The restoration effort uses the original 35mm footage, accompanied with newly mixed audio, courtesy of Steven Wilson. The 2025 version of the film will be the fourth iteration, and with the upcoming film featuring documentary footage of the band working on ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’, it seems it will be a remaster of the 1974 edition, which was the most commercially successful cut too. The accompanying soundtrack album marks the first time that an album has been released alongside a theatrical cut too.

The film was directed by Adrian Maben, who also conceived of the project. Maben envisioned the would-be concert as an “anti-Woodstock”, where the amphitheater itself could be used as an instrument, and the band would play amongst the natural sounds of their environment. Drummer Nick Mason revealed that Maben described the idea as being “where there would be nobody present, and the music and the silence… would mean as much as, if not more than, a crowd of thousands.”

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Filmed in 1971 and released in 1972, the first version of the film featured just the performance. Two years later, at Maben’s suggestion, the film was recut, now including 20 minutes of documentary footage of the band in the studio recording ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’.. In 2002, a special director’s cut was released which introduced new edits, including footage from the Apollo missions, and heavily edited the setlist included from the performance, including omitting some songs entirely.   

The music video for the recently released ‘One Of These Days’ has racked up 300k views on YouTube in four days, and has been noted for its focus on the drumming of Nick Mason. One X user noticed the lack of footage of the rest of the band, which consisted of Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Richard Wright, and Mason. Another Floyd fan responded that the original footage had been lost before the original cut had even been released. Still, the video gives one of rock’s greatest, yet often under-appreciated drummers, his dues.

  Despite the various revisions of the order in which the tracks appear in the film, ‘Echoes’ always bookends the film, with the first part always appearing as one of the opening two tracks, and part two as a finale. The accompanying soundtrack album seems to match the original cut’s track listing, meaning ‘Echoes – Part One’ will play after the opener, ‘Pompeii’. It also appears that all of the tracks have gone under a remastering process too, with all album tracks labeled as ‘2025 Mix’ on streaming platforms.

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Pink Floyd’s performance in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius remains one of the band’s many iconic moments, and has inspired a range of artists, including Radiohead, Beastie Boys (whose inspiration is evident in the music video for ‘Gratitude’), and even David Gilmour, who returned to the venue in 2018. In Nick Mason’s own words, the film is a “rare and unique document of the band performing live in the period prior to ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’”.

The show was advertised as a Dark Side of the Moon performance as Waters, as Waters had just released The Dark Side of the Moon Redux, a re-recording of legendary Pink Floyd album that celebrated its 50 year anniversary this year. Before Waters got to performing songs from the album however, he proceeded to set up a laptop and sit behind a desk reading portions of his memoirs to the audience. The audience grew angry.

The Times wrote about the show that “One story involved a duck that came to live in the family home,” and “Another began promisingly as a memory of Floyd’s original leader, Syd Barrett, but revealed nothing more than that Barrett wrote a lot of songs and had an innocent air about him.” calling the whole fiasco a “under-rehearsed, one-man non-show”. The duck story reportedly lasted 20 minutes alone, before leading into more stories about his pets. The audience were unsurprisingly not happy with this, as many started to heckle Waters, whilst other members of the audience simply began to walk out.

In response to this, Waters angrily told those members of the audience to “f**k off”. Critics from the Telegraph described that the whole show “had an unrehearsed air, with a tension exacerbated by Waters’ school masterly demeanor, as he sternly brooked no interruption.”. The audience were understandably growing restless by the constant stories and tirades from Waters. Waters doubled down against this by telling the audience: “If you want to tell stories, tell them in your own time to your own audience in your own f*****g theater. By the way, if you can show constraint and stop shouting again.”

