Whether you are a casual fan or a rabid Floydian you won’t want to miss The Wall performing at the Parksville Community and Conference Centre (PCCC) this Saturday night.
The nine piece tribute act will present the complete Pink Floyd experience in their elaborate show that has special effects including laser lights and a projection screen.
Pink Floyd are one of the most successful and influential rock groups of all time.
The English rockers formed in London in the early 1960s and went on to achieve international acclaim with their progressive and psychedelic music.
Distinguished by their use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, and elaborate live shows, they are one of the most commercially successful and musically influential groups in the history of popular music.
Parksville musician Terry Sheldrake said he grew up listening to Pink Floyd and has always been a fan of the group. About a year ago, he convinced some like minded musicians to form the cover band.
He said The Wall has a live show that is pretty close to what you would get if you went to a Pink Floyd concert.
“We learned the songs as Pink Floyd played them. The songs are really amazing to play … they are really intricate and you never get bored of playing them,” he acknowledged.
He said they will perform a mix of Pink Floyd’s best-known material to satisfy Floyd fans of every generation including: Comfortably Numb, Wish You Were Here, Time, Another Brick In the Wall, Hey You, Money, Welcome to the Machine and Mother.
“We do some of their later stuff as well. We try to cover the more popular songs, not the older obscure stuff … things people recognize. My favourite is Young Lust.”
A lot of the band members from The Wall are from Port Alberni but Sheldrake who grew up in the Parksville Qualicum Beach area has played with several Vancouver Island rock bands including, The Blatantly Obvious, Cabin Fever, Dean Martini Band and In Transit.
He said he can’t wait to bring The Wall’s live show to his turf.
“I have been in a lot of bands but what has been really great about this band is everyone wants to make great music … no one has an ego, everyone is happy to be there and it translates to the shows.”
With Jim Kraneveldt on guitars and vocals, Blaine Ronning on sax, guitars, vocals and percussion, Greg Patterson on vocals and bass guitar, Art Van Volsen on drums and percussion, Graham White at the keyboards and Sheldrake singing and playing guitar the group performs two and a half hours of Pink Floyd material.
There are also three back up singers; Allison Dunn, Kerri Shannon and Dani McLane Shannon.
Sheldrake said with the nine of them on stage they come pretty close to reproducing the Pink Floyd sound.
“When Pink Folyd are live they have about three keyboardists, but Graham our keyboard player is quite amazing at what he does … he has two keyboards on stage.”
Tickets for the September 27 all-ages show are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. They can be purchased at Cranky Dog Music in Parksville or through the band’s website www.thewallvi.ca.
Doors open a 7 p.m. the show starts at 8 p.m.
