Okay, so it's not really Pink Floyd, but it's the next best thing ... and in some cases, it's even better than the real thing! Hear me out ...
Excluding knowledge of the little get-together (however unexpected that was) for the G8 concert, any Floydian who's been around long enough is 99.44/100% sure there'll probably never be another Pink Floyd concert. And even if there was, hardly a soul could afford it. The tickets would sell out in no less than an hour, and the price even for the crappiest seats would be astronomical! So what do we do? What do we do when we'd like to experience Pink Floyd music played by live band members with lasers in your face and inflatable pigs and stuff? Well, wandering about the globe are talented Floydians who've taken on the task of mirroring our favourite little band of merry (?) musicians. These bands can and do play just about anything and everything that Pink Floyd ever recorded, which actually is not even something the Floyd ever did in their own concerts. There are a good number of PF tunes that were never performed live. For those of us who've been happy enough to experience a real Pink Floyd concert (I've seen both PF and the Roger Water's band twice, though sadly never in the same band together ... too little too late), we know that even the Floyd didn't always do their own music perfectly. You know what I mean. Dave's doing this solo and you're thinking, hey, that's not how it goes. Play it right, Dave! Like most bands, the Floyd tended only to do the hits, and pack the concert with everything from their latest album release. Like most legendary bands, they've never quite grasped their own fame, and understood that it was completely unnecessary to cut a new album in order to tour, and pack the house with loving fans. They also never understood that that real Floydians want to hear more than the just the "hits". We want the deep cuts, and not just a token Arnold Layne video to start the show off with a nostalgic aire, though there's nothing wrong with that. What about Fat Old Sun? What about Nile Song? What about Free Four? These were never radio hits, and most certainly Echoes was not an air friendly tune, but we love them all the same!
Alright, enough of my bantering! Let's get to it. Below you'll find tour information and links to websites of Pink Floyd tribute bands.
Also, if you're interested in downloading RoIO's of Pink Floyd (et al) concerts, this is a very helpful site: http://www.echoeshub.com
THE MACHINE ... www.themachinelive.com
- America's Premier Pink Floyd Tribute Band.
Without a doubt, the best Pink Floyd tribute I've seen to date.
To read my review of my first MACHINE experience click
here.
WHICH ONE'S PINK? ...
http://www.whichonespink.com/
- I've only recently come into contact with the work of this band, via email and through listening to concert CD's,
sent to me by one of the members.
They do an absolutely wonderful job with THE WALL.
THE AUSTRALIAN PINK FLOYD SHOW ... www.aussiefloyd.com - This band has produced a DVD of concert footage, which you may download, of what appears to be a high quality show. The video clip reveals their light show, their use of inflatable puppets (instead of a pig, a pink kangaroo), girly backup singers, and a female vocalist to mimic Clare Torry in wonderful fashion! SEE THE OFFICIAL SITE FOR TOUR DATES
To read my review of the Aussie Floyd concert of 10/16/04 in Providence, RI click here
I've not seen this band in person, but I've listened to a few
of their tracks on their myspace site thesurrogateband
and they do sound pretty good. What they lack (only a little) in vocals, they
make up for in very Floydian improvisational flourishes in familiar tunes.
Footage from concerts may be viewed also on Youtube.
If you are in the U.K. and would like to experience a fine PF tribute, check out this band. While I can't really agree that this is the "only truly authentic" tribute show, and while there are other bands that execute the Pink Floyd sound a bit better, they're certainly worth buying a ticket to see.
In all honesty, I've not had a chance to check this band out -
I'm just straight out with other things, and haven't been updating very often.
Here's hoping they'll do the band (and the fans) proud.
If you are a member of a Pink Floyd tribute band, or if you're a large fan of the aforementioned, and would like to have your band included in this list, please email me. Just be prepared to send me something to listen to and/or see, such as DVD or VHS tape, or CD, or if you're in the area, some free tickets. I can tell you that having your band on this website increases the number of tickets sold per show.