Fans displayed their displeasure via social media, with one person saying via X/Twitter: “Well went to watch Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon remake gig last night at London Palladium with Roger Waters and I simply have no words to describe it and not in a positive way. What an egocentric narcissist he is and to think I paid good money to watch him. Lesson learnt.” The reception online wasn’t all negative however, as one person wrote: “Roger Waters @ Palladium Dark Side of the Moon Redux. Beautiful, raw, stripped back and a true experience! Sometimes self indulgent in the first half but the essence, genius and reimagining was special”

Well went to watch Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon remake gig last night at London Palladium with Roger Waters and I simply have no words to describe it and not in a positive way. What an egocentric narcissist he is and to think I paid good money to watch him. Lesson learnt.

— lorraine burgess (@lorraineburges2) October 10, 2023

Roger Waters @ Palladium Dark Side of the Moon Redux. Beautiful, raw, stripped back and a true experience ! Sometimes self indulgent in the first half but the essence, genius and reimagining was special

— Elliott Moore (@tagomago69) October 8, 2023

Waters did indeed play music alongside his band in the second half of the show, however the first half already set the tone for some fans.

Waters’ defence comes after an investigation by the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) uploaded a video accusing him of repeated derogatory references to Jews. The Dark Side Of Roger Waters, which is available on YouTube, includes a number of serious claims by those who have worked with the outspoken ex-Floyd bassist over the years, including Bob Ezrin, the co-producer behind the band’s acclaimed 1979 album The Wall.

Watch the video below:

Waters, who was initially reluctant to acknowledge CAA’s allegations, has now published a lengthy statement dismissing the documentary as “a flimsy, unapologetic piece of propaganda” and “without any foundation in fact”.

“All my life I have used the platform my career has given me to support causes I believe in,” he wrote. “I passionately believe in universal human rights. I have always worked to make the world a better, more just and more equitable place for all my brothers and sisters, all over the world, irrespective of their ethnicity, religion or nationality, from indigenous peoples threatened by the U.S. oil industry to Iranian women protesting for their rights.”

“That is why I am active in the non-violent protest movement against the Israeli government’s illegal occupation of Palestine and its egregious treatment of Palestinians,” he continued. “Those who wish to conflate that position with antisemitism do a great disservice to us all.”

Waters goes on to explain that the CAA’s core purpose is “waging partisan political campaigns against critics of the state of Israel” and that the organisation “manipulates footage and quotations to serve its agenda”.

“The film totally distorts and misrepresents my views about the Israeli state and its political ideology, Zionism,” he continues. “It relies on a definition of antisemitism that sees criticising Israel as inherently antisemitic and assumes that Zionism is an essential element in Jewish identity. These opinions, clearly shared by the presenter and the two interviewees, are widely contested by many, including many Jewish people.”

Read Waters’ full statement, which also addresses more concrete accusations, here.

The record-breaking songwriter is, of course, no stranger to controversy – allegations of antisemitism have plagued him throughout 2023. He drew criticism earlier this year for performing in a Nazi-like get-up during a concert in Berlin, prompting an investigation from the German police.

Waters, however, has always maintained he is not an antisemite and claims critics are missing the point of his shows.

Photo credit: Sharon Alagna

“Speak To Me” and “Breathe” follow previously shared reinterpretations of “Time” and “Money” and set the tone for Waters’ daring new twist on an album that has captivated generations of music lovers. In a spoken word introduction, Waters recites the opening verse of “Free Four”, a track from Pink Floyd’s 1972 LP Obscured By Clouds, before launching into a brooding, organ-driven soundscape.

Watch the official lyric video for “Speak To Me/Breathe” below:

While some fans may maintain that such an undisputed masterpiece of a record is better left untouched, Waters feels that half a century on, the Floyd’s magnum opus deserves a reimagining. In a recent press release, he explained:

“The original ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’ feels in some ways like the lament of an elder being on the human condition. But Dave, Rick, Nick and I were so young when we made it, and when you look at the world around us, clearly the message hasn’t stuck. That’s why I started to consider what the wisdom of an 80-year-old could bring to a reimagined version.”

On Instagram, he added: 

“The new recording is more reflective, I think, and it is more indicative of what the concept of the record was. People will have to listen to it before they can form a view really of what it is. I’m very proud of it.”

