The Floyd Concept brings back sound, visuals of Pink Floyd for June 11 concert
Growing up as a saxophone player, Jack Prybylski tended to listen to horn-infused bands such as Chicago, Tower of Power and Earth, Wind & Fire.
As far as Pink Floyd went, not so much.
“I heard ‘Us and Them’ and heard ‘Money,'” he said about the songs from Floyd’s “The Dark Side of the Moon” that went into radio rotation.
“That was pretty much the extent of it,” he said.
Today, following a 32-year career as a public-school music teacher in Niagara Falls, N.Y., Prybylski is lending his talents to the Floyd Concept. The Buffalo-based Pink Floyd tribute band is venturing for the first time to the Pittsburgh area for a June 11 show at the Crafthouse Stage & Grill in Baldwin Borough.
Prybylski, who serves as music director along with along with playing saxophone and keyboards, has become a huge Floyd fan since joining the Concept.
“When I became more involved with this project and going back and listening to albums, it was like, wow, it is such a great amount of great material,” he said. “I’m disappointed that I didn’t see them in their heyday.”
Besides a onetime reunion prior to the death of co-founder Richard Wright, Pink Floyd last played live in 1994, on a tour that included a May 31 show at Three Rivers Stadium. Fans of the legendary band include folks who weren’t even born yet at the time, to go along with those who have been listening for decades.
To help them either remember or experience something new, the Floyd Concept incorporates visual elements such as video screens, light shows and lasers to emulate the concerts of yesteryear.
And of course, there’s the music.
“We’re all on the same page as far as the level of detail that we expect and that the audience expects,” Prybylski said. “The fans know the music so well. They know every note of a guitar solo. They know every lyric.
“We have to be very detailed in our presentation.”
The Floyd Concept’s repertoire covers the majority of Pink Floyd’s career, from its origins as a psychedelic band led by the late Roger “Syd” Barrett to the bestselling material recorded by the core quartet of Wright, David Gilmour, Roger Waters and Nick Mason.
Some of the better-known material – such as “Comfortably Numb,” complete with a faithful rendering of Gilmour’s iconic guitar solo – is complemented by the Barrett-era “Arnold Layne,” “Lucifer Sam” and “Astronomy Domine,” along with lesser-known gems such as “Fat Old Sun,” “Pigs (Three Different Ones)” and the instrumental “One of These Days,” featuring Concept bass player Paul Yates.
The other band members are Tom Bender, lead vocals and guitars; Dan Bird, drums and percussion; Michael Digaetano, keyboards; and guitarists Ron LoCurto and Geno McManus.
Along with his membership in the Floyd Concept, Prybylski continues his educational career by teaching music to children with autism and serving as assistant director of athletic bands at the University at Buffalo.
And, in keeping with Pink Floyd’s immortalization in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Prybylski is a Buffalo Music Hall of Fame inductee.
For tickets to the Crafthouse Stage & Grill performance, visit www.crafthousepgh.com/stage/floyd-concept-tribute-pink-floyd. More information about the Floyd Concept is at www.thefloydconcept.com.