band embraced

The group planned their setlist at the Connaught hotel in London, followed by three days of rehearsals at Black Island Studios. The sessions were problematic, with disagreements over the style and pace of the songs they were practising; the running order was decided on the eve of the event. At the beginning of their performance of “Wish You Were Here”, Waters told the audience: “[It is] quite emotional, standing up here with these three guys after all these years, standing to be counted with the rest of you … We’re doing this for everyone who’s not here, and particularly of course for Syd.” At the end, Gilmour thanked the audience and started to walk off the stage. Waters called him back, and the band embraced. Images of the embrace were a favourite among Sunday newspapers after Live 8. Waters said: “I don’t think any of us came out of the years from 1985 with any credit … It was a bad, negative time, and I regret my part in that negativity.”