Waters, who co-produced the album alongside Gus Seyffert, recruited members of his touring band to help record The Dark Side Of The Moon Redux. The two other living Pink Floyd members, guitarist David Gilmour and drummer Nick Mason, did not take part in the project – although the latter did reveal he’d heard some snippets:

“He [Waters] actually sent me a copy of what he was working on and I write to him and said, ‘Annoyingly, it’s absolutely brilliant!’ It was and is. It’s not anything that would be a spoiler for the original at all, it’s an interesting add-on to the thing.”

Waters plans to perform songs from the new album at special live concerts at the London Palladium on October 8 and 9.

Get tickets here.

Pre-order The Dark Side Of The Moon Redux here.

Waters spoke to The Telegraph about embarking on this project, saying, “not enough people recognised what it’s about, what it was I was saying then.” He believes this to be the perfect opportunity to point fans in the right direction, stating in the accompanying caption to the snippet of ‘Us and Them’ that reworking the album would provide a good opportunity to “re-address the political and emotional message of the whole album.”

Waters acknowledged that “it’s not a replacement for the original which, obviously, is irreplaceable.”

He continues, “But it is a way for the seventy nine year old man to look back across the intervening fifty years into the eyes of the twenty nine year old and say, to quote a poem of mine about my Father, “We did our best, we kept his trust, our Dad would have been proud of us”. And also it is a way for me to honor a recording that Nick and Rick and Dave and I have every right to be very proud of.”

Relationships between the ex-band members haven’t always been the best since Waters’ exit in 1985, with Waters anticipating backlash to this rerecording project. He told The Telegraph, “I wrote ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’. Let’s get rid of all this ‘we’ crap! Of course we were a band, there were four of us, we all contributed, but it’s my project and I wrote it. So… blah!”

Waters also revealed to The Telegraph that this project had been “secretly” in the works for months, reworking the entire track list “from scratch” unbeknownst to ex-band members David Gilmour and Nick Mason.

He is reportedly “planning a lavish vinyl release” of the rerecording, with the release date pushed back from March to May as Waters keeps “tinkering with recordings.”

To celebrate the 50^th anniversary of ‘The Dark Side of the Moon,’ Pink Floyd have also announced a reissued version, due to be released on 24^th March. The reissue will also include a live recording of Pink Floyd’s 1974 Wembley Stadium show.

A book will also become available on 24^th March, titled ‘Pink Floyd – The Dark Side of the Moon: 50^th Anniversary.‘ The book will include rare and unseen photos taken during tours between 1972 and 1975.

Additionally, harking back to Pink Floyd’s successful stargazing events at the London Planetarium in 1973, fans will also be able to experience ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ stargazing events at planetariums around the world.

Full details of the 50^th anniversary reissues and events can be found here.

Purchase tickets for Roger Waters’ tour here.

31/05/2023 – Utilita Arena – Birmingham

02/06/2023 – 03/06/2023 – SSE Hydro – Glasgow

06/06/2023 – 07/06/2023 –  The O2 – London

10/06/2023 – Manchester AO Arena – Manchester

Stream ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ here.

Most people must be questioning whether it may stand against the original piece from 50 years ago, which contained the whole bands instrumental work. There is no doubt that Waters was the back bone of the famous band, however, the essence of the ensemble wouldn’t have been completed without Gilmour’s and Mason’s contributed engrace. Water’s writing was the substancial building of the 1973 album. But this will be a version, having taken away the musicality and delicacy from the rest of the bands input, of Water’s interpretation toward the piece.

The band first formed in 1964 and remained active until the split up in 1985 due to Waters departure. They became one of the biggest progressive rock bands of all time, and still are, were they to get back together. Known for their philosophical – and occasionally political – lyrics, their experimental procedures, innovative album covers and elaborate live shows. Gilmour and Roger were simply a pair of musical geniuses with colliding creative ambitions to do so.

