Comfortably Numb

Its a bit delayed that I write about it now, but last Saturday I went to Dublin to watch Pink Floyd in concert. What? Now before Adam drops his purse and pees his panties, it was Australian Pink Floyd; tribute band. Wierd I know. I paid good money, 40 euros in fact, to watch a tribute band. Thats something I never thought Id ever do especially for that kind of money. Tribute bands by definition are really only just specialized cover bands, so normally there would be no sense in investing yourself in an act thats not even the real thing. People are strange though, and it was somewhat of a surreal experience. Before you pass judgement... hear me through.

Two of my coworkers are Pink Floyd freaks. They grew up in the 70s, so fair enough. And for as long as I could remember (which is about two years, the time I joined the office), they have been raving about this Aussie Pink Floyd tribute band. "Brilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant!" They repeated the facts over and over: only tribute band with 6 semi-trucks for equipment, since they had purchased the stage sets from the last Pink Floyd Division Bell Tour in 1994, making the whole production sorta "blessed by the pope" in a way. They are the only tribute band to play for a real member of Pink Floyd , hired to play by David Gilmour to play at his 50th Birthday, and regularly endorsed by David Gilmour himself. Also they are very very very good at playing Pink Floyd songs, which is kinda essential to the whole thing. And last Saturday they were coming to Dublin again. Unknownst to me, this was kinda of a big deal.

It was such a big deal that Cyril bought his tickets 5 months ago. 16 of them. This completely blew me away, that people would go so crazy for a show that was essentially fake and bring everyone along with. But at the same time, it really intrigued me, and when one of Cyrils tickets became available last minute, I wanted to see what this was all about. I had to.

The concert itself, It had a wierd feel to it, like I was entering a girls bathroom by mistake for the first time; everything looks kinda the same, all the essentials are there, but you know there is something not quite right. It was packed house first of all, completely full at the Point Theatre, the premier performance venue in Dublin, seating some 8,500 or so, every single one had an ass in it. And with big crowds there was a definite buzz, a buzz that I was sort of rejecting because, again, for the millionth time, its only a tribute band. The buzz is that feeling of anxiety and excitement a crowd gets right before a big performance, a shared collective that produces a palitable energy and audible frequency, you feel it and hear it. The best example would be like the thousands of people entering a Canucks playoff game or an England vs Argentina World Cup match or a massive U2 concert or even the world premiere of "Deuce Bigalow 2: European Gigalo"; everyone has the exact same butterflies and goosebumps, knowing something big is about to happen, live right it front of you, and cant stand the anticipation. Thats the buzz, and I was rejecting it because I didnt think it belonged here. The stage, too, was looking all impressive; lights lazers, 40 ft circular projection screens, and a 35 foot inflatable blow up pig with glowing red eyes. Hmm, these guys know what they are doing. And when the gig started, with the lights and the screens and the music synced Pink Floyd patented lazers (the LAZERS!!), and the thousands of fans going crazy, youd actually think it was Pink Floyd playing. They were that good. They played every big song letter perfect, and with the lights and lazers blinding you and distracting you, you easily get lulled into an actual Pink Floyd experience.

This is what I figured out though... the best way I could describe it, is that much like wrestling, its sort of self delusional entertainment. You pretend whats going on is authentic, and everything is created to make it seem as authentic as possible even though in the back of your mind you know it isnt, and Paul "Mr. 1nderful" Orndorf is not really driving Tito Santanas head into the canvas. But you dont give a shit and enjoy it anyway. Thats what these Irish fans, and I guess Pink Floyd fans around the world are left with as the only option. Because if you blurred your eyes, especially during Wish You Were Here, then I swear its the closest to the real thing, youll ever get, which for me is good enough. Especially considering when there is absolutely no chance that the real Pink Floyd would ever stand up and play again together because they hate each other so much (Not including Live 8, which was an exception because that was for charity, and Bob Geldof pulled a Tony Soprano on them)

And I was surprised to say, even going in with so much skepticalism (not a spelling mistake), that I really enjoyed myself. Not 40 euros enjoyed myself, mind you, but hey whatever. Everyone loves a good live cover band.