David Gilmour releases classic ‘On an Island’ performance to mark 80th birthday, album anniversary

David Gilmour joins Richard Thompson on stage at his 70th Birthday Celebration show at the Royal Albert Hall on September 30, 2019 in London, England. (photo by Gus Stewart/Redferns)

An archival performance from Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour has been released to mark two special occasions.

The performance is of the Gilmour solo track “On an Island,” recorded in April 2006 in New York as part of an AOL Session. It features Pink Floyd’s Richard Wright on keyboards.

The upgraded video was released to coincide with Gilmour’s 80th birthday on Friday, as well as the 20th anniversary of his third solo album, On an Island. An Instagram post announcing the video noted that more performances from the 2006 AOL Session will be released “over the next few days.”

Released on March 6, 2006, On an Island was the rocker’s first solo album in 22 years, and the follow-up to 1984’s About Face. It peaked at #6 on the Billboard 200.

In between About Face and On an Island, Pink Floyd released their 14th studio album, The Division Bell, in 1994, marking their second without Roger Waters.