For a show touted as a conceptual encounter, The Pink Floyd Experience at Pacific Amphitheatre on July 16, 2010 was a bit weak on concept. But fair-goers who came out to celebrate the opening night of the OC Fair as well as the anniversary of Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here weren’t there for the concept: They were there for the party.
The music of Pink Floyd, both psychedelic and often grandiose, lends itself well to the conceptual shows that have become synonymous with their concerts. So Annerin Productions wasn’t that far off in bringing together a talented group of musicians to play against the backdrop of a laser show to create the ultimate Pink Floyd tribute. But as Tom Quinn (lead guitar), Gus Beaudoin (bass), Graham Heath (lead vocals), Jesse Molloy (saxophone), John Cox (keyboard), and John Staten (drums) took the stage, the lasers, bells and whistles expected by most were actually nothing more than colored stage lights and a screen on each side of the stage showing images and swirling patterns. “Maybe the lasers are at the end,” one concert-goer speculated.
However, as soon as the opening chords of “ Welcome to the Machine” began, the lack of theatrics was easily overlooked, thanks both to the band’s obvious talent and the strong scent of cannabis that wafted through the summer night. And the audience put on their own light show of sorts, flailing the pink glow sticks that were handed out at entry throughout the show.
Most impressive was the band’s ability to tackle the jam band sound of Floyd without sounding over-rehearsed. Particularly impressive was mohawked Molloy’s crisp sax solos as well as Beaudoin’s clean and fast bass playing. The band was smooth, even euphoric on “Us and Them” and people literally danced in the aisle during “Comfortably Numb,” giving a standing ovation and tossing glow sticks on stage like approving roses for a matador.
While the screens that flanked the stage hinted at the appearance of the flying pig, momentarily showing a snout or giving a glimpse of his curly-tailed behind, porky never took flight, which seems odd considering the show was tagged on the Pac Amp site as The Pig Flies Again. Nobody seemed bothered by the missing theatrics, though after looking over the band’s website with plenty of pictures of a chorus of colored lasers, a figure donning a light-bulbed jacket and the pig, I can’t help but feel a bit ripped off.
No matter, however, to the glow stick-wielding, pot-smoking, aisle-dancing crowd who stood for the finale that began with the acoustic “Wish You Were Here” and blossomed into a summer camp sing-a-along followed by “Another Brick in The Wall Part 2.” The Floydians came to party and party they did.
