Photo by Mike Ritchie

On Saturday May 4th Cincinnati’s renowned Pink Floyd tribute band played to their biggest audience to date at Hobart Arena. It was presumably one of the happiest days of their lives. Not every band can get up and play precisely pink but Signs of Life www.facebook.com/SignsOfLifePinkFloyd take it a ‘few’ steps further adding a large screen, trippy lighting, sound effects and play PF classics with near perfect clarity and precession to satisfy the most casual to the most critical, die-hard fan. After all when you play Pink Floyd you’re paying tribute to musical perfection and a band you not only see and hear but experience. If that in itself wasn’t challenging enough they celebrated the 40^th anniversary of the bands 1973 landmark/legendary Dark Side of the Moon record. Played mid-set in its entirety with several other classics the crowd was treated to a night of mesmerizing audio/visual stimulation.

The bands eighth record, recorded at Abbey Road Studios was to become one of the greatest records of all time selling over 50 million copies worldwide, though only being number 1 for a week, had a 741 week run in billboard charts from 1973-1988. It’s the sixth best seller ever in the UK and shot the band into the stratosphere. Highly regarded for its iconic music and sounds Dark Side in record form was comprised of five continuous songs on each side lyrically representing stages of life including conflict, greed, death and mental health. In its earliest live performances it was called Dark Side of the Moon: A Piece for Assorted Lunatics. The iconic artwork inspired by the bands stage lighting represented the bold but simple design wanted. The band has also stated that the dark side of the moon is not somewhere over the rainbow.

Photo by Mike Ritchie

Lights went out as Dan Barger walked slowly up through the crowd in the flesh playing clarinet starting the ambiance. Sorry… Pink couldn’t make it out tonight but no worries. Troy, Ohio you wanted the best, you got the best. The hottest Pink Floyd tribute band in the land…. Signs of Life! The marching hammers were released on screen as a large captor plane soared through the dark sarcasm in the arena. The show starts its transcendent musical build toward the moon brick by brick with creepy porcelain baby dolls appearing and falling into the educational abyss meat grinder as all the letters and grades float into place. From the lost youth of school we’re welcomed into the life and mind of the factory accompanied by mechanic thunder and watch the machine’s early new model shine fade as the building blocks of architecture and industry turn off by age, decay, constant repetitive use and neglect. Silver tipped lights spray the audience shining on like crazy diamonds as serene keyboard wave’s splash over and steam fills the stage with long beams of illumination. They’re a girl’s best friend, especially when pink.

There was no smoking in the building but the lads and ladies treated themselves to a cigar anyway. The wall continues to loom ascending skyward built by all the young lust calling to see about the great big gig in the sky. While they wait we’re taken on a swirling mind bending journey through the astronomically divine cosmos. Icy blue lasers permeate the air as loud bass thumps the speaker’s, loud drum beats jolt you from the calming tranquility of the keyboards as blood splatters, glass shatters as the screen’s consumed by metaphorical violence as Jon Stankorb takes a seat slicing guitar notes into little bitty pieces.

Photo by Mike Ritchie

Slowly the birth of a heartbeat invades the silence; voices and laughter speak to us as we learn to breathe in the air on the Darth side. We’re on the run chasing time before the alarm goes off ticking away the moments that make up the dog days as we hear the beauty of heavens voice in the form of Jennifer Lauletta sing through the air. It’s no secret floating adrift in space without a helmet causes brain damage but the longer you last the prettier the astral colour’s get. Only a lunatic would do it, but if you can last till the eclipse we’ll see you on the dark side of the moon.

After a well-deserved/earned standing ovation the band exited stage but the rowdy crowd brought them back. Encoring with Wish You Were Here, then we all got Comfortably Numb before preparing to Run Like Hell to beat traffic.

The Essence of Pink Floyd is: Jon Stankorb-Lead vocals, lead guitar/lap steel guitar, John Hoerr-bass/ vocals, Tom Bartel-keyboards/vocals/percussion, Tony Sager-drums/percussion, Rich Biondo-Acoustic/electric guitars, Reyna Spears/Akilah Ruiz/Jennifer Laulettas -vocals. signsoffloyd.com

The music of Pink Floyd has been described by many as timeless, emotional, epic, classic, genre defying, transcending and most important, immortal. They have an almost hypnotic mass appeal to so many generations separated by years and often decades. They’re one of the few bands mom, dad and the kids can all agree on, whether they’ll admit it or not. They’ve walked the line of being rock but not loud enough to hurt the ears but catchy, bluesy and soulful enough to appeal to almost everyone. No matter what level of fandom you’re at, you know a Pink Floyd song when you hear it.

