Jon Carin: Pink Floyd's 'Third Keyboardist' Who Bridged Wright's Legacy and New Material

When Pink Floyd regrouped after the legal split, Rick Wright was initially only a hired sideman for A Momentary Lapse of Reason. Jon Carin came on board in 1987 to handle the massive keyboard rig needed to replicate the studio layers live. He essentially became the band’s third keyboardist—covering Wright’s classic parts when Wright was playing other parts, and adding new synth textures for the post-Waters material.

Carin’s role became even more crucial on the Division Bell tour and later The Endless River sessions. He didn’t just copy Wright—he helped translate the dense, ambient washes of the records into a workable live show, often running multiple synthesizers simultaneously. That’s why he remained a fixture for decades: he was the glue between the old Floyd sound and the new, keeping the sonic architecture intact while Wright played the emotional leads.