2 Pink Floyd Tracks That Almost Everyone Loves, but David Gilmour Refuses To Play: “I Won’t Be Doing That”

While Pink Floyd certainly has its fair share of abstract and avant-garde musical offerings in its discography, there are also plenty of well-loved mainstream hits that continue to dominate classic rock radio decades after they first came out. Two of these tracks include “Another Brick In The Wall, Pt. 2” and “Money”, which appear on The Wall and Dark Side Of The Moon, respectively.

These two crossover hits are so popular that even people who wouldn’t identify as a Pink Floyd fan likely enjoy them—or, at the very least, recognize them. But despite their popularity (and maybe, in a small way, because of it), former frontman David Gilmour refuses to play them live. The guitarist and singer for the iconic psychedelic rock band has cited qualms with the lyrics as a motivating factor.

But let’s be honest: there is some personal beef in there, too.

Why David Gilmour Refuses to Play These Two Pink Floyd Hits

Although David Gilmour wasn’t technically a founding member of Pink Floyd (he came in to replace Syd Barrett after the band had already been established), he was around for some of the band’s most commercially successful albums. He also remained in the band after Roger Waters left acrimoniously in 1985, further cementing Gilmour’s status as a lasting member of Pink Floyd. But after Waters left, and as the interpersonal feud between the two musicians waged on, Gilmour made the decision not to play Pink Floyd’s most popular tunes.

“‘Another Brick In The Wall’ is… one I shan’t be doing,” Gilmour told Mojo of his solo performances. “I don’t think I’ve done that with my own band. But I certainly did it in the post-Roger Pink Floyd, against my better judgment. The same with ‘Money’. I won’t be doing that. I’m going to be sticking with the ones that are essentially my music, and I feel some ownership of. ‘Comfortably Numb’, ‘Wish You Were Here’, ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’, maybe.”

When Gilmour and Waters joined forces once again for the Live 8 reunion in 2005 (which Gilmour compared to “sleeping with your ex-wife”), Gilmour refused to play “Another Brick In The Wall” then, too. In this instance, Gilmour said the lines about “we don’t need no education” were inappropriate for a fundraising event for children in Africa. “There was no argument about it,” Gilmour said, per Louder Sound. “I was absolutely right.”

His Ongoing Beef With Roger Waters Doesn’t Help, Either

The fact that David Gilmour would prioritize songs he feels like he owns at his solo performances isn’t surprising, nor is the fact that he would want to avoid songs that denounce public education at a fundraising event that benefits children. But deep down, it’s more than a little likely that his ongoing beef with Roger Waters, who played a large role in writing those songs, is a large reason why he won’t play some of Pink Floyd’s most popular songs.

For whatever it’s worth, Waters doesn’t seem to feel the same way. Even as one-half of the same beef, I’ve personally seen Waters play songs like “Another Brick In The Wall”, “Money”, and even the ones Gilmour cited, like “Comfortably Numb” and “Wish You Were Here”, at his solo concerts multiple times.

Photo by Brian Rasic/WireImage

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