Pink Floyd at Pompeii on IMAX: Worth the Watch if You’re a Fan

By Lori Perkins

Watching Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii on the giant IMAX screen was a surreal experience for someone like me, who witnessed the band in their prime back in '70s. when they were doing big indoor concerts with over-the-top special effects, because this preserved-in-amber performance is a hyper focus on the band and the music.  The original film, directed by the legendary Adrian Maben, captured Floyd's cosmic soundscapes and unearthly performances in a way no one had ever seen before. Now, with the IMAX treatment, every note, every breath, every shimmering light and shadow feels even more vivid and immersive.

I had thought that the ruins of Pompeii would distract or enhance the music, but it was literally just there, which made the band and the music even more impressive.  They didn’t need Pompeii and Pompeii didn’t need them.  I have been lucky enough to have seen other grand performances in Roman ruins (the opera Aida in the Baths of Caracala in Rome) but Pink Floyd, like The Beatles or The Rolling Stones, are enough on their own.

What really stood out in this film was how Live at Pompeii captured the raw essence of the band’s improvisational spirit. The haunting beauty of "Echoes," the hypnotic rhythms, the droning guitars of David Gilmour—every note still carried the same weight, and the same transcendence. I guess you could say that the film is a reminder that Pink Floyd’s music, like the ruins of Pompeii, remains timeless. 

If you ever had the privilege of experiencing them live, this IMAX version is the closest you’ll get to that feeling again.