By Adam McKinney
Few bands are as groundbreaking, iconic, indelible and interchangeably melodramatic and unknowable as Pink Floyd. They’re a band defined by contradictions: How can a group that went through so many changes and phases still be instantly recognizable? How did an album as enormously strange and ambitious as The Dark Side of the Moon become one of the best-selling albums of all time? How is it that a band so beloved by baby boomers remains a rite of passage for defiant, young music fans?
While these questions may best be posed to those with blacklight posters and vinyl copies of Wish You Were Here, what we can say is these progressive rock pioneers, great as they were, disbanded long ago. Regret never catching them live? May we suggest Pigs on the Wing? The group got its start in 2006 and has quickly grown into one of the top Pink Floyd tribute bands in the Pacific Northwest, if not the country. Recreating what made that legendary group so special is quite the feat, but Pigs on the Wing pull it off with aplomb by finding a delicate balance between reverence and being true to their own personality.
The lushness of Pigs on the Wing is aided by sheer numbers, with seven members making up the lineup: Jason Baker, Bryan Fairfield, Pete Galluzzo, Matt Jones, David Lindenbaum, Keeley St. Clair and Eric Welder. It’s important for Pigs on the Wing to take every opportunity to approach the majesty, wonder, and overwhelming mood inherent in much of Pink Floyd’s music, achieved by dipping into much of Pink Floyd’s discography: The Dark Side of the Moon, Meddle, The Wall, Wish You Were Here and Animals, from which the band’s name is borrowed.
What better way to ring in the new year, escaping 2018’s gauntlet of turmoil and psychic stress, than to enjoy some of Pink Floyd’s most righteous cuts? Pigs on the Wing will be on hand at Rhythm and Rye on Dec. 31 to sound the arrival of 2019. Beware, though: As Rhythm & Rye owner Andy Geersten says, “This is always a great party with one of our favorite bands, and we expect it to sell out.” To avoid getting stuck in the cold, buy tickets in advance at eventbrite.com.
WHAT
Pigs on the Wing
WHEN
9 p.m. Monday, Dec. 31
HOW MUCH
$15-$20
WHERE
Rhythm and Rye,
311 Capitol Way N, Olympia
LEARN MORE
facebook.com/rhythmandrye
360-705-0760