Personalities | Pink Floyd | The Post-Break Up Era (2005) | Key Events

July

Live 8

The most amazing thing about Floyd’s brief four-song reunion for Bob ‘Pink’ Geldof’s Live 8 concert was the group hug. That it was initiated by Waters as the band prepared to walk off stage shows how he had mellowed. The brief reformation was hammered together by Geldof whose powers of persuasion had intrigued Nick Mason and finally allowed the tundra-thick ice between Gilmour and Waters to be broken after Waters rang Gilmour. ‘Breathe’, ‘Money’, ‘Comfortably Numb’ and ‘Wish You Were Here’ tantalized fans worldwide who hoped that Floyd would heed the slogan above the stage ‘No More Excuses’ and reform.

September

Waters’ Ça Ira

Roger Waters originally began working on what was to become the three-part orchestral opera Ça Ira in 1988 when he was inspired by a libretto written by French songwriter Etienne Roda-Gil and his wife Nadine to celebrate the bicentennial anniversary of the French Revolution. Another revolution (the fall of the Berlin Wall) took Waters away from the project, and it was put on hold until 1995. His English-language version with the music for orchestra and choir written in collaboration with Rick Wentworth was finally released in September 2005. Issued on Sony Classical, Ça Ira was no mere dabbling with the form but a full-bodied work of maturity that was as compelling and vibrant as the events (the French Revolution not the story of Pink Floyd) that inspired it. Performed in various stages before fully clothed it was presented on a full orchestral catwalk in Rome in November 2005.

November

UK Music Hall Of Fame

Pink Floyd completed the set when they were inducted into the UK Music Hall Of Fame on 16 November 2005. Sadly, on the night of the awards only Nick Mason and David Gilmour were in attendance. Rick Wright was indisposed due to an eye operation and Roger Waters was in Rome working the live staging of his Ça Ira opera project, so there was no performance. Gilmour also told the audience that despite their brief Live 8 performance there were no plans for Pink Floyd to reform and tour, although his next solo album was due out in March 2006!

Personalities | Introducing Pink Floyd
Personalities | Pink Floyd | The Post-Break Up Era (2006) | Key Events

Source: Pink Floyd Revealed, by Ian Shirley

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