Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii | Documentary by Adrian Maben (director)

In 1971 Pink Floyd decided to record a live show at Pompeii, the ancient Roman city that was preserved for 2000 years under a layer of volcanic ash.

Filmed at Pompeii’s amphitheatre, the film was made with no audience present — apparently it was a reaction to other films that focused equally on the band and the audience. The band’s performance is mixed with footage from Pompeii and (on the DVD at least) with footage of the band recording Dark Side of the Moon.

Although the band thought that they were performing to no audience, an exhibition that’s currently on at the amphitheatre in Pompeii tells a slightly different story. Apparently a small group of local kids skipped school and snuck into the ancient city to watch. They were sneaky enough not to be noticed by the band or the crew but now they’ve come clean. They managed to catch Pink Floyd at a vital phase in their career, right before they recorded Dark Side of the Moon. Lucky guys.