A major international retrospective, “The Pink Floyd Exhibition: Their Mortal Remains,” is set to open in London in May, but might there be some actual life left in the long dormant band?
Former Floyd members Roger Waters and Nick Mason appeared together—a rarity in itself—at a London press conference yesterday (Feb. 16) to promote the exhibit. “Their Mortal Remains,” which will be at London’s Victoria & Albert Museum from May 13 through Oct. 1, will feature instruments, rare photos, unseen videos, stage sets and more from throughout the U.K. band’s 50-year career.
According to an article on Forbes.com, Michael Eavis, who promotes England’s periodic Glastonbury festival, has said that he would like Pink Floyd to play. The next festival is expected in 2018, and is set to move to a new venue in 2019.
Mason said, at the press conference, “I think it would be nice to add to the list of things—we have never played Glastonbury. It would be fun to do it, yes. But I don’t think it is very likely.”
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Waters added, “I did Glastonbury once—it was very cold! But there were a lot of people and it seems very jolly and I liked it. Yes, I would do it again. I am on the road during 2018, so if Glastonbury came up I would look at it and say yes or no.”
Nick Mason (l.) and Roger Waters at press conference promoting the London exhibit
Whether guitarist David Gilmour would participate in a reunion is questionable. As Mason pointed out, Gilmour (who has long been estranged from Waters) has said that he has retired, although he has since done some musical things. Richard Wright, the fourth Floyd member, died in 2008. The last time Pink Floyd performed as a group was in 2005, for a one-off, following a 24-year hiatus.
Waters and Mason also addressed rumors at the press conference regarding the possibility of Pink Floyd reuniting to perform their massive work The Wall on the U.S.-Mexican border, as a political statement in response to President Donald Trump’s proposed plan to build a border wall. Waters, who has stopped performing music from The Wall in his live performances, replied, “I have always said I would do it again,” before going into a diatribe that took in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Trump and other subjects.
Watch Pink Floyd’s last reunion, in 2005
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1 Comment so far
Jump into a conversation24 year hiatus from performing with Roger, you mean. There was the Roger-less version of Floyd from the late 80s-early 90s, of course.
How you felt about that Floyd is open to debate, but that was still under the Floyd name.
Also, Gilmour’s played with Roger a couple of times since that Live 8 mini-reunion. I wouldn’t call them close friends, but “estranged” may not be entirely accurate either.
Without Wright, however, I don’t see them reuniting.