That concert was magnificent, complete with white wall, irresistible grammatically incorrect choruses and a strutting Nazi-like Gratkowski belting out Roger Waters’ lyrics.
You must have been on the dark side of the moon if you haven’t heard or sung along to at least one song from the British supergroup Pink Floyd. PULSE, by New Zealand’s The Pink Floyd Experience, is the latest show to pay homage to the band whose career peaked twenty to thirty years ago and is on stage at The Mandela at the Joburg Theatre in Braamfontein.
It’s the second visit to South Africa by The Pink Floyd Experience which was created by and features New Zealanders Darren Whittaker, Glen Ahearn and Stan Gratkowski. Huge fans of the Brit band which was formed in 1965, the trio produced their first Pink Floyd tribute show The Wall in 1997 which toured New Zealand, Australia and then South Africa in 2005.
I went to that concert. Apart from the fabulous music I enjoyed seeing such a wide spread of people and ages in the audience. From kids who must have been born decades after the release of The Wall to excited retirees whose eyes shone with nostalgia as they talked about their memories of the sixties and seventies when Pink Floyd reigned supreme, and music was something you could really listen to, “not like the noise they play on the radio now.”
That concert was magnificent, complete with white wall, irresistible grammatically incorrect choruses and a strutting Nazi-like Gratkowski belting out Roger Waters’ lyrics. We all chanted how we didn’t need no education and exhorting everyone to tear down the wall! It was exciting stuff. There was the same diverse mix of ages for PULSE.
PULSE pays homage to Pink Floyd’s Division Bell album both from an audio and visual point of view. The title refers to the bell rung in the British Houses of Parliament when a vote is to take place. The 10-piece band, Gratkowski on lead vocals and three back up singers do the original songs justice, particularly What Do You Want From Me. The staging, lighting and the graphics on the large screen behind the band are a faithful rendition to the original concerts. But for me, the first half would appeal to hardcore Pink Floyd fans addicted to their guitar heavy, psychedelic rock phase. I wanted more lyrics to sing along to.
The second half eclipsed the first (pun intended). It featured songs from The Dark Side of the Moon, one of my favourite albums of all time. Even being tone deaf I think I sound pretty good when harmonising to Us and Them. I couldn’t believe I remembered all the lyrics to Money which I hadn’t sung along to in years. Time had the audience attempting to emulate the song’s clock sounds. Not very successfully. By the time the last song was played – Run like Hell – we were on our feet, whistling and stomping for more. Two encores later and the male members of the audience air guitared out (it’s a guy thing) after trying to keep up with the super talented Darren Whittaker, we slowly filed out.
Everyone looked a little faraway, like time travellers wrenched from a younger, more easygoing time when mortgages and divorce didn’t exist and you lived for Saturday nights. I spotted a few accountant-looking types still playing air guitar and making accompanying noises to the music in their heads as they headed for their cars. Ah, memories are made of this!
The show runs until 4 September at the Joburg Theatre in Braamfontein.
This music pulses in the veins of the audience even after the show has ended.
Utter darkness, a spotlight shines brightly on the first musician, the spotlight moves, highlighting even more talent until the stage is full of light; the audience hold their breath until the first word is sung. Lights shine and laser beams dance, the overall performance was and still is spectacular.
The night started off with the programme, most people flick through them in absolute boredom, trying to pass the time. But this programme got many audience members laughing. It’s wonderfully written, revealing secrets of the band members’ favourite pranks and activities.
The music had no faults, each and every band member obviously has talent and enjoyed what they were doing and playing. It was so good to see them ‘feeling the music’ whereas many other shows have the members merely playing the music, waiting for the show to be over. I could see the disappointment but satisfaction as the last note of the night was played.
Stan Gratkowski was definitely perfect for the role he played, he did a wonderful impersonation of the real Pink Floyd lead singer, Roger Waters. After doing some research, it’s easy to tell that the performance was done by the book, making sure to keep all the original animations used in the real Pink Floyd performances. The only fault I had with Gratowski was he was very soft compared to the rest of the band. The lyrics were often hard to hear, although it must have just been his voice because when the drummer, Rob Ju, took the stage, every word of his was clear as a bell.
The lighting effects were amazing and really had a massive, positive impact on the performance. Unfortunately, I had a few unintentional lighting effects added to my experience in the seats next to me and rows in front of me. I don’t know how much good it will do to have an announcement before the show, requesting no photography – especially with flash – and that all cellphones should be turned off. Also, I would appreciate it if the audience had a bathroom break beforehand to avoid having to go during the show.
