Songs from the legendary rock band Pink Floyd may never be performed by David Gilmour again.
The guitarist turned frontman of the group (following Roger Waters‘ departure in 1985) confirmed he would be avoiding certain songs from the band’s lengthy discography during his live shows. Gilmour, who has toured as a solo musician since the dissolution of Pink Floyd in 1994, has stayed true to his word and refused to perform several of their very best songs. Part of the reason is the “violence” for one song, while another song, written by Waters, has been avoided during his solo career because Gilmour wanted to pursue “my music” rather than the work of other members. It is not just Waters’ work that is avoided, with Richard Wright, Nick Mason, and Syd Barrett songs rarely getting a look-in on the solo setlists of late.
Speaking to MOJO Magazine last year, Gilmour said: “There are songs from the past that I no longer feel comfortable singing. I love Run Like Hell [from 1982’s The Wall]. I loved the music I created for it, but all that (sings) ‘You’d better run, run, run…’ I now find that all rather, I don’t know… a bit terrifying and violent.
“Another Brick In The Wall is another one I shan’t be doing. I don’t think I’ve done that with my own band, but I certainly did it in the post-Roger Pink Floyd, against my better judgment. The same with Money. I won’t be doing that. I’m going to be sticking with the ones that are essentially my music, and I feel some ownership of. Comfortably Numb, Wish You Were Here, Shine On You Crazy Diamond, maybe…”
Gilmour has stuck to his word when it comes to keeping away from certain Pink Floyd songs. His last performance of Run Like Hell came during a 2016 performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England, while Another Brick in the Wall has still not been performed by Gilmour as a solo artist.
Pink Floyd continued on without frontman Waters for nearly a decade, with Gilmour performing vocal duties and playing guitar. The veteran guitarist shared he did not expect fans to welcome him as frontman, and accepted many would still call for Waters to be fronting the group.
Gilmour told Q Magazine in 1990: “I knew we would get some fans who would not approve. We didn’t get too many. There would be people in the audience who would make their feelings heard about Roger not being there, just by shouting very loudly during moments when the rest of the audience was being respectfully quiet.
“They are perfectly entitled to, I just can’t understand why the fuck they bothered to pay for the tickets. If they don’t like us, go see Roger instead.” Waters would tour as a solo act with his Radio K.A.O.S. album shortly after leaving Pink Floyd.
Man as much as I sometimes find Water’s personality a bit annoying with his grandiosity I really love what he did in The Wall. Run Like Hell is my favorite Pink Floyd song so it’s kinda sad for Gilmour to quit on a song that has such a cool delay drenched riff and anthemic chord progression.
IMHO, Nick Mason is the artist you want to see live if you are a huge Floyd fan. I love that he plays the Barrett tracks and other oldies like Childhoods End (my favorite PF song) The Nile Song, Green is the Colour, etc. I’d much rather see that show then see DG or RW play
Comfortably Numb, Shine on, Time, or any of those other “classic” songs that I’ve seen live numerous times. 🥱
I saw Nick’s first SFoS tour and it was fantastic. That was before he added echoes to the set list.
I highly recommend his shows.
Good shout. Robyn Hitchcock does immaculate versions of Barrett classics. Much better than Gilmore’s sanitized jazz outs.
All I can say is Roger Walters is a first class artist nobody seems to understands him even his former band member he despises war listen to the music he writes with passion one of my favourite artists he lost his Dad at a very young age fitting in a war just spend more time listening to he’s lyrics all I can say is the double Album The Wall was one of the top albums ever released Michael Jackson’s thriller was the number one and The Wall was second say no more I would love to of been part of that and very proud to have been a band member.
And quite rich.
Let’s face it, Roger Waters can’t sing. And lately he is claiming that he should get solo writing credit for Dark Side of the Moon and Wish you Were Here. If he’s such a genius, how come his solo albums suck?
His solo albums do suck . Think all his political beliefs are frying his brain
They’re DEFINITELY ruining his concert!
