How Pink Floyd Rebuilt After Waters: The 'Momentary Lapse' Album and Tour

After Roger Waters declared Pink Floyd “a spent force” and left in 1985, David Gilmour and Nick Mason decided to keep the name alive—but they had to prove it in court first. Waters sued to dissolve the partnership, and the legal settlement let them continue as Pink Floyd so long as they didn’t use the famous flying pig or any Waters-era theatrical concepts. Gilmour took creative control, writing most of A Momentary Lapse of Reason in his houseboat studio with outside co-writers. The result was a deliberately more guitar-driven, less cynical sound—closer to The Division Bell than The Wall—but session musicians played most of the drums, and only Mason and Richard Wright (rehired as a salaried player) appeared on a few tracks.

The supporting tour was massive—over 200 shows across four continents, with a 125-person crew and state-of-the-art lighting and video. Without Waters, the live show dropped the narrative stagecraft of The Wall and leaned into visual spectacle: giant circular screens, laser grids, and a custom PA system. Gilmour handled all lead vocals, with backup singers covering the harmonies Waters had once sung. The tour grossed over $60 million in 1987–88, proving the band could still fill stadiums—and that the name “Pink Floyd” had outlived its original architect.