Syd Barrett’s 1967 US tour meltdown and the moment the band knew he was gone

The 1967 American tour was supposed to be Pink Floyd’s big breakout, but instead it became the stage for Syd Barrett’s rapid psychological unraveling. Onstage, he would stop strumming, stare blankly, or detune his guitar mid-song until the whole set fell apart. At one show he slowly sprinkled a crushed Mandrax pill into his hair while the band tried to ignore it. The crowd had no idea what was happening, but the other three band members were watching their frontman disappear in real time.

The breaking point came during a disastrous set for American Bandstand — or rather, a lip-sync taping where Syd refused to pretend. He just stood there, guitar down, while the backing track played. The producers threw them out. On the flight home, the band decided they could not carry on with Syd. By December they asked him to leave, but they kept it quiet for a few months, hoping he’d snap out of it. He didn’t.