So Live8 is over, the bands came, played for a tiny bit, and left. The celebs mingled, the Islington Curtis-Blair-Geldof axis did their bit for poverty. I'll hold off going into any kind of significant essay on the subject, suffice to say I personally found the event awkward.

Still, the nerds among us were there also to watch Floyd. Would they be any good, would there be an on-stage tiff? The answer is that they played 'Breathe', 'Money', 'Wish You Were Here' and 'Comfortably Numb' with enough precision, joy, seriousness, conviction, smiles and energy, to confirm their place as the greatest ever English rock band. Rog's dedication to Syd took on a distinctly human context, like it wasn't about myth anymore, it was about old friends. I'd like to see them with the political reigns cut loose, whether we'll see that (and there were a surprising number of young fans singing along) remains to be seen. The audience is there though, for sure. Emotional.