post-Waters releases? These songs are dull as hell on the records and nothing is added in a live performance except some synchronized laser lights, which they also use during much better songs like "Shine On..."

Also, who put this band together? The bass player is a complete dork who looks like he was born after "Animals" came out. As soon as I saw him playing that headstock-less bass I knew it was going to be bad and then he's doing slap bass playing like he's the white Victor Wooten during "Another Brick." WHAT WERE THEY THINKING? And don't even get me started on the other lead guitar player who tries to show up Gilmour and thinks he's Steve Vai with the finger-tapping crap. Did they get this guy at one of those Guitar Center battle of the bands competitions?

Then there's the ridiculous percussionist who is jumping around like he's in an aerobics class while he's drowning out Nick Mason. Why was that necessary at all?

Also, Gilmour looks disinterested half the time and his aloofness keeps the audience at arm's length most of the time. You know it's a weak concert film when the entire crowd is sitting down the ENTIRE TIME. Contrast this with Roger Waters' 2013 concert film of him doing "The Wall" in its entirety, where you've got everyone on their feet, screaming the lyrics and even crying at several points. That's what Pulse was sorely lacking: the human touch and natural chemistry that Waters brought to the band in its best days. Of the three core members on stage during Pulse, only Mason looks like he's having fun most of the time.

What I will give this film credit for is the sound quality and the faithfulness to the studio recordings that they achieved, but doesn't that kind of defeat the whole point of a live album? Everything is safe and as expected here and that's not what I want when I sit down with the Floyd.

One more thing: get that annoying-ass circular screen out of the way. If I wanted to see a bunch of dopey, half-baked visuals over Pink Floyd music without actually getting to see the band members, I'd watch "The Wall" movie!

WOW

[KathyAndPaul · 4 December 2003]

It's been nine years since this one first hit the airwaves and it STILL holds the crown for most spectacular stage show. The spitfire, the lasers, the dancing pigs...oh yeah and the worlds largest ever disco mirrorball which while looking spectacular enough by itself does something UNBELIEVABLE at the end of Comfortably Numb.

Great performances from the band and the session musicians. Guy Pratt is without doubt one of the greatest Bass players who lived and Tim Renwick can fingertap better than anyone.

My ONE complaint is the dissapointing ammount of Division Bell material played. I understand they couldn't play as much of it as they were doing Dark Side live but still......

Two American shows were also filmed on the tour one of which was a NON Dark Side performance so we can but hope said concerts will appear on the DVD when it FINALLY comes out next year. Otherwise this is perfection.

Wow!!!

[runesofesprit · 10/10 · 13 July 2006]

I just received my copy of Pulse on DVD and I have to say that it was absolutely worth the wait. Out of the forty plus concerts in my collection, this is one of the most impressive. The sound quality is so amazing. It has to be heard to be believed. And the lighting is so intense, it literally fills my living room with an ambiance like none other.

This production is so beautiful it brings tears to my eyes.

I have been a Floyd fan for over thirty years and have been lucky enough to see them three times. I was present for the Division Bell tour in Oakland and Pulse really takes me back.

The Dark Side of the Moon is done incredibly well.

Spoiler Warning...

I loved the version of Money from The Delicate Sound of Thunder because of its wonderfully long bridge/solo and the band does not devote nearly as much time to the song on Pulse. But in the context of the Dark Side album, it is much more pure and accurate, which is quite appropriate.

Pulse is a must have DVD.

We need Blu Ray!

[miniwalt · 10/10 · 3 March 2018]

Without a doubt, this is the best concert video I have ever seen. I can't understand why it is unavailable in Blu Ray or to buy digitally. I have the DVD which I purchased many years ago. What an amazing show. I saw Pink Floyd once, I believe it was 1977 at the Cow Palace near San Francisco. Incredible!

the awesome floydness

[GosuMom · 10/10 · 23 January 2007]

Oh, the awesome awesome Floydness of it all! This DVD is so worth the price it costs ... best enjoyed in surround sound of course. David Gilmour, Nick Mason & Richard Wright remind us why they continue to be Classic Rock Royalty, and Durga & company on "Great Gig In the Sky" sing with such emotion. Bands come and bands go, but the Floyd will never be matched. This 2-disc set rocks in ways one can't adequately explain with words .... I only wish I'd really been @ Earls Court in person. Also refreshing is all the young talent, especially Gary Wallis on percussion. His drumming is the most excellent reason for using the back button on the remote.

Ten out of ten points? On that scale, I'd rate it 1000.

Lights, Camera, FLOYD

[Doogie-01 · 9/10 · 5 June 1999]

The light show will dazzle you. This artistic work is oft-compared to an earlier show "Delicate Sound of Thunder" and seems to surpass it at every pass. Put this to bed.

