Just a quick post to echo the positive reviews of the 10/9/09 concert at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, and to ask one dumb question.
There was a full-house of over 2,100...an excellent turn-out considering the U-2 mega-concert (attended by over 74,000) occurring simultaneously in Tampa's football stadium. However, from the pre-concert vibe as folks assembled, it was clear that this was a devoted and knowledgeable audience with a singular goal: a bunch of Floyd!
And this band of "Australians" (regardless of their individual national origin) delivered big-time!
The musical performance was the perfect channeling of Pink Floyd that one has come to expect of TAPFS. Everyone's voices were spot-on, but I would be remiss if I didn't single out Ian for particular praise. Damian and Bobby's guitars were spectacular through-out, and I especially enjoyed their interplay in the intro to WYWY.
None of the toys were left on the trucks. The audience was greeted by dry-ice clouds that created a dream-state inside the auditorium and provided a smoky prism that enhanced the light show. There were even times when the animation on Mr. Screen was a bit obscured by the clouds, but the positives outweighed this mild negative. The inflatable Kangaroo, with his mad ear-to-ear grin, made an appearance during OOTD, furiously hopping in sych with the beat. Cudo's to the stage crew responsible for the Kangaroo's dancing moves. Members of the group performed the appropriate theatrics in a raised TV/lamp/lounge chair set to accompany Nobody Home and Comfortably Numb (complete with Ian wearing a white lab coat and using an over-size syringe to give a little "pin-prick"). The giant mirrored ball was lowered during Damian's guitar climax in CN, filling the room with crazy diamonds of every color. Finally, the inflatable Pig with red-glowing eyes came out to party during the Run Like Hell finale.
My personal favorite musical performance was Set the Controls. I had never heard this song in concert and TAPFS' virtuoso instruments and intricate vocal chants gave me a renewed appreciation for the subtle mystery in this piece. Of course, Dogs was another highlight and really had the crowd buzzing at intermission. I knew to expect the possible performance of Dogs, thanks to this website, but others without the early warning were blown away by hearing this rarely perfomed masterpiece.
The only real "negative" was the dreaded Stand-Up Chick. Ruth Eckerd Hall is a great venue: the back wall is only 130 feet from the stage. Thus, there is not a bad seat in the house, UNLESS you are a poor soul who is unfortunate enough to be seated behind Stand-Up Chick. I'm sure you know Stand-Up Chick; she probably gets around to all of the concerts. She's the one very special person who is compelled to stand during every freaking song, from the first note to the last, doing her very special dance which is a bizarre combination of the hula and air-guitar. Ignoring all pleas to please sit down, Stand-Up Chick persists in what she does best in the mistaken belief that most of the audience is really there to watch her, not the band. Fortunately, Stand-Up Chick was only on the border of my periperal vision and I could tune her out; but I exend my condolences to others who had to endure The Stand-Up Chick Show for all 2:40 of the concert.
If I was going to be picky about any "detours" from the original Pink Floyd compositions (and there aren't many such deviations), I could do without the female singers' "ooo-ooo-ooo" during Welcome To The Machine. (e.g. "You dreamed of a big star!" "ooo-ooo-ooo..."). But that's just me.
I recruited a goup of nine friends who came to Clearwater from points far and near to see TAPFS for the first time. Some of the early reviews posted about this tour expressed concerns that made me uneasy. Was this a diluted show? Were the musicians on the US tour as great as the original Aussies? I am happy to report that TAPFS' concert in Clearwater was everything that was advertised and I promised my group it would be: an enthralling and authentic Pink Floyd experience.
Now for my dumb question: At the end of the concert, some members of the audience and the band held up their arms and formed an "X" with their forearms. I admit I'm clueless...but what does this mean?