His solo albums don’t suck!! They were an extension of Pink Floyd and sounded just like the Floyd. Now his most recent releases are well……… garbage! And as a person he’s a first class Richard!!!
Let’s face it, after the split, neither were nearly as good as the had been. For me, Gilmore was better musically and that is more important to me than Roger’s whining.
Agree with your last point, but for me nothing Waters did after The Wall album and film qualifies as being properly Pink Floyd. When the Tigers Broke Free definitely does, but The Final Cut album is borderline at best.
His solo albums far from suck. Either you haven’t listened to them or you’re too wrapped up in being a fanboy. His first solo album was fantastic it was released before he officially left Floyd. The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking is a great album with Eric Clapton on guitar. Radio K.A.O.S. was his first post Floyd released the same year as Momentary Lapse of Reason. It’s what Roger considers his worst, he considers it a failure and it’s still far better than About Face, David Gilmour, Luck and Strange, Rattle That Lock or even Momentary Lapse of Reason, Division Bell and Endless River. Amused to Death was his third and best. It’s the only one I would consider on par with his PF era that’s because it has his phenomenal songwriting combined with Jeff Beck’s phenomenal guitar work. Then he did Ca Ira which is an Opera and mainly instrumental. It’s my least favorite of his work.
Then aside from the bulk of his work (including The Wall among others)being anti-war he released the only album that can be considered political album “Is This the Life We Really Want?” Which is an anti-tRump album and if you have a problem with that, it tells me everything I need to know about you. The album has several great songs including Wait For Her, That Part of Me Died, Deja Vu and Picture That to name a few. Aside from his solo releases he also did the B side to the When the Wind Blows soundtrack. After Bowie (who planned to do the soundtrack with Trevor Jones) had to abandon the project Roger stepped in and did a lot of the instrumental and incidental music as well as two great songs Folded Flags and Towers of Faith and he did a collaboration with Ron Geesin called Music From the Body. It only has one good song (Give Birth To a Smile) though.
As far as his voice (though I’m sure you’ll double down on hating) it means you don’t like the vocals on If, Free Four, Brain Damage, Eclipse, Shine On You Crazy Diamond (I-IX), Pigs, Pigs On the Wing, Sheep, On the Thin Ice, Another Brick in the Wall (all 3 parts), Mother, One of My Turns, Don’t Leave Me Now, the verses on Comfortably Numb, The Trial and several others if I think about it.
Gilmour is a fantastic musician, but it’s completely delusional to think one outshined the other. It’s the safe response to say Gilmour was better, however it’s bs. They both did their best work when they were together. Roger was colossal asshole because he’s a massive control freak and he brought out both the best and worst in David Gilmour. The pathetic thing now is that even when they are both in their 80s they are still taking shots at each other. In fact Gilmour and his wife have been the instigators over the past few years. It does make Roger right or less of an asshole, but it shows the childish bs goes both ways.
I thought the “too violent” song would be One of My Turns. Careful with that Axe, Eugene and One of These Days also have quite disturbingly violent lyrics — if that sort of thing bothers you. They are all great songs — but Gilmour has plenty of other material to pull from. He’s a wonderful musician, seems to be a good bloke, and I’d love to see him perform again.
If I could hear Gilmour play the entire Division Bell album I would be happy. I would need him to play US and Them too. Gilmour is too good to worry about Waters anymore.
I’d listen to David sing a Taiwanese phone book. But he’s part of some of the most important songs and music in my life. I just give thanks to the universe for it.
Looking a bit sad for himself, Roger is a cut above, just another brick in the wall.
Hey David, as a Rodger Waters fan I “shan’t” care.. Pink Floyd ended the day your wife started writing the lyrics, and you carried on using the Pink Floyd name. You’re too old man let go. God damn that felt great, and I didn’t even need to buy a ticket to say it.
Do what you love to do David, you are old enough, you made millions, so now it’s time to enjoy your own music, playing, singing, etc. who cares about what other people thinks anyway.
