On August 11, 2006, David Gilmour and his wife, Polly Samson, were wandering around the streets of Venice the day before Gilmour’s concert in St Mark’s Square. They stumbled upon a street musician named Igor Sklyarov who was playing a glass harp.
Mesmerized by the musician’s talent, David Gilmour approached him after his performance and made an extraordinary proposition.. When the street musician finished his set, David asked him, “So, do you want to play with us tomorrow night?” He pointed towards the massive stage set up for his concert the following evening at St Mark’s Square.
The street musician was completely taken back, maybe not sure if he heard the global rock star correctly. David then said, “You play this, I’ll pay you.” After working out his ears aren’t deceiving him, the street musician replied, “It’s a good idea”. Next thing he was playing in front of thousands alongside David Gilmour. Watch their collaboration in the video below and prepare yourself to be impressed:
Initially taken aback, the street musician couldn’t believe his ears. David reassured him, saying, “You play, and I’ll pay you.” Once the musician realized that this was a genuine offer from a global rock star, he enthusiastically replied, “It’s a fantastic idea!” Next thing he found himself performing in front of thousands alongside David Gilmour.
Let’s watch their incredible collaboration in the video below; it’s truly awe-inspiring.
Interestingly, Sklyarov had no idea who David Gilmour was, but he quickly became convinced and fulfilled his promise to join them on stage for the song “Shine On You Crazy Diamond.” He had learned his part in the afternoon before the show.
When the video was uploaded on YouTube, it had many people curious, wondering how the performance would be. And it didn’t disappoint them. One viewer wrote that this performance was so amazing and they admired both men’s talent while many expressed their regret at not watching the full version of this.