Surrogate band

Having watched the four songs performed by the reunited Pink Floyd at this weekend’s Live8 concert I’m now wishing I hadn’t. Oh, it was nice to see all four blokes on stage at once, sure, but there was no sense of real camaraderie or even musical cohesion. The reunion was supposed to demonstrate something along the lines of “if a rock ‘n’ roll band can work things out, can’t we end poverty?”

Waters seemed more like a devoted fan who has been pulled up on stage to sing a few numbers with the band. He was clearly way more into it, melodramatic even, than the other fellas. And, insult to injury, Gilmour has been singing the Waters lines live for so long that they sound a little odd coming from the original. (I know, I know, Waters performs Pink Floyd live too.)

Maybe Pink should have stayed back at the hotel.