If the performance had any glitches, I did not see or hear them. The show is a must see for all Pink Floyd fans. This is no mere tribute show, the band members and vocalists all contribute to making the performance seem so realistic, as if one were watching the originals making music. Five stars is even a bit of an understatement; this show requires no judging, it already seems perfect.
Jaylin de Klerk (ARTSLINK SOUTH AFRICA) 08/19/2011
Those mildly interested in this iconic band may well find this is a laid-back musical exploration into the extensive songbook of Pink Floyd. It’s all about quality musicianship and a fine eye for detail. There are no undue stage histrionics.
The producers of this show, which comes from Down Under, have conceived a concert that recreates the band’s landmark stadium show, The Division Bell Tour, which was released as an album in the 1990s entitled ‘Pulse’.
The musicianship is an outstanding factor in the show. Three performers, ace guitarist Darren ‘Daz’ Whittaker, singer Stan Gratkowski, both the brains behind the concept, and saxophonist Roger Rangitaawa, whose moody musical attack adds texture to the numbers, featured prominently.
The Pink Floyd Experience was last in Johannesburg in 2005 with their presentation of The Wall, and with their new show they again demonstrate the art of creating atmosphere. Employing laser technology that wraps around the audience, back screen projection and some awesome lighting patterns, this seven-piece band, with three dynamic female vocalists, tap into the whole psychedelic era that helped define Pink Floyd and its music.
It’s a visual and aural spectacle to behold. It’s all about the music, which requires attention, as this tight band swoop and soar through some of the most profound compositions of the rock era.
Rather than presenting a flamboyant stage presentation, the onus here is on the interpretation of the music – and it’s as near as you can realistically get to the real thing. Singer Gratkowski has a wonderful grasp of the intricate lyrics and a fine voice to boot and he stays glued to the microphone. Surrounding him are Rob Ju on drums and acoustic guitar, Jeremy Fitzsimonson percussion, Ken Te Tau on bass and Glen Ahearn (another founder member) on keyboards. And standing deep are the three backing vocalists, Stephanie Hearfield, Lynley Joy Goodisson and Wini Baxter. And what a sound they manage to create.
The first half featured material such as Shine on You Crazy Diamond, the haunting A Great Day For Freedom (with slide guitar by Whittaker), and Mother, another highlight.
The second half was devoted to The Dark Side of the Moon with more than a dozen songs, including my all-time favourite, Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2), which certainly had the large audience going. In the closer confines of a theatre, as opposed to an outdoor arena, Pink Floyd’s music has a rare intimacy and this was potently telegraphed to an appreciative audience.
This concert goes a long way in giving us some idea what they were all about.
The Pink Floyd Experience Pulse 2011 is on at The Mandela, Joburg Theatre until 4 September. Feldman has been a journalist and arts critic for over 45 years and served on The Star in various capacities for 35 years, ending up as a specialist writer on films, music and theatre. During that time he travelled extensively on assignments and interviewed many international film and pop stars, both in South Africa and overseas. He also covered some of South Africa’s biggest film and musical events. He is active in the freelance field and his work over the past 12 years has appeared in a variety of South African newspapers and magazines. He writes regularly for Artslink.co.za, The Citizen, South African Jewish Report, The Sunday Independent and is a contributor to “Eat Out” Magazine. He also contributes movie reviews on Mondays to The Gordon Hoffman Easy Morning Show on 1485 Radio Today (www.1485.org.za) and has worked on TV in his specialist capacity. Over the years Feldman has been the recipient of several awards for his contribution to music journalism and the SA record industry. He wrote lyrics for some top artists, including Sipho Mabuse, and had a hit disco single, “Video Games,” which was released in 1988. After retiring from The Star in April, 1999, Feldman joined the PR and events management company, Dlamini Weil Communications, where he currently works as an entertainment and media consultant.
Peter Feldman (ARTSLINK SOUTH AFRICA) 08/19/2011 09:33:47
Hi Guys, We saw your show in Wellington this weekend 23rd May the show was awesome. We look forward to your next one, this was our 3rd concert. Keep up the great work, we look forward the 4th one.
B&S Henderson
What can I say!
