Photos by Chris Besaw
Review by Kelly Besaw
Brit Floyd returned to Syracuse to perform to a sold-out crowd at the Crouse Hinds Theater Monday evening. The Pink Floyd tribute band is on tour celebrating the 50-year anniversary of Wish You Were Here.
I will start by saying that Britt Floyd is much more than your average tribute band. These are professional musicians who are incredibly talented and deliver a complete Pink Floyd experience. Every detail from the guitar solos, the bass riffs, the vocals, percussion, and the amazing pipes of the three backup vocalists is perfect. Throw in the elaborate light show and the carefully coordinated visuals and it makes the show the ultimate experience for Pink Floyd fans.
The show started almost exactly at 8pm with “Signs of Life” followed by “Learning to Fly.” The guitar solo during “High Hopes” was flawless and had fans cheering and clapping. While Damian Darlington (vocals/guitar) and Ian Cattell (vocals/bass) do the majority of the singing, the rest of the band, Edo Scordo (guitars/vocals), Matt Riddle (keyboards, synths). Randy Cooke (drums/percussion), Arran Ahmun (drums/percussion) and Ryan Saranich (saxophone/percussion/guitars/bass/keyboard) contribute backing vocals and flawlessly replicate the traditional Floyd sound.
Some highlights from the evening included Angela Cervantes (backup vocals) haunting solo on “The Great Gig in the Sky.” She absolutely nailed it and received a well-deserved standing ovation from the crowd. Everyone sang along to “Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2” and a giant inflatable pig made an appearance onstage during “Pigs (Three Different Ones).” The band plays two sets and an encore totaling almost a three-hour long show. The second set included the album Wish You Were Here in its entirety. They ended the second set with “Comfortably Numb” before taking a short break and returning for the encore which included “Brain Damage,” “Eclipse” and “Run Like Hell.” It was a fantastic experience. If you are skeptical or have not seen Brit Floyd, I highly recommend checking them out.
