David Gilmour has decisively shut down any speculation about reuniting with his former Pink Floyd bandmate Roger Waters, making it clear that a shared performance is off the table for good. Speaking to The Guardian recently, Gilmour left no room for doubt, saying he has zero interest in working with Waters again due to the latter’s polarizing political stances and contentious statements on topics like Israel, Ukraine, and the U.S.
Gilmour didn’t mince words: “I draw the line at standing alongside someone who backs murderous, authoritarian figures like Vladimir Putin in Russia or Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela. I couldn’t perform with anyone who excuses the way women and the LGBT community are treated in those places.”
Rather than dwelling on his rocky past with Waters, Gilmour turned his thoughts to a happier memory, expressing a wish to share the stage once more with Pink Floyd’s late keyboardist Rick Wright. “Now, Rick—he was one of the kindest souls and most brilliant musicians I’ve ever known. That’s the kind of collaboration I’d welcome again,” he said, highlighting the contrast with Waters through his warm recollection of a bandmate who embodied mutual respect.
Waters, meanwhile, has long stirred the pot with his outspoken views. He’s drawn ire for likening Israel to Nazi Germany and for claiming Russia’s war on Ukraine had some justification. Earlier this year, Gilmour’s wife, author Polly Samson, took to X to vent her outrage, labeling Waters as deeply anti-Semitic. Gilmour backed her up, posting, “Every single word she said is spot-on.” Waters fired back, dismissing the claims as outrageous and baseless.
The fallout from Waters’ opinions has rippled into his career. BMG, a German music publisher, dropped plans to release his reimagined take on Pink Floyd’s 1973 masterpiece Dark Side of the Moon after a leadership shakeup—new CEO Thomas Coesfeld pulled the plug in July last year. Waters pivoted, putting it out through the U.K.’s Cooking Vinyl instead. His remarks have also thrown a wrench into Pink Floyd’s massive deal with Sony Music, which was set to scoop up the band’s recorded catalog, name, and likeness for roughly $400 million. The controversies tied to Waters have bogged down the process, leaving it unresolved.
With Gilmour firmly turning his back on Waters and Pink Floyd’s business dealings caught in limbo, the dream of seeing the band reunite live has gone from a faint hope to a definitive no-go.
