On June 30, 1990, a little less than a year after they wrapped up their Momentary Lapse of Reason tour — which lasted nearly two years and consisted of nearly 200 performances in front of audiences totaling nearly 5.5 million people — Pink Floyd came out of hiatus to headline the Silver Clef Award Winners Concert at Knebworth House in Hertfordshire, England. Though Pink Floyd were the festival headliners, the Knebworth 90 boasted a pretty incredible line-up that included Paul McCartney, Dire Straits, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins and Genesis, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, Tears For Fears, and more.

While the concert was broadcast across the planet by MTV, no official standalone release of Pink Floyd’s performance ever existed until it was shoehorned into their gargantuan Later Years box set. In my obsessive Pink Floyd collecting days of the ’80s and ’90s, one could find their 1990 Knebworth performance in full on a few substandard bootleg CD editions, or you could find two of their songs, “Run Like Hell” and “Comfortably Numb,” on a two-CD festival ‘greatest hits’ release on Polydor/Polygram.

For those unwilling to shell out several hundred dollars for the Later Years box set, and for those unwilling to sacrifice quality by purchasing a bootleg of the performance, I am happy to report that Pink Floyd will officially release Live at Knebworth 1990 on April 30, 2021 on double vinyl, CD, and all digital platforms. Listen to “Shine on You Crazy Diamond” below.

Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour and recording engineer Andy Jackson have fully remixed the audio of the seven-song performance, and the LP and CD editions will feature photography by Aubry ‘Po’ Powell, of longtime Pink Floyd graphic art collaborators Hipgnosis, and design by Peter Curzon of Storm Studios, a company founded by Storm Thorgerson, formerly of Hipgnosis.

The post-Roger Waters Pink Floyd era is a bit polarizing amongst fans as many feel that Roger Waters IS Pink Floyd and that they had no business continuing after he left. Me? I celebrate all 50+ years of Pink Floyd and I am an ardent fan of the post-Waters era. What it may lack in lyrical bite, they more than make up for with gorgeous sonic textures, phenomenal art direction, and unbelievable live performances. This Knebworth performance featured Floyd members David Gilmour, Nick Mason, and Rick Wright joined by the core of their Momentary Lapse touring band that included Guy Pratt, Jon Carin, Tim Renwick and Gary Wallis. Backing vocals came from Durga McBroom, Sam Brown and her mother Vicki, and (original “The Great Gig In The Sky” vocalist) Clare Torry as well as guest musicians including sax player Candy Dulfer and keyboard player and composer Michael Kamen. They sound absolutely massive and this release is an asset to any Pink Floyd completists collection.

Preorders are available and you can check out the artwork and tracklist below.

PINK FLOYD – LIVE AT KNEBWORTH ’90

LP
Disc 1 Side A
1 Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Parts 1-5
2 The Great Gig In The Sky

Disc 1 Side B
1 Wish You Were Here
2 Sorrow

Disc 2 Side C
1 Money

Disc 2 Side D
1 Comfortably Numb
2 Run Like Hell

CD
1 Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Parts 1-5
2 The Great Gig In The Sky
3 Wish You Were Here
4 Sorrow
5 Money
6 Comfortably Numb
7 Run Like Hell