The Canadian Floyd Experience
Local group pays tribute to iconic rock band.

The Pink Floyd experience has never been about keeping things low-key. From the 1970s to early '80s, Floyd was arguably the king of showy arena rock. The monster U.K. outfit also recorded some of the most compelling and ambitious music in modern times with classic albums such as Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall. This summer - ending Sept 1 - a group of mainly local musicians are recreating that big sound with a Niagara Falls production called Pink Floyd Niagara.

"Putting the elaborate production together was a technically daunting task", said Rob Wells, a lifelong drummer and drum/percussionist instructor. He also owns Sonic Theatre Recording Studios in Fonthil where the show was put together. "We have computerized, automated lighting that has to be probrammed, along with synchronized video," said Wells. True to its '70s era homage, the venue features quadraphonic sound, with music coming from speakers at all four corners of the room.

"The challenges seemed large at the beginning, but this is where our areas of expertise came in", said Wells, who lives in north St. Catharines. Other co-producers are Larry Swiercz from the Garden City and Greg Johns, a Niagara native who now lives in Mississauga. All the musicians have played together in a number of projects and are devout Floyd fans. "We have talked to alot of people over the years who really enjoy Pink Floyd shows", said Wells, adding that the producers decided to basically recreate Floyd's 1994 Pulse Tour. The first half of the Niagara concert covers some of the classic Floyd tunes, and the second half recreates the 1973 Dark Side of the Moon record, which often makes it onto lists of best-ever popular music albums. At that time, Floyd's lineup had settled at David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Richard Wright and Nick Mason.

"We are touching a huge demographic with Pink Floyd", Wells said. "You see young kids today from 12 to 14 years old with Floyd T-shirts, right up to their grandparents who loved the band." The show the audience takes in is a captivating one. "The 11-member band", Wells said, "mesmerizes an audience, like you're not really sure what (band memer) to watch. What you get is an experience that is quite full."

"Right now, the objective is to push attendance numbers up and make the show a returning attraction in Niagara Falls", the producer said. "We're hoping, if things work well, to bring it back next season", Wells said. The two-hour concerts started in July and there are 8 performances left at the Niagara Centre for the Performing Arts at 4700 Epworth Circle in Niagara Falls. The shows are Thursday to Saturday starting at 8 pm. The box office opens at 6 pm the days of the shows. Tickets are $36 each, $6.50 for children 14 and under with the purchase of one adult ticket. Call 1-866-908-9090 for group rate information or advance tickets. Note that very young children may be frightened by the stage effects and volume. The show is also wheelchair accessible.

St. Catharines Standard, Don Fraser
Date: August 17, 2007