Originally published by L.S. Media. July 4th 2010.
The Liverpool Summer Pops continued from where it had left off last year with the superb Australian Pink Floyd Show. After the success of last years The Wall show, which was one of the major highlights of last year’s massive undertaking of performances, the musicians that make up (possibly one of the finest cover bands of all time) Australia’s finest export outside of Fosters and the ever youthful Rolf Harris, have come to Liverpool to show why there is still much demand for the work of the original band.
With brand new animation to go along with the song on offer during the evening, the band came on stage to the sight of their erstwhile mascot of the pink kangaroo jumping around its bedroom, much in the same way that we all did as teenagers, and changing records in time to the music as music from a gentler time filled the Echo Arena, much to the loyal audiences delight.
The first half of the show was filled with show stoppers from Dark Side of the Moon, Animals and Wish You Were Here. Each one greeted with the same enthusiasm as the last. During the set there was the usual touching nod to the now departed Syd Barratt and Rick Wright. Rick’s work was celebrated with the haunting Great Gig in the Sky. The first set ended with two cracking songs from the Animals album, Pigs and Sheep.
The second half of the set was overflowing with songs that would be in every Pink Floyd fans top ten and a few little surprises which took a few people by amazement, but none the less shone brightly for being played. The band opened up with the wonderful Syd Barrett composition Astronomy Domine and never looked back as the combination of the superb light show and inspired musicianship left the audience awestruck.
Other songs played during the second half included the 1987 post Roger Waters song Learning To Fly, the under used but beautiful Careful with that Axe Eugene, the rarely played but incredibly poignant The Gunner’s Dream from The Final Cut and the bands first number one Brick In the Wall part Two.
The band finished the second set with the same air of whimsy that you would expect from David Gilmour, Roger Waters and Nick Mason if they were able to play together on stage as they did during Live 8 a few years ago. With such songs such as Wish You Were Here, One of These Days and of course the much touted song of the last century, the Pink Floyd fans dream Comfortably Numb.
The band finished off a superb night of pure music and entertainment with the one song as an encore, the brutally scary Run Like Hell from the album The Wall.
Ian D. Hall