Last nights performance in Wellington was outstanding. To Steph, and the girls, you did Clare Tory proud last night. Your performance of Great Gig in the Sky was absolutely amazing! It has always been one of my favorite Floyd songs and I have always been very critical of that song as Clare’s vocals are amazing and yet she disappeared. I have only heard 3 versions that have blown me away, the 1st is the original 2nd was Katie Kisson at Roger Waters 2007 and last nights totally awesome job. The work from the whole band was fantastic and I can’t wait for the next lot of shows, Keep up the good work and long may it continue. Till next time God bless.
Band was awesome and vocalists Steph, Bella and Wini are incredible – Great Gig in the Sky absolutely blew me away!
Just wanted to thank you all, band, vocalists and crew, for the great show last night in Wellington! The early Floyd was great, plus favourites from Dark Side and The Wall, etc (the background animation and lighting for Brain Damage was especially appropriate!). Think the light show and the visuals are going from strength to strength – really good design and I liked the way the edges of the image were not obviously defined but simply blended in with the background – this worked really well in Money – just the greenback slowly rotating throughout the song! Band was awesome and vocalists Steph, Bella and Wini are incredible – Great Gig in the Sky absolutely blew me away! And the way you saved the special feature of the glitter ball on the back of the circular screen for the encore! Pure theatre and a real bonus for those that waited to the end (and called for more)! Big congrats to the band and the whole crew (yes, saw Nev looking after the Gnometronics display from the top of the amp) for a job well done!! Cheers, Mike
It is not just the great Floyd music, but the way you play it, the stage set up and clearly your passion for the music.
Hi, My wife and I came to see you show in Wellington last night. (I last saw you in Wanganui in about 1998.) Your show was brilliant. It is not just the great Floyd music, but the way you play it, the stage set up and clearly your passion for the music. Simply amazing! Thank you very very much !!!
FAR OUT GUYS!!!!
Talk about amazing, I was like many other Floyd fans off to the show, not really expecting to have my socks blown off. Awesome show! I have been bought up with Floyd as my childhood music, right from day dot. Having not being able to see the real David Gilmour troop now I feel I don’t need to. You guys filled the bill only thing was 3hrs plus just wasn’t long enough for all the greats. But big ups to the girls for Great Gig in the Sky, I always get goose bumps hearing the original and last night’s performance was mind blowing. See you when guys back in the bay next. Keep up the fantastic work.
Overwhelmed by the act it was almost as if the originals were there.
Hi Carl Forster here, last night I went to the concert in Napier and was overwhelmed by the act it was almost as if the originals were there.
It was fantastic!
Hi. Just come from the Taupo concert and it was fantastic! Thanks for your time and effort to bring that ray of sunshine. Cheers, Bazza
What an absolutely awesome show, and getting better every time I see yous.
Hey guys, what an absolutely awesome show, and getting better every time I see yous. Everything was exactly spot on. Keep up the mind blowing performance and thanks again… Brett.
You have really pushed the envelope with the lights and special effects. It was truly amazing!!!!
What an awesome show in Tauranga last night. You have really pushed the envelope with the lights and special effects. It was truly amazing!!!! The set list was fantastic. Most, if not all, my favorite numbers… but I guess others think similar and that is why you played them. The band played tremendously, such energy!! And the backing vocal changes, Bella and Wini, were just great! Wini packs a huge vocal punch for her size. You guys really put on a great show. I saw you here in 2007, saw you last night and will continue to see you when next in the Bay of Plenty.
I’m a very very big fan of the Animals album and to hear Dogs and Sheep played live so well was the highlight for me.
Hi guys, I was at your Waitakere Concert on Saturday night, have not seen you before but had a fantastic time. I’m a very very big fan of the Animals album and to hear Dogs and Sheep played live so well was the highlight for me, I thought you guys were really tight and did a great job. I will make a point of coming to another show as soon as you’re back. Hopefully not too far away. Cheers for a great night! Ben
By the end of the show couldn’t believe how fantastic the whole show was, the quality of the musicianship was amazing, both vocalists outstanding, even the backup singers were top notch!
Saw your show at Waitakere Stadium on Saturday night and was absolutely blown away by how good you guys were. I took my 26 year old son and we sat next to a guy (5 rows from the front!) who said he’d seen you 4 times before and Pink Floyd themselves at Western Springs and he gave you big ups so we were full of anticipation, but by the end of the show couldn’t believe how fantastic the whole show was, the quality of the musicianship was amazing, both vocalists outstanding, even the backup singers were top notch! Bought both cds after the show, only wish you had a dvd! I own Pulse, In the Flesh, and Remember That Night on dvd, and to be honest, I wasn’t expecting much visually, but your light show and graphic displays were great! Best $75 I’ve ever spent, and when you’re back on your next tour, I’ll be there again! Thanks a bunch for a fantastic night.
