Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason says he is glad to have sat in with singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran for the performance of “Wish You Were Here” at the London Olympics Closing Ceremony on August 12th. 

In an email to Sheeran, Mason wrote: “Hi Ed, Really great experience, many thanks for a great performance. And a great day out! Following a bit of post show stuff with some of the PF fans getting outraged at people not realising the song was not your new release, I just wanted to go on record to suggest they chill on this. As far as I’m concerned what you did was a really great version of the song, and its one of the nicest tributes to have any artist choose to play another’s work, particularly an artist whose a great song writer in his own right.”

Mason even suggests that perhaps Sheeran’s fans will check out Pink Floyd, and vice versa: “Sooner or later people will work out the origin of the song, and who knows, maybe check out our catalogue, just as hopefully our fans might check out yours.”

Sheeran tweeted a link to the email, and also tweeted a thank you to the the other musicians who performed with him: Mike Rutherford of Genesis and Mike & the Mechanics, and Richard Jones from The Feeling. 

Prior to the performance, Sheeran made international headlines after an appearance on an Australian radio program where he suggested that more members of Pink Floyd (besides Mason) would be joining him on-stage for the Closing Ceremony. A Pink Floyd rep shot down the claims immediately.

– Carl Harp, WNCX