Australian Pink Floyd Show – Kansas City
Though it was a chilly night in Kansas City, the inside of the Uptown theater was warm, and things only heated up as the Australian Pink Floyd Show took to the stage. With a two hour show, not including a 30 minute intermission, the band put on a performance, which many in attendance had likened to “as close to the real thing as you’re going to get.” The packed house, and moderate, $30 – $80 ticket prices seemed to bear this out.
The band of six, and three backup singers, faithfully recreated some of Pink Floyd’s classics, with little more than mood lighting, and animations on a circular screen hanging over the stage. While the animations were largely innocent, there were audible reactions from the crowd when political figures, with added snouts, were displayed during Pigs, but rock, and indeed Pink Floyd, were never ones to shy away from controversy.
Everyone in the crowd had their favorite Pink Floyd songs, and who among us doesn’t, and multiple standing ovations were given throughout the evening. The most audible reaction came towards the end of the set, when the band launched into Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2); during this, the house went black, and searchlights swept over the audience. Several people got up at this point to head to the bar, or restrooms, leading me to believe, for a moment, that perhaps some performers, or chorus of children, were headed to the stage for a larger number. Alas, this was not the case.
While most of the band was on stage through the duration of the show, Mike Kidson, the saxophone player for the Australian Pink Floyd Show, was offstage when not needed; during which time, he performed costume changes, appearing onstage, among other things, in a purple Zoot Suit, and safari clothes during Set Controls for the Heart of the Sun, which added a somewhat humorous element to the show. All the musicians in the band are highly skilled, with very impressive bios, which can be found on the bands website, which will be linked at the bottom. But you don’t have to take my word for it, check them out in action here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktPsFI9Noqw
The Australian Pink Floyd Show is: Steve Mac (guitar/vocals), Jason Sawford (keyboards), Colin Wilson (bass/vocals), Paul Bonney (drums), David Domminney Fowler (guitar/vocals), Alex McNamara (vocals), Lorelei McBroom (vocals), Lara Smiles (vocals), Emily Lynn (vocals), and Mike Kidson (saxophone)