Having said that, the ex-Pink Floyd singer songwriter has come forward with his very own execution of the album; “Because not enough people recognised what it’s about, what it was I was saying then” he explains. We’re expecting to see a couple of collaborations with the American producer and multi-instrumentalist Gus Seyffert, a “baptist minister” set to play a Hammond organ and the singer Bedouine, Seyffert’s partner. Having received hints from reports, some tracks will be seasoned together with a bass solo from Roger and fresh lyrics re-imagined on previously instrumental songs.

Long story short, the reconfiguring of such a classic album comes down to such simplicity. It is solely Waters proving that the work is his, as he states in an interview with the Telegraph “Let’s get rid of all of this ‘we’ crap! It’s my project”. He has taken the opportunity to insert his ageing talent and knowledge into a much younger piece of his work.

The album is set to come out in May alongside a live performance of the rework.

INCREDIBLE TWO NIGHTS IN TORONTO, THANK YOU! pic.twitter.com/qBoUNPywx6

— Roger Waters (@rogerwaters) July 10, 2022

“I have no idea what or who the Weekend is, because I don’t listen to much music,” he said. “People have told me he’s a big act. Well, good luck to him. I’ve got nothing against him. Would it not have been possible to review his show one night and my show another night?” He went on to say, “I’m not trying to make a personal attack. I’m just saying it seemed odd.” Not happy to leave it there, he turned his sights on the Weekend’s fellow countryman Drake, “By the way, with all due respect to the Weekend or Drake or any of them, I am far, far, far more important than any of them will ever be, however many billions of streams they’ve got,” Waters said. “There is stuff going on here that is fundamentally important to all of our lives.”

Waters initially announced the details for his This Is Not A Drill Tour in January 2020. due to COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdowns the tour was unfortunately postponed until this year. Waters said in a video announcement back in 2020, “As the clock ticks faster and faster and faster down to extinction, it seemed like a good thing to make a fuss about it, so that’s why I’m going on the road,” he said. “To be blunt, we need to change the way we organize ourselves as a human race or die. This tour will be part of a global movement by people who are concerned by others to affect the change that is necessary. That’s why we’re going on the road. That’s why this conversation should be on everybody’s lips, constantly, the whole time, because it’s super important. So I hope you’ll all come to the shows. This is not a drill.”

In a statement for the tour Waters elaborated more, “This Is Not A Drill is a ground-breaking new rock & roll/cinematic extravaganza, performed in the round. It is a stunning indictment of the corporate dystopia in which we all struggle to survive, and a call to action to love, protect, and share our precious and precarious planet home. The show includes a dozen great songs from Pink Floyd’s Golden Era alongside several new ones — words and music, same writer, same heart, same soul, same man. Could be his last hurrah. Wow! My first farewell tour! Don’t miss it. Love, R.”

Walters feels that His This is Not a Drill tour carries an urgent message but The Weeknd’s After Hours ‘Til Dawn tour is a career-spanning extravaganza that Rolling Stone says is worth the wait.

“It’s a request for the rights to use my song, “Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2” in the making of a film to promote Instagram,” Waters explained. “So it’s a missive from Mark Zuckerberg to me, arrived this morning, with an offer of a huge, huge amount of money, and the answer is – fuck you! No fucking way! And I only mention that because it’s the insidious movement of them to take over absolutely everything.”

“So those of us who do have any power,” he continued, “and I do have a little bit – in terms of control of the publishing of my songs I do anyway. So I will not be a party to this bullshit, Zuckerberg.” Waters also defined Facebook CEO as “one of the most powerful idiots in the world” and added “how did this little prick, who started off by saying, “She is pretty, we’ll give her a 4 out of 5,” “She’s ugly, we’ll give her a 1” – how the fuck did he get any power in anything?”

“¡Vete a la chingada!”: @rogerwaters a Mark Zuckerberg. El músico contó que le ofrecieron “una gran cantidad de dinero” por permitir el uso de Another brick in the wall II para promover Instagram. Lo narró en un acto por la libertad de Julian Assange (@Wikileaks)#VideosLaJornada pic.twitter.com/gEVqaor8Eo

— La Jornada (@lajornadaonline) June 12, 2021

Waters was also recently involved in a dispute with his ex-band member David Gilmour. Indeed, the argument was over the reissue of their 1977 masterpiece album “Animals”, in particular its liner notes. He claimed that Gilmour wanted the liner notes to be kept secret so that he could allegedly “claim more credit…than is his due”.

