Echoes of Pink Floyd Dazzle Kalamazoo

 

The beautiful State Theatre in Kalamazoo hosted a wonderful night of solid classic rock greatness from Echoes of Pink Floyd, Michigan’s premiere tribute to the prog-rock legends, who themselves stopped touring in 1994. A few recent line-up changes aside, Echoes performed with well-rehearsed focus and captured the emotion of most songs’ original recordings live on stage and against an amazing light and laser show that engaged fans and newcomers alike throughout the night. While they are not the first or the last rock band to pay tribute to Pink Floyd, Echoes has built a loyal regional fan base and puts on a fantastic show every time they perform.

Structured similar to a traditional Floyd concert, with no opening act and a 20-minute intermission half-way through, the night began with a slow, moody introduction on the first half of the “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” suite (parts I-V on the original album’s track listing), and the band immediately followed with the three biggest surprises and least-predictable songs of the night. Syd Barrett’s psychedelic assault, “Astronomy Domine,” paired well with the flashing lasers and strobe lights, even if many in attendance were not familiar with it. Two songs from Pink Floyd’s later, David Gilmour-led, era were included next, and then the band got into its core repertoire of Floyd classics from ’73-’79, the band’s peak years in terms of both songwriting and overall success.

A spirited take on “Pigs” from the Animals album featured a great talk box guitar solo from Rich Martin and excellent bass work from Tom Beller, especially during the high notes in the pre-verses. Without specifically announcing or explaining they were doing so, the band next launched into a track-for-track run through the entire Dark Side of the Moon LP, but unlike other performances where this is an advertised selling point, they allowed the audience to piece it together themselves as the show progressed. They also notably placed the intermission half-way through that portion of the show during what would be the side break on the original vinyl edition and continued with the entire second side to open the second set.

Following the show-stopping vocal performance by Shelby Jo Zemla on “The Great Gig in the Sky,” the intermission break,  and the rest of Dark Side of the Moon, Echoes leaned mostly into highlights from The Wall, including the first five songs in order and a powerful conclusion of “Young Lust,” “Comfortably Numb,” and, as an encore, “Run Like Hell.” The performance of “Wish You Were Here” near the end of the second set was well-played but stood out even more due to the inclusion of a technical, extended flute solo by Dan Giacobazzi in lieu of the traditional guitar and vocal outro.

As a replacement for an actual Pink Floyd show, Echoes of Pink Floyd don’t completely capture everything, but they do a consistently good job of executing transitions and changes within and between songs and provide an opportunity for Floyd fans to gather together to enjoy and celebrate the excellent music of one of their favorite bands whom they no longer have the option to see perform. Unlike Beatles tributes and others where the musicians are actors playing the roles and musical positions of the individuals for whom they are standing in, Echoes does a great job of doling out vocal duties among different members of the group based on whose voice would best handle the different segments of signing. For younger fans recently discovering Pink Floyd’s music, Echoes’ show is a great opportunity to connect with the songs a bit more by seeing them live and getting introduced to a few songs they may not already know while enjoying the lights and lasers at the same time. For long-time fans, Echoes provides a chance to re-live favored live moments from different eras of the band and to celebrate their magical music with others in their families and with a room full of other Pink Floyd fans alike. Don’t miss a chance to see this dazzling tribute experience!

Echoes of Pink Floyd set list:

Shine On You Crazy Diamond (pts. 1-5)

Astronomy Domine

What Do You Want from Me?

Learning to Fly

Pigs

Speak to Me

Breathe

On the Run

Time

Breathe (reprise)

The Great Gig in the Sky

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Money

Us and Them

Any Colour You Like

Brain Damage

Eclipse

In the Flesh?

The Thin Ice

Another Brick in the Wall (pt. 1)

The Happiest Days of Our Lives

Another Brick in the Wall (pt. 2)

Wish You Were Here

Young Lust

Comfortably Numb

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Run Like Hell

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