There is no apples-and-oranges comparison to be made here, barring the obvious similarity in songs performed. P.U.L.S.E. offers a dramatic display of splendid lighting, unmatched guitar and vocal performances, and the aura of Pink Floyd. The direction and production staff obviously went leaps and bounds above fan expectation and delivered a relentlessly-entertaining show.

One failure (based on previous work:) No interaction between lead singer David Gilmour and the backup vocalists (comprised of three beautiful women.) "Delicate" indicated an immediate chemistry between Gilmour and backup singer Rachel Fury that excited at least THIS member of the viewing audience.

My vote: 9.8

As Advertised

[cwrwgg · 10/10 · 26 May 2022]

I saw this show in Nashville, and it was the most amazing experience I've ever had. The film does nothing to diminish the atmosphere I experienced in person. It's perfect.

Just a great experience!!

[pvdudenhout-81309 · 9/10 · 21 October 2020]

Beautiful registration of a full concert of Pink Floyd.

Absolutely bloody amazing

[linda-frances · 10/10 · 3 October 2020]

Have been a Pink Floyd fan for many years, Dark Side of the Moon my absolute favourite album, to see them sing the whole album live, well it was such a rare treat, I wished I had been there. The legend that is David Gilmour, he's still got it!

The Greatest Rock Concert Ever!

[fcr-4 · 10/10 · 24 July 2006]

This video is a long time coming. The wait apparently involved converting the analog tape transfer to digital with the 5.1 surround. But it was definitely worth the wait. I saw this show in 1994, and never has any concert even compare to the genius of PF. When I saw their 1988 tour, I did not think that Floyd could top it. But wow,...quad sound in a stadium, the complete Dark Side performance, and the ending piece " Run Like Hell " amazing. I consider it a great honor to have seen these guys 3 times and hope we see a fourth in this new century. This DVD is a must for anybody who cherishes live concert performances. - Dana

We Don't Need No Thought-Control!

[StrictlyConfidential · 6/10 · 12 April 2020]

Hey, all you enthusiastic fans of psychedelic rock! - "P.U.L.S.E." is a 4-hour marathon music-documentary chronicling Pink Floyd's live performance in 1994 at Earl's Court in London, England.

Performing 21 of their most popular songs - Pink Floyd certainly goes all out with a show of spectacular special effects and dazzling lighting schemes in order to give all of the wildly cheering fans a performance of a lifetime (that will surely never be repeated again).

Thoroughly Disappointed

[buddraft · 4/10 · 20 July 2004]

What is all the hype about?!?! Out of all the Pink Floyd concerts I have on DVD (Pink Floyd – Live at Pompeii, Roger Waters – In the Flesh Live, Roger Waters – The Wall live in Berlin, Pink Floyd - Pulse) this one is at the bottom of the list… and doesn't come close to comparing to these others. I searched far and wide to get my hands on this rare, limited release DVD. After watching it I can't believe the undeserved hype it has received on this and other review websites. Here's the main problem (among others): Hey, I'm trying to watch my favorite band perform live… could you please get that obnoxious giant circular video screen out of my line of vision!!! That's right folks – throughout this concert footage there are two main camera perspectives: One is a wide shot that is so distant in order to frame the gigantic circular video screen that you can't really see the band, and the other is more close up. But wait there's a catch. In the close up footage the producers have decided to superimpose that giant circular video screen again. It's baaaack. When viewing my monitor during these scenes I estimate that David Gilmour gets to occupy about 1/10th of the overall image. In fact, most of the time he is literally partially cut out and hidden behind this thing. It's really bizarre. In a nutshell, it's as if the producers are demanding that we watch their 'cool' film clips instead of the band. These clips run the gamut from the usual psychedelics to actual newsreel footage (some of which include images of George Bush, Bill Clinton, Vladamire Putin, Tony Blair etc. - Gee, thats something I look forward to in my Pink Floyd concert experience). YAWN! In all fairness the camera does occasionally go up on stage and roam amongst the band. But even here the cinematographers were trying to be really fancy and used blurring effects, overexposure and monochrome lighting and it just didn't work well. When the credits rolled I couldn't remember 'seeing' this band.

The performances are lackluster and I'm sorry to say that that includes Gilmour. The exception being whenever Gilmour does go to town on his famous leads – all of which he does amazingly. But when the accompanying lead guitarist takes the spotlight he takes to many liberties (see Another Brick in the Wall when he decides to do some Eddie Van Halen-esq fret tapping... c'mon). Unlike other Floyd concerts I own, here the backup female vocalists don't get a lot of attention. Perhaps that's not so bad because also unlike other Floyd concerts I own, here they are unremarkable.

I must agree with others who have reviewed this concert and say it is an awesome production. The light show, the pyrotechnics... amazing. But that's not why I bought this DVD. As concert performance and as an overall concert experience captured on film, this is a huge disappointment. Granted, the encore does indeed build to a stunning climax, but if you're a huge Floyd'o'phile like I am, be prepared to endure some frustration to get there.