Such a frustrating disappointment

Expected more

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

In this DVD, the pink floyd experience is completely seen. The DVD is absolutely amazing and is probably one of the best music performances ever to be recorded. The lighting, the music, the guitar solos, all perfect. Any one who is a fan of music, whether or not you like pink floyd, will be stunned by this DVD.P~U~L~S~E delivers on a new level creating what is possibly the greatest stage performance of all time. Make sure you stay tuned for the encore featuring the unforgettable performances of comfortabley numb and run like hell. P~U~L~S~E traverses a completely new ground of live concert movies. As i said before, anyone who appreciates music will enjoy this DVD for its genius blending of music and visuals. Enjoy.

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.

One of the best concert films I have ever seen, and Floyd more than redeems themselves for the absolutely crappy "Delicate Sound of Thunder" concert video. Here, it's like you are there with the audience. The camera work does of a good job of making you feel that way and the sound really is crisp and has great clarity. Dave Gilmour looks better than he has in years, he looked like he was in fighting trim and he sings better and with more power as a result of it. Dick Parry, the bands original sax player was sorely missed and brings some breathtaking sax solos on "SOYCD", "Money", and "Us and Them". The encore to end all encores, "Comfortably Numb" literally does bring the house down with some really amazing effects, and just when you think its over they come back with a really good version of "Run Like Hell". But what makes this video a collectors item is just a chance to see them play the entire "Dark Side of the Moon" set live in concert. I did miss Rachel Fury, the really hot backup singer who toured with them back in '87. Some people have said Floyd uses the laser and light show to hide their age, but after watching this, I hope I look half as good as they do in my 50's. Also noteworthy is the heartbreaking movie/tribute to Syd Barrett, who founded the band along with Roger Waters in the 60's. The movie is played with their standard opening song "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" and it's a really brilliant short film directed by Strom Thurgenson. Barrett suffered brain damage as a result of his massive drug habit and its gut wretching to see his story played up there on that video screen.

Pulse documents the Pink Floyd on their tour for the Division Bell and shows how they can go on as a great band without Roger Waters. This is an amazing treat for the senses. The light visuals and stage presentation are remarkable and the song selection is good. Dark Side of the Moon is played in it's entirety. Rock on. ****