I think your rendition of Echoes and Great Gig in the Sky were more inspiring than those on DG’s live in Gdansk.
Hey team. Totally awesome performance on Friday night in Auckland. I was absolutely blown away. Brought my son (16) who is learning the guitar and has started with a few DG bits – Wish you were here, Comfortably numb, etc. He said it was “mean”. I think your rendition of Echoes and Great Gig in the Sky were more inspiring than those on DG’s live in Gdansk. Fantastic guys – thank you so much. Best concert I have been to in long time! Hope you get a buzz out of performing it – feels like you do on the audience side of the stage. Hey I meant to buy a poster of you chaps with the painted backs – I wanted to frame it and hang it below the framed PF Back Catalogue posted with the girls. I forgot to buy it. Can I buy one through you or somewhere? Please email me: Peter…
Thank you for one of the best concerts of my life on Friday night at the Bruce Mason Centre
Hi guys – Thank you for one of the best concerts of my life on Friday night at the Bruce Mason Centre. It wasn’t very good, it was bloody awesome. My 2 sons and I were blown away by the nearly 3 hour show. Your version of Echoes was mesmerising and Comfortably Numb was stunning. In fact every song was great. You guys (and ladies) have a lot to be proud of. Thank you and I can’t wait for the next tour. Regards Dean
Impressed at you guys rolling out Fearless
First things first; Well done for a top gig at the Bruce Mason Centre last night. Impressed at you guys rolling out Fearless- I seem to recall reading somewhere that Pink Floyd never played those filler tracks on Meddle live. Highlights were, Echoes and the old Barrett stuff.
It was a stunning show!
HIYA GUYS took my family along to watch the Pink Floyd Experience at the Bruce Mason Theatre last night. It was a stunning show! I saw you in Hamilton a couple years back when you did the WALL tour and was impressed then. However last night you surpassed yourselves. The lighting was a smaller version of a typical PF show but none the less, was technically brilliant. I joked to my son that all we needed to now make it perfect was a laser to fire out and lo and behold…
Last night’s show however was the perfect visual treat and full credit to the technical team.
I went to see Roger Waters show in Albany and although the music was good the “effects” were very limited. We come to expect a visual treat anytime PF are on stage and I felt let down by Roger Waters. Last night’s show however was the perfect visual treat and full credit to the technical team.
It was good to hear both of the Sid Barret songs.
My two sons one of whom (Oliver the 12 year old) knows all the words to DSOM and this was his first rock concert. We was goggle eyed and singing along with his dad. He got particularly vocal during LEARNING TO FLY one of his favorites. As a drummer he is learning that one and actually practising as I type!
Speaking of DSOM. I was sure that a lot of the people who were there last night were there purely for a live rendition of DSOM?? Certainly the people around me! They were very inanimate during the first half of the show and whispered conversations of “which one is this?” were common. The lady in the row in front of me seemed to be having a good time though (SMILES) and was almost rocking her chair (the ones not bolted down GRIN) in time with mine… It was good to hear both of the Sid Barret songs. They were played with the often “manic” but gutsy guitar style we expected from SID and DAZ did an excellent job. For me however the highlight of the whole evening was ECHOES… played brilliantly well by the whole band. In the PINK FLOYD LIVE IN POMPEII DVD the band open with ECHOES and as the keyboard and guitar play that ethereal opening the camera moves behind all the tech gear and you get a glimpse of the band in between the packing cases and sound gear. Last night when Echoes was playing I closed my eyes and I could perfectly see that camera pan. I looked to my left and even my eldest son (Thomas 15) was singing the opening words “overhead the albatross hangs motionless upon the air…”
Full credit to the guys a Hauraki for supporting you. I listen to them every day and have even managed to win a couple of competitions as well. Enjoy the rest of the tour!
Regards Adrian Steel Pink-O-Phile
We took along some “first timers” and they were blown away
Hi Guys. Just wanted to drop you a line after attending the New Plymouth Show on Thursday night – another stand out performance – we have attended every show you have performed in New Plymouth and one in Wellington and it just keeps getting better and better. Once again we took along some “first timers” and they were blown away – we told them they would thank us big time for recommending they go! Loved “Arnold Layne” – brilliant.You did play one track in the first half which I don’t think I have ever heard – had Rob on acoustic – can you tell me the track title/album it is from? I wasn’t able to get a programme on Thurs nite and have waded through my collection this morning but can’t find anything that rings a bell.
