Rick Wright’s Paid Musician Role on the 1987 Pink Floyd Tour

When Pink Floyd hit the road in 1987 for the A Momentary Lapse of Reason tour, Rick Wright was back on keyboards — but not as an official band member. He was hired as a salaried sideman, the first time a founding member had to sign a contract as an employee. Wright later said it felt “humiliating” at first, but also admitted it was better than watching from the sidelines.

David Gilmour and Nick Mason saw the tour as a way to bring Wright back into the fold after he’d been fired during The Wall sessions. Gilmour was direct about the arrangement: he wanted Wright’s musical texture, but didn’t think he deserved an equal share of the profits or creative control after the split. There wasn’t open tension between them — more of a quiet, practical compromise. Wright accepted the paycheck and the chance to play, and his contributions on stage were unmistakable.

The arrangement lasted through the tour and into the Delicate Sound of Thunder live album. It wasn’t until The Division Bell in 1994 that Wright was formally reinstated as a full member of Pink Floyd — a move that Gilmour later said was long overdue.