I saw this article today and was going to reply but I think you summed it all up perfectly. Thank you.
We are steps away from You Better Run In The U.S. 😩
For me, as a 45 year guitarist, i probably would not have picked up a guitar, had it not been for Hearing those masterpieces. Yes Rodger was very much behind a lot of the material, no it didn’t bother me when he left. For me, the albums they did post waters, eas brilliant. High hopes, learning to fly etc , was brilliant stuff as well. When you have a bird chirping in your ear that they are nothing without him, and start firing people over there egos, I think they were much better off.
Please do feel free to stop playing Money. Between the record and the radio, I’ve heard it way too many times. Thanks Roger. Hope you come back to NYC someday soon.
Just play the hits that people are paying top dollar for, you pretentious old fuck. Your lucky to still be relevant with your few albums that are overplayed to death on the radio. Have some gratitude, Axl Rose
Ya know I’ve been listening to floyd pretty much all my life and I have to say this in my opinion without gilmour none of us would probably know who Pink Floyd was. David gave them that one of a kind sound that put them on the map
I’ve been listening to Pink Floyd for going on 50 years. I’ve seen Gilmour and Waters live countless times and can honestly say I disagree. What put them on the map was Roger’s writing and Gilmour’s guitar. It wasn’t one outshined the other. That’s just fanboy propaganda. Gilmour is a fantastic guitar player and skilled producer however About Face and David Gilmour (album title) aren’t exactly groundbreaking or packing seats. It’s the combination of Waters and Gilmour that created the sound you credit to Gilmour.
Nothing Floyd has done without Roger has been nearly on par with anything they did with Roger. The snide remark about Radio K.A.O.S. was a shot. Roger wasn’t happy with the final version and it was his biggest failure commercially. On the flip side that same year Radio K.A.O.S. was released in 1987 Floyd released Momentary Lapse of Reason. Momentary Lapse of Reason was more successful, but it was also the first post Waters Floyd album and released 4 years after The Final Cut. There was more curiosity surrounding it and a lot of people didn’t even know who Roger was they just liked Pink Floyd. If you break down both records (MLOR & RK) MLOR had two fantastic songs “Learning To Fly” (which was written before Roger left and there’s a live early version he’s on) and “On the Turning Away” versus RK which had “Who Needs Information”, “Me or Him”, “Sunset Strip”, “Four Minutes” and “The Tide is Turning”.
Since then PF turned out the Division Bell who’s best songs were taking a shot a Roger (Poles Apart) and one that sounds like it’s taking shots at Roger, but Gilmour said it’s not aimed at him at all and I believe him (A Great Day For Freedom) and Endless River which is the worse PF album IMO. In fact I urge people to buy Gilmour’s better solo albums (better than Endless River, Division Bell and Momentary Lapse of Reason) Luck and Strange and Rattle That Lock. About Face and David Gilmour are great albums too, but not up to his work with Pink Floyd.
Roger turned out Radio K.A.O.S., Amused to Death and Is This The Life We Really Want. All three are vastly better than any post Waters Floyd and better than anything Gilmour has done solo. However with the exception of Amused To Death due to Roger’s phenomenal song writing and Jeff Beck Roger has never been as good as he was with Floyd and Pink Floyd sure as hell has not nearly as good without Roger.
Gilmour and Waters bring out the best music when they’re together, but at the same time they bring out the worst in each other. I just wish they would stop the childish name calling and shots at each other (Gilmour’s wife actually enables the bickering too and sends out nasty Tweets about Roger) they’re both in their 80s and they’ve performed together several times since Roger left. The childish idiotic fighting needs to stop.
I was lucky enough to grow up listening to the Final Cut, the Wall, etc. and to see PF in concert, ’94, without Waters, of course,,, those were great creations, from their young days, … Roger, Rick, David, & Nick made great music together,,, that time is over,,, we are all older,,, they were not as good or successful, apart,,, We are comparing them to their peak,,, the peak of their creativeness,,, and music’s evolution…. I think we can enjoy the videos from their past.