PIGS (Pink Floyd Tribute) at the Harbourfront

Saturday night we went to see a Canadian Pink Floyd tribute band called PIGS at the Harbourfront Theatre. Ever eager to add spice to the mix, Susan decided to drive us to Summerside in a school bus; yes, drive a school bus. In truth, her job called for someone to collect a batch of college students from Charlottetown airport and she owned up to having the appropriate Class 2 driver’s licence.

 

  

She duly appeared in the big yellow bus and without further ado we clambered aboard. This was an elderly vehicle and it laboured up hills but Susan drove impeccably, safely negotiating wide turns and giving the steed loose reins on long fast descents. With the students delivered to their accommodation in Slemon Park, we parked the bus outside the Training Academy where Susan works and transferred to her car.

A short drive into Summerside and we parked by the exit of the as yet empty Harbourfront parking lot and strolled across Water Street to Subway. The tickets and meal were all part of my birthday present from last month, lucky me!

After working our way through footlong subs and sodas we headed to the theatre and were soon in our seats. The band is billed as Canada’s best PF tribute and their musicianship is faultless, and the laser light show and Floydian circular video screen authentic. For two and a half hours they played seventeen tracks from seven different Floyd albums and one Roger Waters solo album, resting midway for a short intermission. An admirably broad set list but it is fair to say that the less committed fan might have preferred fewer lengthy obscure album tracks with long instrumental passages. I was interested to hear Echoes in all its twenty three minute entirety but I can’t remember the last time I was moved to listen to it at home. Nonetheless I appreciated the inclusion of rare songs from the albums Animals and The Final Cut.

We had been lucky enough to see The Pink Floyd Experience (a Californian tribute) earlier this year and we could not help but compare and contrast the two. We both agreed our Californian evening had been the better of the two, and by some margin. PIGS didn’t interact with the audience at all; we left not knowing any of their names or personalities. In March the PFE had spoken freely between tracks, interjecting anecdotes about the music and their vintage instruments. They were close and personal whereas PIGS, I felt, while having an undeniably excellent sound, were distant and could have been playing to themselves in a rehearsal room.

All that said, we had a great evening!

Setlist:

Shine on You Crazy Diamond Pts 1-5

Another Brick in the Wall

Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun

Wish You Were Here

Pigs

Pigs on the Wing

(Intermission)

Shine On You Crazy Diamond Pts 6-9

Your Possible Pasts

Time

The Great Gig in the Sky

Deja Vu (Waters)

Coming Back to Life

Money

Echoes

(Encore)

Run Like Hell

Comfortably Numb