David Gilmour announces his first Italian shows for eight years

(Image credit: Anton Corbijn)

David Gilmour has announced he will play six night's at Rome's legendary chariot-racing stadium Circus Maximus in September and October, his first Italian shows for eight years.

Gilmour recently announced that he would release his brand new solo album Luck And Strange through Sony Music on September 6. It will be his first album of new material in nine years

A specially built arena inside the ancient Roman stadium will house the shows allowing fans to watch the concert in comfort and with a breathtaking view of the stunning scenery, thanks to the collaboration of the Municipality of Rome and the Ministry of Culture.

Gilmour will play the Rome shows on September 27, 28 and 29 and October 1, 2 and 3. They will be the world premiere for his upcoming live dates and will be Gimour's only shows in mainland Europe.

Tickets go on general sale at 9am on Friday May 17. An exclusive pre-sale will run on Virgin Radio Italia, allowing fans who register on virginradio.it between 9am on May 15 and 11.59pm on May 19, the chance to purchase up to four tickets for the shows.

Fans who pre-order the new album from May 10 to May 16 at 6pm will receive an e-mail in the following days with a code that will allow them to access the pre-sale that opens on May 15 and 16.

Frecciarossa is the official train, and starting from May 20 those who have a ticket for the concert will be able to purchase tickets from the FrecciaMUSIC offer on Trenitalia.com with discounts from 30% to 80% on the base rail fare price.

Gilmour will also play six nights at London's prestigious Royal Albert Hall in October.

Writer and broadcaster Jerry Ewing is the Editor of Prog Magazine which he founded for Future Publishing in 2009. He grew up in Sydney and began his writing career in London for Metal Forces magazine in 1989. He has since written for Metal Hammer, Maxim, Vox, Stuff and Bizarre magazines, among others. He created and edited Classic Rock Magazine for Dennis Publishing in 1998 and is the author of a variety of books on both music and sport, including Wonderous Stories; A Journey Through The Landscape Of Progressive Rock.