You all did an amazing job – loved your new vocalists.
Shine On You Crazy Diamonds!
Lea Macartney Hawera, Taranaki
I’ve seen the real floyd live and trust me you guys are better!
2nd time to your show in Christchurch, absolutely faultless and damn great, i’ve seen the real floyd live and trust me you guys are better! (and trust me floyd were awesome) all the best with the rest of the tour and get back to chch asap, cos i don’t want to wait another 2 years!
hi there, i was lucky enough to be at the concert in chch last friday nite and was completely blown away. i cant speak highly enough, i will definitly go again if you come back. at the concert you had t-shirts etc for sale but silly me didnt have enough money with me. was wondering where i could get some, can’t find any on your website?? thanks so much again. cheers
You are all a class act and we look forward to seeing you in Dunedin again!
Guys & Girls, My son and I thoroughly enjoyed the show you put on in Dunedin last night! You are all a class act and we look forward to seeing you in Dunedin again!Thanks for a great night!
John and Alex Freeland
We just wanted to say that last night’s show in Invercargill (25/04/2009) was absolutely brilliant – right from the first note played.
Hi Guys/Gals, We just wanted to say that last night’s show in Invercargill (25/04/2009) was absolutely brilliant – right from the first note played. That is, the music, lighting, stage show, the whole lot!! And that also includes the encore. The Pink Floyd Experience shows are ALWAYS fantastic but I think that this one proves that Pink Floyd themselves would really struggle to make a show as good as we experienced last night. We can’t wait for the next visit, it can’t come soon enough.
Another enjoyable experience was enjoyed by a nearly full Regent Theatre on Wednesday; a Pink Floyd Experience, that is.
The Experience is a regular visitor to Dunedin and long may that association continue. It was almost like a reunion at the concert, with people who attended The Wall in 2007 coming back for the Back Catalogue 2009 concert.
For nearly three hours, the audience was treated to some fine musicianship. In fact, the five members of the Experience, along with saxophonist Roger Rangitaawa, demonstrated how versatile the music of Pink Floyd was to a new generation of fans, judging by the younger audience members accompanying their parents.
One mother was desperately trying to explain what ‘psychedelic’ meant to her 20-something daughter. The swirling light patterns reminiscent of ‘that era’ had been a prominent part of the first half. In the end, the mother told her daughter to just close her eyes and let the light and music wash over her. Good advice.
For those who were not Pink Floyd devotees, there could be a ‘sameness’ about some of the music. Lengthy guitar solos, particularly by Darren Whittaker, featured greatly. At times, lead singer Stan Gratkowski disappeared offstage for several minutes as the two guitarists, the drummer and keyboard player went to town. The music soared through the theatre, inspiring people of all ages to start tapping feet, drumming on their knees or just nodding their heads in time.
One of the exciting things about the performance was the sound effects faithfully reproduced at the start of most songs. One only had to hear the buzz of an aeroplane to know The Wall was next, or hear the cash register to know cash was king in Money. It is nearly 40 years since Pink Floyd released Dark Side of the Moon. But Money and the title track remain deeply meaningful today.
The Pink Floyd Experience accurately portray the troubled souls that made the genius of Roger Waters and Dave Gilmour so outstanding. Long may it continue.
Rock is not actually my genre. From the relative safety and self sufficiency if not self satisfaction of my Classical training, I have been heard to assert that “good rock music” is an oxymoron. Nevertheless this curmudgeon has had a Damascus Road experience. In spite of all prejudices, it is clear that this music has intrinsic value and these musicians are people of rare talent. And anyway it is hard to ignore one of the most influential bands of all time especially when one is a firm product of the baby boom!
Any memories I had of the actual Pink Floyd were reawakened in the grand old Thebarton Theatre. The Pink Floyd Experience is a New Zealand group that got together to honour this remarkable band, and their work has been so successful they are now internationally known and followed. This was their third visit to Adelaide, and the Floydies of Adelaide were not disappointed, and turned out in droves, in spite of the fairly high seat price.
More than simply trying to recreate the music, lights and effects of the original, this group actually does a homage to them with great respect, enthusiasm and dedication, not to mention remarkable ability. It was more than a homage it was almost a resurrection. Favourites like Money, Us and Them, Brain Damage and Welcome to the Machine were pounded out with appositely juxtaposed and innovative visuals and lighting, dramatically enhanced by the smoke (stage smoke – not funny stuff), through an enormous battery of speakers. The sound was viscerally loud at times surely this level is unnecessary when the words and nuances of the music are actually more discernible through earplugs!
