Review & photos by Ron Lyon
It’s strange that growing up, I wasn’t a huge Pink Floyd fan. In 1973, Pink Floyd released The Dark Side Of the Moon. Of course, LA radio flooded the airwaves with the music from the album. Me? I was still coming to terms with The Rolling Stones, The Who, Queen, and that old Motown sound.
Fast forward to 1977, high school. So many bands. So many styles of rock. Punk rock was calling my name. Disco? Not on your life. Well maybe just a little. It was the 70s, the Golden Age of Rock. That year, Pink Floyd released Animals. When my friend picked me up to go surfing, he had the new cassette in the tape deck. That was when I really began to pay attention to Pink Floyd.
A few years later, The Wall was unleashed on the world. All my friends went to the shows in LA and I was left out, pondering what that experience must’ve been like to see firsthand. I never got to see the classic lineup of Pink Floyd, but I have seen both David Gilmour and Roger Waters in concert.
Each time I see a Pink Floyd “experience,” the love returns. There was the Australian Pink Floyd, and the cover band Which One’s Pink. This time it’s Brit Floyd with members who have had had personal touring experiences with the real Pink Floyd tours. This version is billed as “The Greatest Pink Floyd Experience” was a 26-song event using original video and laser light effects authorized by Pink Floyd.
Nearing the end of a lengthy North American tour, Brit Floyd arranged to have a number of musicians and vocalists who have toured with Pink Floyd including 1988 tour Backing Vocalist Durga McBroom, saxophonist Scott Page, vocalist PJ Olsson of the Alan Parsons Project, and Roger Waters’ son Harry on piano and vocals.
The nearly three-hour show included all but one song from The Dark Side Of The Moon, and other Pink Floyd classics covering their entire catalog of music. Highlights were “Hey You” with Harry Waters on piano, “The Great Gig In The Sky” with Durga McBroom’s soaring vocals, “Money” and “Us And Them” with Scott Page on saxophone, and “Wish You Were Here” and “Comfortably Numb” with PJ Olsson on lead vocals.
Without a doubt, the night was about the songs and the musicians carried the night. Brit Floyd’s touring band include Musical Director Damian Darlington (guitars/vocals), Ian Cattell (bass), Edo Scordo (guitars), Matt Riddle (keyboards), Ray Saranich (sax, percussion), Harry Waters (piano, vocals), and Randy Cooke (drums). On backing vocals were, McBroom, Jesse Lee Houllier, Genevieve Little and Eva Avila.
Special thanks to Brit Floyd band and management for the VIP access and hospitality. Also, thanks to Shawn Perry at VintageRock.com, Vanessa Kromer and Quinn Kim at the YouTube Theater, and Andrea Faulk and Marcee Rondan at SRO PR for the help in getting access to the show.
