Issue date: 11/17/06 Section: Entertainment

Media Credit: Jason Barr The Australian Pink Floyd Show Displayed a stellar light performance at San Jose Civic Auditorium on Oct. 26

Don't call them a cover band. The Australian Pink Floyd Show is a tribute band, and the difference between impersonation and idolatry was crystal clear in the extravagant live performance they presented at the San Jose Civic Auditorium on Oct. 26.
They tour the globe offering psychedelic rock fans the ultimate blast from the past, an opportunity to either relive times when craftsmanship dominated popular music, or to finally experience the energy of the world's most intense concert phenomenon firsthand.
If imitation is flattery, their perfect rendition of Pink Floyd favorites is outright adulation. From the moment the concert began with a simulated starlight performance of "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" it was obvious this was going to be a first-class show.
Note for note The Australian Pink Floyd Show matched their mentors with a mastery reserved only for the chosen few. Their attention to detail included an amazing light show complete with acid-trip inspired videos projected on the trademark Pink Floyd moon-shaped screen behind the stage.
While the music was performed with faithful reverence for the original album material, the light show provided a chance for The Australian Pink Floyd Show to distinguish themselves. Every opportunity was taken to insert a giant pink kangaroo into Pink Floyd's infamous imagery.
The only other obvious distinction was a didgeridoo introduction to "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun," a favorite of Pink Floyd mastermind Roger Waters. The rest of the song sounded like a Waters performance, played in a way that transports the audience back in time to remind us of why rock music was so evocative in the late 1960's.
Their set-list was a complimentary mix of old and new, respecting the attributes of estranged Pink Floyd front-men, David Gilmour and Roger Waters. They covered many of the songs Gilmour engineered after Waters departed, including "What do you Want from Me," "Learning to Fly," "On the Turning Away," and "Take it Back."
Gilmour's guitar solos were played to precision, whether emulating his studio perfection on "Time," or whaling through his grand finale stage version of "Comfortably Numb." Waters was equally represented, as they played many of his favorites, like "Dogs, "Mother" and "Us and Them." The bass player even stretched his vocals to match the anguish in Waters' voice for "The Gunners Dream."
A Pink Floyd or Roger Waters concert is an experience unrivaled in music, and for all we know they may never tour again. The Australian Pink Floyd Show is not just the next best thing - it is in some ways better. They provide a reunification of the genius of Gilmour and Waters, and since too many relegate The Australian Pink Floyd Show to the lowly status of a cover band they perform in smaller venues that allow the audience to feel more intimate with the musicians.

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