So I finally got scrutinize the eight hours of MTV/VH1 coverage from last night, as well as the ABC "recap" two-hour shot. First off, let me say how disappointed I was that ABC didn't grab the HD feed and use that. Instead, I DVRed the HD channel and got the SD feed because they were, apparently, lame.
I got to the only part of the Live 8 concert that I actually gave a wet slap about - the only part that actually had me and a couple friends pondering "Could we somehow manage to get tickets to the Hyde Park show?" and that was the Pink Floyd reunion.
I will give a small amount of props to MTV/VH1 for at least "not completely butchering their performance" the way they did for most artists (you get to hear about one song out of their entire performance, with the VJs rambling inane tripe over the start/finish of it, and then about another 30-45 seconds of a different song as they use it trail out to a commercial).
Instead, with Floyd, (starting at +06:02 for those who care), you got to hear almost the entire 25-minute Pink Floyd set without any sort of interruption. The set, at least what we saw of it on the Empty-V, was Breathe, Money, Wish You Were Here, and Comfortably Numb.
Of course, it wouldn't be Empty-V if they didn't fuck with it. In the middle of Numb they cut away to the VJs who are going to throw it to a commercial in the middle of the song. Then, they go back to the band-shots, and it seems like they're going to fade out. But they don't. So you think "Hey, maybe some producer somewhere got a clue and decided no-fucking-way do we cut on Floyd, period."
Then, just as Gilmour starts to fucking shred on the guitar solo that is the ending of the song, they cut away. Because, you know, fuck world poverty, fuck great music, if Dreamworks has to wait another 45 seconds for their 100th repetition of their War of the Worlds spot to run, there's gonna be hell to pay!
But, Empty-V annoyances aside, they were hellishly great together. There was a great point where Roger Waters dedicated Wish to "everyone who couldn't be there, especially Syd," which was quite cool. Also of note was a great shot while Roger was doing Wish vocals and, thank goodness for a lucky cameraman placed behind Nick Mason, Gilmour looks over at Roger, then back at Nick Mason (and the camera) and smiles this big-ass smile.
They all seemed truly happy to be together. Maybe, just maybe, they can decide "Hey, this is cool. Let's go out and do one last album/tour/something?"
Pleasepleaseplease.
Derek, I went nuts on the MTV cutaway too, but then I found out that only AOL and another entity had paid for the rights to the uncut show, and MTV only got a last-minute broadcast deal to show highlights. That's why they cut away.