text from Brysburg`s link above
Concert review: Australian Pink Floyd Show, Sept. 15, Qwest Arena
Submitted by Michael Deeds
It’s impossible to convey how convincing the Australian Pink Floyd Show is to anyone who hasn’t seen the group. There’s an inherent bias of tribute-band suckiness that colors their perception.
Here’s the ultimate compliment: It was easy to lose sight of the fact the Aussie Floyd was a tribute band Tuesday at Qwest Arena.
About 2,500 fans turned out for the group’s third Treasure Valley performance. The two-decade-old band last played in 2005 at the Idaho Center, where it spent half the night recreating Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon.” This show began similarly. The Aussies glided into the first half of “Dark Side,” shaking the arena with space-rock sound effects. Pyschedelic lights swirled. A huge, circular graphics screen was like a portal into another dimension.
How could any band, including the actual Pink Floyd, sound so album-perfect? (Incidentally, the mix in Qwest Arena was solid.) The crowd jumped to its feet for a standing ovation after “The Great Gig in the Sky.” (Where do they find these female vocalists?) Next was a multi-song dip into “Wish You Were Here.” Then came “Animals.”
The Aussies stretched out after intermission, adding their own flair to songs. (Does anyone remember Roger Waters playing slap bass?)
Diehards were treated to one or two deeper-catalogue tracks. Casual fans roared along joyfully to “Another Brick in the Wall Part 2.” By the time the night was winding down, and “Run Like Hell” was reverberating through the rafters, that’s about all you could consider doing — to the nearest box office to reserve tickets for the next Aussie Floyd visit.
