Aug. 27 show will include 50th anniversary full performance of ‘Wish You Were Here’

By Thom Jennings

When vocalist Chris Barnes joined The Australian Pink Floyd Show in 2016, he stepped into a legacy that had been building since the band’s formation in 1988. For Barnes, the connection to Pink Floyd’s music began decades earlier.

“My introduction to Pink Floyd was the ‘Relics’ album when I was five years old,” Barnes recalled. “The first time I was aware of the (Australian Pink Floyd Project) was when they came to the U.K in 1998, and my friend — who is now my brother-in-law — went to see them. I missed that show because I was working, but I was able to catch them in 1999 with my then-girlfriend, who is now my wife, on our first date.”

That first live Floyd experience left a deep impression.

“I was stunned at the attention to detail,” Barnes said. “They were only a five-piece back then—now we are a ten-piece.”

Attention to detail remains the cornerstone of The Australian Pink Floyd Show’s philosophy.

“The ethos is to make it sound like the album,” Barnes explained. “That means everything from the bend of the guitar string to the tuning of the drums. Some of the arrangements are from the live albums, but other than that they are faithful to the classic versions.”

Unlike other legendary rock bands with outsized personalities at the forefront, Barnes notes that Pink Floyd’s mystique lies in their anonymity.

“The way it was described to me is that we are all like anonymous professors in a laboratory. Pink Floyd didn’t have a Freddie Mercury or a Mick Jagger.”

Still, the show is far from faceless. The band pairs meticulous musicianship with a dazzling visual production. “The light show is immersive as well,” said Barnes. “It is a recreation of what Pink Floyd was known for, and it introduces the music to new generations.”

Barnes takes pride in channeling the distinct voices and moods across the band’s catalog.

“For instance, with Roy Harper (guest vocalist on the original version of ‘Have a Cigar’), you have this unusual voice,” Barnes noted. “I look at him as this snide record producer, almost a character. You have to be a bit aggressive, and it’s almost like taking on a different persona. Then, for instance, David Gilmour’s voice on ‘High Hopes’ (from 1994’s ‘The Division Bell’) is mature, so it has a different feel than his vocals on ‘Wish You Were Here’ (from 1975). You have to pull different tools out of the tool house to sing songs from different eras of the band.”

That careful approach is rooted in respect for fans’ deep emotional connections.

“When the surviving members go out on solo tours they have license to do what they want with the material, but people expect us to recreate the album versions,” Barnes said. “They may have had their first kiss to a particular song, or have a special memory, so our role is to remind them of that. It’s nostalgia. No matter where a fan came along on the journey, the music is sacred to them. You can’t be a casual fan of the band.”

Part of the enduring appeal, Barnes believes, is the breadth of Pink Floyd’s catalog.

“It’s so different, especially in terms of keyboard textures,” he said. “The best thing about Pink Floyd’s catalogue is that there are so many different areas they covered. There is space-rock, acoustic stuff, psychedelic stuff, instrumentals, lyrics that make you think.”

The band’s current show includes a performance of the “Wish You Were Here” album in its entirety, in honor of the fiftieth anniversary of its release.

Ticket information can be found at https://www.artpark.net/event/100117.