A semi-reunion of Pink Floyd . . . and Bermuda drummer Andy Newmark is right there!
Bermuda musician Andy Newmark was part of a remarkable concert in Oxfordshire, England, this month which saw Pink Floyd legends Dave Gilmour and Roger Waters reunited on stage for only the second time since Waters left the band in 1985.
A feud that has lasted most of the past 25 years has kept the one-time Pink Floyd front men apart. In 2005 the then-four surviving members of the group, who had hits from the 1960s until the 1990s, briefly performed in London's Hyde Park for the Live8 charity event. Pink Floyd had last toured as a unit (minus Waters) in 1994.
This month, on July 10, under the banner of Hoping (Hope and Optimism for Palestinians in the Next Generation), Gilmour and Waters appeared on stage together at a charity event in Kiddington, Oxfordshire before an audience of 200 guests. The event was raising money for children who live in Gaza.
The unannounced semi-reunion of the world famous band happened after Waters agreed to sing the Phil Spector song 'To Know Him is to Love Him' with Gilmour for the charity auction event. The song featured as a sound check song for Pink Floyd during their lengthy career. In return, Gilmour pledged to appear on stage with Waters during his upcoming 'The Wall' world tour and sing the Pink Floyd song 'Comfortably Numb'.
Gilmour says he will keep as a surprise the date and venue at which he will make his stage appearance on Waters' 2010-2011 tour.
Bermuda's Andy Newmark, who has played with some of the world's greatest musicians during his career – including as drummer on John Lennon's 'Double Fantasy' album – provided the backbeat for the Pink Floyd duo.
Newmark, who has a Bermudian mother, has previously played on a number of Gilmour's solo recordings.
Other than the Spector song, the Pink Floyd semi-reunion included the band's own 'Wish You Were Here' and 'Comfortably Numb'.
Well-known artists Nick Cave and Tom Jones also took part in the event in Oxfordshire, which raised $350,000 for the children of Gaza.
Anyone wishing to donate to the cause can do so by visiting the website: http://www.hopingfoundation.org
A number of videos clips featuring audio of the Gilmour/Waters reunion have been posted on YouTube.