Gilmour’s Breakfast hit the ground running at Southbridge’s Cannery Music Hall last night after not playing out for seven months. Aside from one major flub and occasionally losing their groove, this premiere Pink Floyd tribute band rocked the rafters at this rural Massachusetts showcase room.
As a celebration for the 40th anniversary of the release of Pink Floyd’s signature concept album The Dark Side Of The Moon, Gilmour’s Breakfast performed the album in its entirety during the second set. This included the album’s popularly associated sound effects as well as visuals that played out on a backdrop screen.
A heartbeat sound effect opened the Gilmour’s Breakfast rendition of the album as the visual images inspired by this concept album heightened the scene. Thankfully, lead guitarist Martin Stewart still had his lap steel out after playing “One Of These Days.” Stewart’s phrase in “Breathe” became as atmospheric as the organ swirls as its notes continued to ring out each time he hit one, notes wafting in the air as he hit the next. Singer Rob Taylor, second guitarist Dan Whiteknact, and second keyboardist Matt Swanton offered gorgeous three-part harmonies to breathe even more life into this very familiar tune.
Gilmour’s Breakfast segued right into the next section of “Dark Side” via rapidly played sound effects, mad cackling laughter, and keyboard wizardry. Floyd’s big 1970s hit “Time” was ushered in by the hefty sprawl laid down by the burly drummer Peter Dayotas hitting his skins with huge reverbs. From there, “Time” segued into its epic rock song mode by its shifting dynamics and by adding edgy guitar phrasing. “Breathe Reprise” found singer Rob Taylor conjuring the relaxed homey vibe.
“The Great Gig In The Sky” began with voice injections by the singer until guest vocalist Robin Soares took over the choir-like vocal duties this number demands. Soares nailed it, taking her ever higher notes to that heavenly place that only gifted singers can. Whether singing her high notes into the stratosphere or descending to gentler coos, Soares maintained a gospel singer’s spiritual purity. The audience was hushed into silence by her lofty display of vocal power.
Familiar bass notes walked the audience right into the anti-greed protest song “Money.” The entire song was fulsomely recreated by the entire band, beautifully built around that initial low end line. Swanton’s tenor sax solo filled in the melody line sweetly during his turn before the dual guitars of Martin Stewart and Dan Whiteknact completed the easeful glide over the rhythm section.
“Us And Them” had a magical quality when the gentle guitar notes tiptoed over the old fashioned R&B groove. More so when Swanton’s tenor sax took over the playful role of melodic pied piper. “Any Colour You Like” followed with Harry Lawton’s lovely, considered piano tinkling and the assertive sax work putting a soulful shine on the instrumental, moving right down into the wellspring of unique dual guitar voicing. Another shift in dynamics sent the band into the hard rocking frenzy that drifted into the quietly English contemplation of madness called “Brain Damage.” Accompanied by the separate colorful prism lines meandering through outer space on the backdrop screen, it was a hugely artistic multimedia moment.
“Brain Damage” was marked by the flinty folkish tones on electric guitars and an organ line melody. Soared had returned to the stage to vocalize spiritually once again as the band used their handsome three-part harmony to the “all that you do” chorus.
Gilmour’s Breakfast, though, offered much more than their splendid, detailed rendition of Pink Floyd’s epic album. Their concert was loaded with golden nuggets from the Floyd’s storied recording career. They opened with “Castellorizon On An Island” from David Gilmour’s solo repertoire. Every band member got to showcase his talents on this moody, haunting, huge ensemble rock song. The rustic natural beauty of singer Rob Taylor’s acoustic guitar strumming over the two hard-charging electrics was only one fine moment among many.
Talk about courage. Gilmour’s Breakfast, for their second number, dove straight into “Echoes,” the sprawling side two song from Floyd’s commercial breakthrough album Meddle. Dual keyboards by Lawton and Swanton conjured the haunting background sound as the atmospheric guitars filled the rest of the space. Three-part vocal harmonies carried Roger Waters’ lyrics across the room like a lofty warm summer breeze. Sections of “Echoes” carried a slightly ominous feel until it grew into something overwhelming and scary, in a good emotive way. The driving motion of the music forced the listener to feel something.
While they were in an ambitious groove, Gilmour’s Breakfast played all of Pink Floyd’s Animals album. Vocals, acoustic guitar, dual lead guitars, various keyboard melodies, and a considerate rhythm section carried the band through “Pigs On The Wing 1” and “Dogs.” Then, the rhythm section took on more of a starring role on that album’s radio hit “Pigs (Three Different Ones).” The drums and bass had the chore of holding this one together with its tight rhythmic twists.
This band is a listener’s delight, and a music reviewer’s mightiest challenge. Everyone in the band is so busy on stage doing something impressive that it is difficult to decide which one to focus on. This was particularly true during “Sheep.” Rob Taylor worked every nuance in every vocal note to conjure Floyd’s contempt for man’s inhumanity to man.
Gilmour’s Breakfast closed out their first set with “There’s No Way Out Of Here,” a forgotten gem from David Gilmour’s 1978 self-titled solo album. A personal favorite of this reviewer for 35 years, it was a joy to see Swanton pull off the mad screamy intro melody on his tenor sax. The moody message song got another does of colorful life when the second guitarist Dan Whiteknact played his phrase as blaring and free as a horn.
Martin Stewart’s lap steel on “One Of These Days” came on strong alongside Bob Cooper’s bulbous low end notes as Dayotas’s burly drumming techniques made hefty, knocking notes on the skins. Listeners may have felt there was a madman with an axe knocking on the door. Stewart unleashed further tension filled notes from his lap steel that made one feel like they were flying off into an abyss. Meanwhile, Lawton’s crunched up lilting metallic notes were dealt out like a cavalcade in the amidst of this wild frenetic song.
Gilmour’s Breakfast encore began spookily on the strength of Swanton’s recorder notes from The Wall’s “In The Flesh.” Explosive drums and organ work, with shards of guitar phrases, jutted out in expression of Roger Water’s late 1970’s frustrated artistic madness. “Young Lust” featured rocking guitar riffs to expose the lustful side of Pink’s after show antics.
“Comfortably Numb” played out with instruments percolating special as individual units while coming together, leading into a beautifully phrased lead guitar line. The other favorable nuance was Taylor’s foreboding vocal timbre, rangy and full of dark, wistful reflection, gripping, epic as the band climbed the mountainous tune. Sid Barrett’s 1967 opus “Astronomy Domine” featured a lot of clever keyboard work while Taylor unfurled the original word play.
Gilmour’s Breakfast are just unlimited in their ability to learn the details and sweeping motions of everything in Pink Floyd’s catalogue. Last night’s show, with its ambitious recreation of Dark Side Of The Moon, was only one of many fantastic concerts Gilmour’s Breakfast pull off throughout the year. Granted, a brilliant technical crew deserve a lot of the credit for last nights sound and sight extravaganza. Yet, this is one tribute band that has to be experienced to be believed. Floyd fans and rock music fans will leave each show completely satisfied and totally blown away by this mind-blowingly good music.
