Brit Floyd Shines On in Chicago

Let me begin this review by saying that Pink Floyd is and always will be my favorite band. I have every one of their albums, have seen them in concert and have seen just about every tribute band that came to Chicago, except for Brit Floyd. When I walked into the Chicago Theater I had expected great Pink Floyd music and a good light show but never expected what I was about to see.

The first set began and by the time we got to the third song of the set, Shine On You Crazy Diamond, I knew that this entire show would be both musically and visually the best Pink Floyd tribute show I have ever seen. The combination of spotlights, lasers and videos projected in back of the band produced what I would like to describe as an acid trip without the acid. The lights followed every beat of the songs being performed constantly changing colors and keeping it interesting. Also, unlike the traditional Pink Floyd tribute bands with the circular projector screen surrounded by spotlights, in addition to the round screen, Brit Floyd brought a rectangular screen which spanned the entire width of the stage in back of the round screen which in conjunction with the lights was at times overwhelming.

The songs themselves were performed with such detail that I could close my eyes and swear that I was listening to a Pink Floyd album. For instance, on the song Poles Apart, Edo Scordo (Guitar and Vocals) was singing this song and I could swear it was David Gilmour singing on stage. Other songs performed in the first set included Another Brick in the Wall (Pt 2), High Hopes, Happiest Days of our Lives and Pigs.

The second set started out with Echoes. I have never heard this 23 minute song performed live in its entirety. I was amazed at how Brit Floyd captured every single note down to the sound effects near the end of the song. Following that was Yet Another Movie, Empty Spaces, Young Lust and One of These Days. Again, between the lasers, spotlights and videos there was a lot going on where you didn’t want to miss even a minute of this show. Then the band played Breathe Reprise which led into Great Gig in the Sky featuring Ola Bienkowska on vocals. In all the years I have heard this song performed live by other tribute bands, it was never sung in its entirety by one person. Ola did a spectacular job with her spot on vocals to carry this song to the very end. The band then continued on to Money which Brit Floyd changed up a little bit to make it come across as more bluesy than the original version. I actually liked it more than the original recording.

The final song of the second set was Comfortably Numb. As in The Wall, there was a set-up in back of the stage with an easy chair, a table, a person in the chair and a person with a doctor’s coat on. Okay, we’ve all seen this on the screen in back of the band but never live!! Seriously? And then midway into the song a large mirrored ball dropped down from the ceiling and the entire theater was lit up in bright white moving lights in every direction while emphasizing the lead guitar solo at the end. To put this vision into words is very difficult as I could only describe this as the grand finale to an excellent fireworks show.

I’m thinking how can they follow Comfortably Numb with a grand finale? Well, the grand finale started with Wish You Were Here and images of Syd Barrett and other members of Pink Floyd in both their younger years and older years. This was a very fitting tribute to Pink Floyd, with the final song being Run Like Hell.

Now that I’ve seen Brit Floyd perform, I highly doubt that I can ever see another Pink Floyd tribute band again. I’m looking forward to Brit Floyd coming back to Chicago next year.