Rudolf-Weber-Arena, Oberhausen, Germany23rd February 2025
The Australian Pink Floyd Show - “Wish You Were Here - 50th Anniversary Tour”
60 years of PINK FLOYD. 50 years of ‘Wish You Were Here’. To mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the British supergroup PINK FLOYD in 1965 and the 50th anniversary of their album ‘Wish You Were Here’, THE AUSTRALIAN PINK FLOYD SHOW is currently touring Europe’s somewhat larger venues. Naturally, the focus is on the anniversary album on the eponymous ‘Wish You Were Here - 50th Anniversary Tour’. We report on the performance in the Rudolf Weber Arena in Oberhausen and experience the most successful PINK FLOYD tribute production in the world in outstanding form. However, the arena is not sold out. We estimate that just over half of the arena is used on this evening, the unused area (behind the stage) has been curtained off.
At 8 p.m. precisely, keyboardist David Parsons enters the large stage alone and launches into the initially instrumental part of ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V)’, but is joined a little later by technically adept guitarist Luc Ledy-Lepine. As the song progressed, the band takes on more and more contours on stage. After just under nine minutes, singer Chris Barnes and the three female backing singers enter the stage, and saxophonist Alex Francois joins the rest of the band almost two minutes later as the last member of the tribute band to perform a truly impressive solo on his saxophone. During the rest of the concert, which lasted over two hours, the three female singers, the singer and the saxophonist were only on stage when they were needed.
It is only logical that THE AUSTRALIAN PINK FLOYD SHOW then tackle the other songs on the anniversary album. And just like on record, the more accessible title track ‘Wish You Were Here’ also stands out in the live performance. As on previous tours, the Australians don’t miss the opportunity to introduce the song with video snippets in 2025. Video snippets that remind us who or what from Australia conquered the world in the past. Of course, Kylie Minogue is not to be missed here. And of course, the legendary AC/DC are also part of this list. The performance of the ‘Wish You Were Here’ album in its entirety is of course not a full-length programme. After the final notes of ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts VI-IX)’, THE AUSTRALIAN PINK FLOYD SHOW draws on the rich stock of great songs from PINK FLOYD’s discography. The band concentrates on songs from the iconic album ‘The Wall’ for the rest of the first set, which lasts around 65 minutes in total. And here ‘Another Brick In The Wall’ including the introductory ‘The Happiest Days of Our Lives’ is of course a must.
After a break of around twenty minutes, THE AUSTRALIAN PINK FLOYD SHOW enters the second half with ‘Astronomy Domine’. And this part of the concert in particular is peppered with many more highlights. ‘Time’, which immediately follows, sets the tone with its perfect drum sound, especially in the first few minutes before the song ignites. A little later there is spontaneous applause during ‘The Great Gig in the Sky’. The three female backing singers take centre stage here, with Chess Galea, who has only been part of THE AUSTRALIAN PINK FLOYD SHOW since this year and previously sang with British rivals BRIT FLOYD for two years, causing quite a stir. As the first of the three singers, she has the longest part and performs at such an incredibly high level that the applause for her colleagues Emily Lynn and Lorelei McBroom is somewhat more restrained.
‘Money’ and ‘Sorrow’ that follow immediately keep the level high. The guitar during ‘Sorrow’ sounds so marvellous from the speakers that it’s a real pleasure. ‘Marooned’ and ‘Coming Back To Life’, both rather quiet songs from the 1994 album ‘The Division Bell’, which have nothing in common with the rather lively ‘One Of These Days’, which heralds the final spurt, are a little more chilled out. The audience is no longer seated and celebrates the tribute band in style. THE AUSTRALIAN PINK FLOYD SHOW seizes the opportunity, encourage rhythmic clapping and perform two more songs from ‘The Wall’ with ‘Run Like Hell’ and finally ‘Comfortably Numb’ as an encore, before being celebrated by the enthusiastic audience.
Over two hours of PINK FLOYD are behind us, performed by a well-presented THE AUSTRALIAN PINK FLOYD SHOW. The choice of songs was inspiring, the sound was great and the light show was once again fantastic. A great concert! We would like to take this opportunity to wish all the best to the person who collapsed in one of the first rows of chairs shortly before the start of the show and received emergency medical care.
Setlist
Set 1:
01. Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V)
02. Welcome to the Machine
03. Have a Cigar
04. Wish You Were Here
05. Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts VI-IX)
06. In the Flesh?
07. The Happiest Days of Our Lives
08. Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2
09. Another Brick in the Wall, Part 3
10. Goodbye Cruel World
Set 2:
11. Astronomy Domine
12. Time
13. Breathe (Reprise)
14. The Great Gig in the Sky
15. Money
16. Sorrow
17. Marooned
18. Coming Back to Life
19. One of These Days
20. Run Like Hell
21. Comfortably Numb
Rating
Music: 9
Performance: 9
Light: 9
Sound: 9
Total: 9 / 10
All pictures by André Wilms
