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Hey, You! Pink Floyd Reunites for Live 8
06/13/2005 3:33 PM, E! Online
Josh Grossberg
The wall has come tumbling down.
After nearly a
quarter century of acrimony, the classic lineup of Pink Floyd, including
band cofounder and creative force Roger Waters, will reunite to perform
at the all-star Live 8 concert in London on July 2.
The
occasion marks the first time bassist-vocalist Waters,
guitarist-vocalist David Gilmour, keyboard player Richard Wright and
drummer Nick Mason have played together since 1981, when a power
struggle between Waters and Gilmour led the former to leave the group
and unsuccessfully sue his estranged bandmates for control of the Pink
Floyd name.
The band, which has already proved pigs can
fly via its classic concert prop, will be among the headliners at the
Hyde Park show, one of six being organized to pressure leaders of the G8
and Russia to do more to fight poverty and AIDS in developing nations.
The Live 8 shows are being organized by Bob Geldof as a sequel of sorts
to his Live Aid extravaganza in 1985.
Geldof also starred
in the 1982 cult movie Pink Floyd's The Wall and is a longtime
acquaintance of the band.
"Like most people I want to do
everything I can to persuade the G8 leaders to make huge commitments to
the relief of poverty and increased aid to the third world. It's crazy
that America gives such a paltry percentage of its GNP to the starving
nations," said Gilmour. "Any squabbles Roger and the band have had in
the past are so petty in this context, and if reforming for this concert
will help focus attention then it's got to be worthwhile."
But before you get comfortably numb, Floyd fans, don't expect a world
tour.
Said Waters: "It's great to be asked to help Bob
raise public awareness on the issues of third world debt and poverty.
The cynics will scoff, screw 'em! Also, to be given the opportunity to
put the band back together, even if it's only for a few numbers is a big
bonus."
Pink Floyd will be a top draw in a show that will
also feature performances by fellow Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Paul McCartney, U2 and Elton John, along with A-list artists like Coldplay,
Madonna and Mariah Carey.
The Waters-Gilmour-Wright-Mason
roster created the band's most seminal music: 1971's Meddle,
1975's Wish You Were Here, 1979's The Wall, the rock opera
that spawned their biggest commercial hit, "Another Brick in the Wall,"
and, what is considered Floyd's greatest work, 1973's Dark Side of
the Moon, one of the most popular albums of all time, having
remained on the Billboard charts for nearly 15 years and
certified at 15-times platinum.
After Water's departure,
the three remaining members released a handful discs as Pink Floyd, most
notably 1987's successful A Momentary Lapse of Reason and the
band's last studio effort, 1994's The Division Bell. The band
remained a huge concert draw, selling out stadiums night, but failed to
achieve the critical success or level of innovation that marked their
1970s heyday.
Waters, meanwhile, embarked on a solo career
that never approached his Floyd fame. In 1989, he staged a massive
recreation of The Wall at Potzdamer Platz, Berlin, to celebrate
the fall of the Berlin Wall that's still considered one of the largest
concerts in rock history. He also recently agreed to mount a Broadway
version of the rock opera set to debut this December.
Aside from the London concert, Live 8 shows are also being staged on
July 2 in Philadelphia with Dave Matthews Band, Bon Jovi, Stevie Wonder,
Will Smith, Sarah McLachlan, Jay-Z and P. Diddy; in Paris with
Jamiroquai, Placebo and Andrea Bocelli; in Berlin with Lauryn Hill,
Brian Wilson and Crosby, Stills & Nash; and in Rome with Duran Duran,
Faith Hill and Tim McGraw. A sixth concert featuring Annie Lennox, Dido
and Travis is slated for Edinburgh on July 6, the day the G8 summit
kicks off.
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