In the very long and detailed message released on the 31st of May, Waters claims that David Gilmour ‘does not dispute the veracity’ of the liner notes. In fact, the album sees the bassist as the most important figure of the creative process of the album making, including songwriting and the cover design. Instead, Waters thinks that his ex-bandmate ‘wants that history to remain secret’.

The musician continues in his statement:‘What precipitated this note is that there are new James Guthrie Stereo and 5.1 mixes of the Pink Floyd album ‘Animals’, 1977. These mixes have languished unreleased because of a dispute over some sleeve notes that Mark Blake has written for this new release. Gilmour has vetoed the release of the album unless these liner notes are removed. He does not dispute the veracity of the history described in Mark’s notes, but he wants that history to remain secret.’

He continues: ‘This is a small part of an ongoing campaign by the Gilmour/Samson [Polly, Gilmour’s wife] camp to claim more credit for Dave on the work he did in Pink Floyd, 1967-1985, than is his due. Yes he was, and is, a jolly good guitarist and singer. But, he has for the last 35 years told a lot of whopping porky pies about who did what in Pink Floyd when I was still in charge. There’s a lot of “we did this” and “we did that”, and “I did this” and “I did that”.‘

Waters also shared that he started working on a possible memoir during the lockdown caused by the pandemic that will reveal more about Gilmour being given too much credit. Animals, released in 1977, reached number 2 in the UK charts and number 3 in the States, and is considered one of the best Pink Floyd’s releases along with ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’, ‘The Wall’ and ‘Wish You Were Here’.

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Gilmour has recently stated to Guitar Player magazine his thoughts on the reunion and his ex-bandmates comments on the ordeal. “It has run its course, we are done. I’m all for Roger [Waters] doing whatever he wants to do and enjoying himself. But I absolutely don’t want to go back. I don’t want to go and play stadiums. I’m free to do exactly what I want to do and how I want to do it.”

“It has run its course, we are done” – @davidgilmour says there will never be a @pinkfloyd reunionhttps://t.co/7oidBpATFF

— Planet Rock (@PlanetRockRadio) March 11, 2021

In 1985, bass player Roger Waters left the band, openly stating they would not reunite. Waters took the remaining members to court so they could not carry on using the iconic band name, Pink Floyd. However, he lost and Pink Floyd continued, with Gilmour at the helm from 1985 through to 1994. The band, comprised of Gilmour, Nick Mason (drums), Richard Wright (keyboard) and a range of other musicians for song writing and composition, continued to make iconic, acclaimed albums using the Pink Floyd name. In 2005, the whole band, including Waters, got together for the final time, performing at the Live 8 concert which was organised by Bob Geldof.

The ‘Money’ singer has toured solo since the bands spilt. In 2006, Gilmour embarked on his ‘On An Island’ tour performing both solo and Pink Floyd tracks. In the Royal Albert Hall, the legendary artist David Bowie joined Gilmour on stage for an eerie yet brilliant rendition of Pink Floyd track, ‘Comfortably Numb’. This is believed to be Bowie’s last UK performance before his passing in January 2016.

Pink Floyd shook the world with their most critical acclaimed album, ‘The Dark Side Of The Moon.’ Their revolutionary use of sonic sound and psychedelic rock has influenced many legendary artists from Radiohead, Dream Theatre and most recently, Tame Impala. Whilst it is a shame that the legends will not be reuniting on stage, it is understandable with the past pandemic, the uncertainties of live music touring in Europe and the rich, emotional history Pink Floyd have.

Gilmour has recently released a new single, ‘Yes, I Have Ghosts’, his first new track in 5 years. Originally made as part of his wives, Polly Samson, audiobook ‘A Theatre For Dreamers’, it has now been released online and can be streamed on all major platforms.