The music of Pink Floyd has a very particular style, showing definite influence of The Beatles, and while parts can be a bit samey at times, it has a definite appeal to many age groups, and has undoubtedly been very influential, and the 20th century would have been much the poorer without it. It is certainly worth repeating and preserving, and in the hands of a group of this ability, its preservation is assured and its future safe.
Throughout the concert the spirit of the recently departed Richard Wright hovered above us, and he was suitably remembered with a poignant performance of Wish You Were Here which was dedicated to him.
This was a remarkable concert, and I am grateful to this band for reawakening and rekindling my dormant appreciation of the genre, with what was genuinely a “Pink Floyd Experience”. And my ears will recover.
I was a tender 12 years old when I first heard Pink Floyd’s Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2), and I’ve never been the same since. It was 1980, the year after The Wall was released, and I’d just started high school. The song was being covered by a band comprised of older pupils at a school function welcoming us Standard 6 kids, and the lyrics ‘we don’t need no education, we don’t need no thought control’ blew my impressionable young mind.
Although I recall being quite horrified that fellow pupils were being allowed to perform a banned number in our school hall, secretly I absolutely loved the subversiveness. I didn’t yet know it was a Pink Floyd song, and it was much, much later that I understood the context of the song properly. While my appreciation for Pink Floyd grew over the years, it became apparent that I would probably never get to see the band play live. In those days, it was only the odd brave or foolhardy outfit that dared break the cultural boycott and perform in South Africa.
Now, of course, their performance at the recent Live 8 concert notwithstanding – Pink Floyd is no more, and I definitely will never see them live. Damn.
Then I heard that The Pink Floyd Experience, a ‘tribute-style’ stage production, was coming to the Civic Theatre, and I thought I might like to go to the show. Not that I had much choice in the matter – a close friend had made a block booking and harangued me into taking a couple of tickets.
The Pink Floyd Experience is a New Zealand outfit which – according to the notes in the show’s slightly disappointing program – started to ‘re-create’ Pink Floyd’s sound after thankless years of playing cover tunes to drunks in pubs. What had started out as a one-off production transmogrified into what I witnessed the other night – a dramatized musical collage, consisting mostly of songs taken from The Wall, but also encompassing elements of one of Pink Floyd’s other great albums, 1973’s Dark Side of the Moon.
As I took my seat in the Civic, I was flooded with doubts. What if they screw up or tinker with the songs – like farting in the Holy Church of Rock n Roll? Rows and rows of the front seats were also empty, and I fretted that the band would struggle to bridge that gulf between them and us.
But the moment the show started, kicking off with the very long Shine on You Crazy Diamond (from 1975’s Wish You Were Here), my worries evaporated. This was no second-string cover band: it was obviously a highly competent outfit, whose members love Pink Floyd and have taken great care to handle the material with the respect it deserves, and whose visuals captured a lot of familiar Floyd imagery – the hammer logo from The Wall, a wall that was gradually constructed as the show progressed, even a circular video screen.
Vocalist Stan Gratkowski and guitarist Darren Whittaker shouldered the responsibility of capturing the essence of Pink Floyd, and they did so admirably. I reveled in music I have loved for so long: In the Flesh, Mother, Hey You, Goodbye Blue Sky, Young Lust, the Another Brick in the Wall parts….virtually the entire The Wall song list, interspersed with stuff from Dark Side of the Moon, Money, Us and Them and Brain Damage.
I was a little let down by the rendition of Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2), but Whittaker’s searing guitar solo in Comfortably Numb more than made up for it, reducing that band-audience gap to mere millimeters – it’s worth a ticket just to experience it.
Light years away from that amateurish bunch of school boys who introduced me to the contraband that was The Wall a quarter-century ago, they are guaranteed to satisfy old fans – and capture more than a few new ones.
By Willem Steenkamp – Tonight (www.tonight.co.za)Johannesburg Civic Theatre 12/08/05
“The Pink Floyd Experience, The Wall,” with Stan Gratowski (lead vocals, acoustic guitar and percussion), Darren Whittaker (lead guitar, acoustic guitars), Glen Ahearn (keyboards, piano), Rob Ju (drums), Ken Te Tau (bass), Roger Rangitaawa (sax), Olivia Wordsworth (backing vocals), Lynley Goodisson (backing vocals), Stephanie Hearfield (backing vocals). Venue: Nelson Mandela Theatre, Johannesburg Civic Theatre.
