A faithful recreation…
Brit Floyd marked their annual stop-off at Symphony Hall with another faithful, if somewhat scaled down, recreation of Pink Floyd’s live performances from the 80’s and 90’s. The market leaders in ‘tribute’ bands their well-honed stage presentation has something to appeal to Floyd fans of all eras. Although the tour was promoted as marking the 45th anniversary of Dark Side of the Moon the show offered a career spanning setlist that ran from debut single ‘Arnold Layne’ through to latter selections from 1994’s swansong album The Division Bell. The lights, lasers and effects were all used to good effect with Floyd’s famous “Mr Screen” providing the visual backdrop.
‘Shine on you Crazy Diamond’ always makes for a stunning opening number with the mournful opening keyboard chords giving way to the guitar before the whole band took the stage and the captivating Syd Barrett inspired song takes shape. Joined throughout the show by three backing vocalists and a sax player, Brit Floyd take care to ensure that every last detail from Floyd’s recordings is revived and relived, from the huge wall of sound guitars that led into ‘Sorrow’ to the audience roaming helicopter lights that prefaced ‘Another Brick In The Wall, Pt 2’.
A Pink Floyd show was never about the individual musicians and the members of Brit Floyd are mostly content to let the performance speak for itself, albeit Emily Jolland’s vocals on ‘The Great Gig In The Sky’ were more than worthy of singling out. The male vocalists covered the contrasting styles of Roger Waters and David Gilmour without any concerns and the twin guitarists offered note-prefect solos. Set list surprises were few and far between but the atmospheric ‘Southampton Dock’ and title track from The Final Cut was a welcome reminder of an often-overlooked album in the Floyd canon. In true Floyd fashion the show reached its dramatic conclusion with ‘Comfortably Numb’ and a dazzling laser drenched ‘Run Like Hell’. With the real thing now long since retired, Brit Floyd continue to offer an enjoyable way to experience an evening of remarkable musical history.
Set List:-
1. Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts 1-V)
2. Arnold Layne
3. High Hopes
4. Another Brick In The Wall – Part 2
5. Mother
6. Money
7. Sorrow
8. The Dogs Of War
9. Pigs (Three Different Ones)
10. Speak To Me
11. Breathe
12. Time
13. Great Gig In The Sky
14. Take It Back
15. A Great Day For Freedom
16. Have A Cigar
17. Wish You Were Here
18. One Of These Days
19. Southampton Dock
20. The Final Cut
21. Comfortably Numb
22. Brain Damage
23. Eclipse
24. Run Like Hell
