Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side of the Moon” was released more than 50 years ago, and The Australian Pink Floyd Show vocalist Chris Barnes said it still resonates today.
The tribute act is bringing its show to the Fox Tucson Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 20.
“As I’ve stood on the stage, playing the album, you realize how much it means to so many people,” Barnes said. “It’s a masterpiece. It’s an honor to play it.”
The Australian Pink Floyd Show has sold more than 5 million tickets in 35 countries since it was founded in 1988 in Adelaide. Even Pink Floyd bassist David Gilmour believes: He recruited them to play his 50th birthday party.
Australian Pink Floyd also celebrated the 30th anniversary of “The Dark Side of the Moon” in 2003, when it added backing vocalists and a saxophonist. They performed the album in its entirety in 2003 and 2004, marking the first North American tour. A DVD of the Liverpool Summer Pops show was available.
Its resume also includes stops at Glastonbury Festival and London’s Wembley and O2 arenas. This year, the focus is on “The Dark Side of the Moon.”
“At our shows, we’re playing the album in its entirety, along with other aspects of Pink Floyd, including from the psychedelic ’60s to the big albums of the ’80s and ’90s. It’s literally all eras of Floyd.”
The Manchester, England, native discovered Pink Floyd through his brother, with whom he shared a room. He was captivated by the Pink Floyd album “Relics” at age 5. He was, admittedly, “absolutely terrified” of “Interstellar Overdrive.”
“As a teenager, I saw the Pompeii concert from 1971,” said Barnes, 46. “I heard ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ age 15. I couldn’t believe it. It was this long, continual piece of music.
“I never heard anything like it. It was prog rock but not in the 500-notes-a-second way. Pink Floyd stands alone in its own little box.”
The Australian Pink Floyd Show: The Darkside 50 Tour
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 20
WHERE: Fox Tucson Theatre, 17 W. Congress Street, Tucson
COST: Tickets start at $20
INFO: 520-547-3040
foxtucson.com