The days of the big open-air concert events featuring such luminaries as The Rolling Stones, Bon Jovi, Tina Turner, U2 and Phil Collins seem sadly things of the past. Big sponsorships are badly needed if we are to attract some of music’s bigger rock stars to South Africa again – but that’s another story.
The closest South Africa music lovers will get to see another ‘real’ concert event, with big stadium aspirations, is this dazzling New Zealand production, ‘The Pink Floyd Experience – The Wall’. There is little chance of us ever seeing Pink Floyd in the flesh, though Roger Waters did pay a visit to this neck of the woods and was most impressive.
The Pink Floyd Experience comprises a group of highly versatile musicians and backing singers who have faithfully duplicated the many intricate patterns that make up the Pink Floyd sound. It’s an awesome experience to be caught up by wave upon wave of nostalgia as the band weave their spell through ‘The Wall’, ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ and a clutch of other Floyd classics. Added to this mesmerizing sound explosion, is a set of extraordinary computerized lighting effects. Evocative video images are also projected onto a screen, which help highlight the song’s strong social commentary.
Two stand-out individuals help lift this ‘experience’. They are the lead singer Stan Gratkowski, whose vocal flexibility allows the many shading’s of the songs to shine through, and lead guitarist Darren Whittaker, whose dynamic musicianship imbues the various tracks with fresh impetus. The theatrics of the event, like the building of the wall, and then its destruction, is never permitted to highjack the music. It remains true to its form.
If there is any criticism it comes at the end when one expects a grand finale but instead it all ends rather abruptly. On final analysis, however, this is one trip worth taking.
It is billed as a tribute to Pink Floyd, without a doubt the best rock band in the world. Pink Floyd have been an integral part of my life for the best part of over 30 years. I have followed them since school, through varsity and now as a middle-aged father. Following Pink Floyd is like yoga, jogging and journalism – it’s a way of life. I saw former front-man Roger Waters when he came here some years ago and that was unforgettable. But this show was awesome.
The kiwis doing the show offer a proper homage to Pink Floyd. From the opening chord, they never missed a beat and if you closed your eyes, you could see Waters, David Gilmour, et al. The band is slick, professional and on the button. Three of the founding members had been playing in various pub bands in New Zealand as well as performing in bands playing original music but unable to get a record deal. So in 1997, they embarked on a project to recreate Pink Floyd, the quintessential rock band of the 20th century. That they have done with style, substance and sound.
Lead guitarist Darren Whittaker holds the show together. From the beginning, he dominates with his precision playing and cool demeanor. Glen Ahearn warms up as the show goes along and came into his own with the classic Another Brick in the Wall. Stan Gratkowski on lead vocals is the epitome of the front-man and excels with his mannerisms and voice slightly manic, slightly bent, but always in touch.
The only gripe I had was the venue itself. The Civic Theatre is a venue for theatre, ballet and plays. This kind of show deserves a wider audience. It should be part of the rock experience – a whisky in one hand, a smoke in the other and a blonde on your back. An arena would have been a better option.
Maybe a younger audience would have been bopping in the aisles, but the more mature audience on opening night stayed steadfastly in their seats. And just a note to the band: if you wanna be a bunch of rockers, and you obviously have the talent, then do an encore! But there can be no complaints. The Pink Floyd Experience is the best import to come out of New Zealand since, well, The Pink Floyd Experience.The real Pink Floyd will never come to South Africa. So, get along to Braamfontein and let this show rock your world. It rocked mine.
“Hey! Teacher! Leave those kids alone!” is the command and “all in all you’re just another brick in the wall” the explanation.
Small wonder that the South African government of the day “discouraged” young people from listening to Pink Floyd’s music. (The album The Wall was released in 1979, the movie in 1982.) In those years the state-dominated media still regularly jumped on its high horse and “Another Brick in the Wall” was banned from the SABC.
By 1982, of course, Pink Floyd were already recognised “betogers” (protesters). Their first album, Piper at the Gates of Dawn, had been released in 1967 and contributed to the very rapid development of psychedelic music that is typical of the recorded music (but not the stage performances) of that era. In 1966 The Beach Boys released the Pet Sounds album that included “Good Vibrations”, and a year later Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles appeared. Interesting that at that time Paul McCartney said that The Beatles would no longer tour as the Sergeant Pepper music could be performed only in the studio.
