Intermezzo

Renee Fleming wins polar bear

oops, no, it's the Polar *Prize* she's won.

This is Sweden's biggest music prize, awarded annually to one classical and one pop act. This year's winners were la Renee and the Syd-less, Dave-less remains of Pink Floyd.

The prize is worth a whopping 1m kronor (£85,000), more than even her Reneeness can command for an evening's singing. That should keep her highlights sunkissed for a while.

Renee poses pre-show with Nick and Rog of Pink Floyd: 

Renee gasps in amazement at the size of King Carl Gustaf's cheque:

Pink Floyd Reunite !!!

Syd Barrett - Madcap's Last Laugh - Barbican 10 May 2007

Well, sort of reunite. Three of them anyway. Without Roger Waters, though he'd taken the stage solo earlier in the evening:

The occasion was a tribute concert in celebration of Syd Barrett:

The 75% Floyd were the surprise final guests, and managed a rough, effective Arnold Layne before splitting up yet again.

Preceding them, Captain Sensible, Damon Albarn, Chrissie Hynde, Robyn Hitchcock, Martha Wainwright, Kate McGarrigle, The Bees, Vashti Bunyan, Mike Heron and Kevin Ayers each took their own path to the essence of Sydness.

Vashti Bunyan's take on Love Song captured Syd's sweetness and fragility: 

and Captain Sensible's Astronomy Domine added a necessary element of unforced bonkersness:

 

Can you tell how fabulous the lighting was from the pics?  Peter Wynne Wilson, the original lighting man for Pink Floyd's '60's shows, kept it bright and trippy, pulling the diverse musical approaches together in a cohesive visual. More pics in album.