By concept, visuals and most important outstanding, groundbreaking and pioneering musical precession they’ve stood the test of time and will continue influencing bands for years to come. You don’t see Pink Floyd, you experience them, you don’t listen to them, you feel them, playing right into your inner most senses. Signs of Life: The Essence of Pink Floyd brings their stadium show into the theater/club environment. Creating the intense sonic audio bombast, intense eye popping visuals and space age, atmospheric trippy lighting that made Pink Floyd one of the greatest bands to watch, and hear, ever. Lead vocalist, guitarist Jon Stankorb plays a mean David Gilmour, putting his own vocals on par with one of music’s most iconic voices. Bass and backing vocals John Hoerr puts the same galloping, haunting sound on the four strings as Roger Waters. Rich Biondo creates the extra guitar sound and ambiance. Atmosphere master Tom Bartel effortlessly takes the legendary sounds surrounding Gilmour, Barrett, Waters and Mason created by Richard Wright adding his own intuitive interpretation making all the moods happen on keys and effects. Tony Sager fills the drum kit nicely for the one original Floyd member that appeared on every album, Nick Mason. Saxist, percussion and vocalist Dan Barger makes Floyd sound just as saxy as the original boys did. Reyna Spears and Akilah Ruiz sing out the majestic heart and soul of the band.

Their third visit to the Gilly’s stage, they emerge to a packed house In The Flesh, ready and welcome to the show. Pink couldn’t make it tonight but you definitely get the next best thing. Helicopter effects fill the room. We don’t need no education, no thoughts controlled or dark sarcasm in the nightclub. Hey teacher, leave those fans alone. The acoustics debut, Mother do you think they’ll like this song? Mother can Pigs fly? There’s one on the Wing. Yes son, they accompany the Dogs of war….welcome my son, Welcome to the Machine! So… you think you can tell, heaven from hell? (For everyone that wasn’t there) Wish You Were Here. Next up is 14 minutes of audio bliss, Shine On. The show’s first half ends with the guitar grinding roar of Sorrow.

They return with the sole intention of Learning to Fly…. One of These days. After the edgy guitar work and audio aura they calm things down and get nice and mellow. The performance is a shared experience of everything that made Pink Floyd, Pink Floyd, just Us & Them. The somber tranquility is broken by the sensory shattering sounds of alarms, chimes and grandfather clocks followed by the slow dramatic guitar crunching buildup in Time. The beginning plucked acoustic almost whispering strings and moody bass of Hey You followed. Then cash registers clanged, receipts were made and coins poured as the Money flowed. Next we took a trip back to the early 90’s and hear the Division Bell. It’s been said that Pink Floyd’s music is the closest thing to hearing the voices and sounds of heaven, this could be true but for now we’re happy to take a trip into space with the lunatic in our head for some Brain Damage and an Eclipse on the Dark Side of the Moon. Signs of Life makes you Comfortably Numb in a good way. They end with the guitar echoing stadium encore pleaser Run Like Hell.

Formed in 2009, they authentically capture the Pink Floyd live experience. They don’t just play the songs, they’ve engineered a concert going experience paying tribute, showing respect and adding their own spin, touch and take on the classics. For two sets the audience is bathed in the shimmering glow of stage lights and stimulated by Floyd’esk screen visuals and symbolism. They’ve played to packed houses and won over the most die-hard and hard to impress fans to the most casual radio fan. Their accuracy to the material is near pin-point while making it just different enough keeping their own identity. For the most part they play different sets every show, sometimes playing big hits early, doing lesser known material from the early years at different times but keeping an even balance and respect of each era and what a Pink Floyd set-list would look like. There’s little talking besides band introduction. The performance is complete delivery and respect of the music. If any band deserved a tribute it’s definitely Pink Floyd. Stankorb says hearing the sounds Gilmour made come out of a guitar inspired him to do the same. They’re not just up there playing the songs with guitars, drums and keyboards. They have multiple instruments changes, bongo drums, sax, chimes and other odd instruments that make the show uniquely their own. They’re also working on idea’s for bigger props like the physical brick wall and inflatable characters to bring an even bigger show to the fans. Indeed this is The Essence of Pink Floyd.