It is very difficult for most music fans to imagine a technological music world without computers, but bear in mind that the Moog Synthesiser – that electronic contraption that had to be programmed note by note – had only just become available and was being used only in the studio, and by musicians such as Mick Jagger and George Martin, who could afford it. By contrast – and this is one of the reasons for their breathtaking success – Pink Floyd performed their work on stage. In 1972 they started touring with one of the most famous music projects of the 20th century Dark Side of the Moon. The album is remembered in The Guinness Book of Records as the album that remained continuously on the charts for longer than any other one: more than eleven years.
It is a goose-bump thought to try and imagine what it must have been like to be at The Knebworth Festival in 1975: fireworks, spitfire aeroplanes, lights, unbelievable sound and sounds, and even an aeroplane crashing into the stage. Here in South Africa we heard only distant rumours about things like that, usually with a “look-at-what-those-junkies-are-getting-up-to-now” slant – while we watched owl-eyed Michael de Morgan reading the news on the test channel!
Like most other young people of that generation, I was more or less aware of the fact that Pink Floyd was basically anti-war with a little anti-establishment thrown in on the side. I didn’t take much notice, because they were a British band and on the other side of The Pond, the “make love, not war” activities such as Woodstock and the hippy movement were hogging the limelight – acts like Janis Joplin, Simon and Garfunkel and CSN taking up most of my listening time.
What makes this, 2005 performance in the Civic Theatre by The Pink Floyd Experience spectacular is the emphasis they place on Pink Floyd’s social commentary – so much so that I regret not having paid more attention to it at the time.
From the opening, which starts with Glen Ahearn on keyboards – mostly the Hammond organ sound used by many bands in the seventies – it is clear that the show will respect the very slow progression of songs, the way Pink Floyd performed. For four or five minutes it is only the sound of one instrument. The first song lasts a good twenty minutes and I start getting the feeling that I always get with Pink Floyd: does it have to take so long? Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I prefer short songs – I don’t! I listened to Iron Butterfly’s In-a-gadda-da-vida endlessly when it first came out and I even liked the long version of “Smoke on the Water”, but there was always something about Pink Floyd that made me feel as though I was listening to a Buthelezi speech: on and on, long after the point had been made. But the progression of keyboards, to guitar, drums, voices and eventually saxophone is musically excellent and therefore totally acceptable. There is a long, full-length version of Shine On after which there is a hint of the theatre that is to follow: one of the backing singers appears on stage with a 1960s vacuum cleaner – only a minute on stage but a reminder of the technology of the time.
And then there is the introduction of a simple element, a fascinating symbol of the music of The Wall: a low wall, no more than 200 mm high, is built from both sides of the stage with cardboard blocks – unobtrusive but in your face at the same time. What will happen to it? The Wall is the story of a rock musician who, because of the pressures of fame and circumstances, isolates himself by building a higher and higher wall around himself. In the case of Pink Floyd, there is also the damning social commentary that plays a role in the construction of “the wall”.
It is this emotion that (especially in the second half) dominates the show. Although Darren Whittaker performs a classic lead break on the electric guitar, which I might remember as the best I’ve ever seen live (it carries on for a long time, so loud that a day later I still have a headache, and Darren, as the real axeman should be, is motionless, expressionless), the focus of the show is more and more on the wall that grows inexorably higher, and the work of lead singer Stan Gratkowski who, with passion and conviction, plays the role of the threatened artist.
Eventually Gratkowski is alone in front of the three metre high, dominant wall – isolated (as is the audience) from the rest of the artists and the stage. And then the climax: Gratkowski appears as a goose-stepping, Hitler-type caricature with a loudhailer. Initially the distortion of the megaphone and the volume of the music make it difficult to hear what he is saying, but as the music becomes progressively louder and it becomes impossible to hear his voice he becomes totally frenetic even though nobody can hear him. Outstanding theatre.
Finally, there is only the three metre high wall. What becomes of it …?
Note: The Pink Floyd Experience are my kind of musos. After years of playing in pubs and half-baked music tours of New Zealand for six beers a day, Stan Gratkowski, Glen Ahearn and Darren Whittaker decided to do a once-off Pink Floyd tribute show. Of course (as all artists in all genres will affirm) the experts knew that it would fail. They persevered, however, and the rest, as they say, is a minute little piece of music history that today is a world tour. Their dedication and perseverance shows in their outstanding work. Good on you lads!
Vincent Pienaar – 28 July to 21 August 2005 (Johannesburg Civic Theatre, Braamfontein, Jhb)
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