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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.
(So many people attempted to get tickets to the London show that it set a new record. Per The Guinness Book of Records, exactly 2,060,285 text-message entries were submitted for a shot at the free 66,500 pairs of tickets, making the giveaway the "largest text-message lottery" in history.)
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.
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.
(So many people attempted to get tickets to the London show that it set a new record. Per The Guinness Book of Records, exactly 2,060,285 text-message entries were submitted for a shot at the free 66,500 pairs of tickets, making the giveaway the "largest text-message lottery" in history.)
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.
