Laxson Auditorium was packed last night for the Pink Floyd Experience show. It was the bands last stop on their North American tour and the audience mostly consisted of middle age men and women rocking their authentic Pink Floyd tour t-shirts from the 70’s.
After a short introduction from the house manager at Laxson the band came on stage and went straight into playing their first song. The band made full use of the many spotlights on stage to add to the, “experience.” There was strobe lights and lights every color of the rainbow pulsing to the psychedelic rock music that is Pink Floyd. It was definitely not a show recommended for people prone to seizures. Like a real Pink Floyd show, the Pink Floyd Experience had a fog machine on stage adding a creepy and mysterious effect.
The band consisted of five men of all ages. Each of them took turns throughout the show soloing. One of the most memorable solos of the night was by bassist, Gus Beaudoin, during one of the many encores. He played a mesmerizing beat by himself for at least two minutes before the rest of the band joined in. Another talented member was Jesse Molloy on the saxophone. His saxophone solos, like on the song, “Money,” added a lot of depth to the show.
There was very little talking or narration from the band, only a short intro after the first set and a comprehensive “thank you” to the crew at the end of the show. The band played four sides of two records and the show lasted a lengthy 3 hours with a 15 minute intermission in the middle. There was at least 3 encores, and just when you thought the band was over they came out to play a hit like “Comfortably Numb.”
Traditionally Pink Floyd’s songs are long, usually over five minutes, and because of this the whole show seemed to blend together. The songs also have less lyrics than other popular music. The show was a strange combination of relaxing and stimulating, much like the actual progressive music of Pink Floyd.
The visual highlight of the show came at the very end. When the band was playing their last song, a crew member came out with a giant inflated, remote controlled pig that flew around the auditorium.
Greta Gordon can be reached at [email protected] or @hakunagretata on Twitter.
