Rick Wright’s 1994 'Great Gig' at Earls Court: A Quiet Reunion

For anyone who knew the band’s history, watching Rick Wright step up to sing “The Great Gig in the Sky” at Earls Court in 1994 was a small, unspoken miracle. Just fifteen years earlier, during The Wall era, David Gilmour had effectively forced Wright out of the band. Wright was demoted to a session player on the album and tour, barely acknowledged, and left to watch from the sidelines of his own creation.

By 1994, everything had changed. Wright was back as a full touring member for the Division Bell cycle, and his voice on “Great Gig” — the song he co-wrote and originally performed live — carried an added weight. Gilmour would later describe the Earls Court shows as emotionally charged, and accounts from the audience note how Gilmour turned to watch Wright with something like pride during that song. It wasn’t just a performance; it was a public acknowledgment that the bad blood had finally dissolved.

The irony isn’t lost: a song about coming to terms with death became a symbol of a relationship that had nearly died and then was quietly revived. In 1980, Wright wasn’t even allowed on stage for the Wall shows. In 1994, he was the one singing the most vulnerable moment of the night.