April 16, 2025
Brit Floyd once again laser their way into the hearts of Montreal
There’s really no debate when it comes to who the greatest rock n’ roll band of all time is – while cases can be made for Led Zeppelin or maybe the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd runs away with the trophy each and every single time.
Since the chances that any of us ever get to see the real Pink Floyd play again, Brit Floyd becomes the absolute best option for fans of the original Floyd. Lesser bands might fold under that lofty weight placed upon their shoulders, but not these fine folks! Oh no! Brit Floyd have embarrassed their role in music history and are the current gatekeepers for the greatest band the world has ever and will ever know. Pink Floyd.
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Still though, there are some that continue to argue that Brit Floyd is but a cover band. To them, I simply say shut up. We know. Brit Floyd haven’t got a single original track to play, and that is all well and dandy because the people that go out to see them play, are doing it because they really want to witness the best band planet Earth has ever produced live. Some for the first time, some for the zillionth time.
The simple fact of the matter is that the music of Pink Floyd, like the mammoth composers Beethoven, Bach, Debussy and Mozart, will withstand the sands of time forever. I, myself, wasn’t lucky enough to have seen them play while they were around, but grew up loving their albums – and on a night like tonight, am as eager to see this so-called cover band as I would be the great masters themselves.
Brit Floyd
The last time Pink Floyd were here in Montreal, I was in the eight grade at high school – and my jerk of a father wouldn’t allow me to go to see Pink Floyd. There would be drugs there, he said, the bastard. This is the same man that saw Jimi Hendrix play in the Chislehurst Caves in England. He saw The Who countless times – but I couldn’t go see Pink Floyd! Fucking yes, I’m still pissed off about that.
From the start, an immense laser show overtook the beautiful Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, a spot usually reserved for classical musical and jazz – and Voivod when they played with a full orchestra, of course.
While lasers blasted over our heads, like a Star Wars movie – the good ones, pre-Disney, a giant screen displayed Pink Floyd related imagery behind the band. We were, for all intents and purposes, emerged in a total and utter full-bodied experience. Most concerts are between the crowd, and the band, and whatever substance the audience may or may not imbibe in to enhance the experience – but tonight’s show was the full package.
Tonight’s entertainment was to be divided into two portions, with an intermission that would prove to be a pivotal moment of not just the show, but for the city as a whole.
During Young Lust, Harry Waters – son of the great, great Rodger Waters emerged onto the stage. You can imagine the response. This being Montreal and all. Fun fact; Harry can be heard crying as a two-year baby on the original recordings of Goodbye Blue Sky. If that doesn’t age the hell out of all of us in the room tonight, I don’t know what will. I mean, I’m not as old as the The Wall is, but the rest of you… well!
At several moments throughout their set, I sat with my eyes closed, just soaking in the music – and it was practically perfect. Musically almost spot on. The only nuances were in the vocals, but does anyone truly want an exact replica of the greats? Is it even possible to be truly pitch perfect in every way? This, after all, is a tribute to the greatest of the greats – so there should be a slight imperfection, if you ask me. That too, is a tribute to just how brilliant the original material is.
As poignant as ever, despite this being a cover band and all (I know, we’ve covered that!). So much so, that during a fantastic rendition of Mother, where the line asks Mother should I trust the government? – the crowd roared back a massive no. And with the federal elections coming up in less than two weeks time, that question and respond couldn’t be anymore relevant. Think about that.
There is a very challenging vocal part in The Great Gig In The Sky that I can’t honestly picture anybody but Clare Torry perform, yet the vocals of Eva Avila were absolutely incredible. Spine-tinglingly amazing. Incredible beyond words. Avila is by far the closest anyone has ever come to those original recordings and I believe the closest anyone ever will, too. Of course, the fact that Eva Avila is a native of Gatineau sure goes a long way with a Quebecois crowd.
During the intermission, the audience once again showed the sports world why Montreal always was, is, and always will be the mecca of hockey. Tonight, the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Carolina Hurricanes by a score of four to two, to punch their ticket to the Stanley Cup playoffs – and a seated crowd at this prestigious venue, rose to its collective feet to offer a standing ovation to their team that was playing a few blocks away at the Bell Center, and serenade them even though they couldn’t hear them, with the famed Ole Ole Ole song.
As Pink Floyd is the greatest band on Earth, the Habs are the greatest hockey team on Earth – and the people of Montreal are always the greatest crowd on Earth. That’s a fact, Jack!
As if two incredible sets wasn’t enough, having played the classics as well as the deep cuts, Brit Floyd were back to perform an encore. In the old days – encores were reserved for bands that had earned an extended stay – performances like this one tonight. Holy shit. Exactly like this one tonight.
Seeing the face of the despicable Justin Trudeau on screen, shown as a shameful dictator in his home town… was glorious. A decade of tyranny gone, and now the bastard hangs in the halls of shame forever more. That, folks, is how you perform an encore. Trudeau’s nasty little face hung among the likes of George Bush senior and junior, Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, Genghis Khan and Adolf fucking Hitler.
The crowd roared with applause, showing that there is still hope for a better tomorrow – and after all, wasn’t that the exact message that Pink Floyd was always trying to put across? Hope!
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This wasn’t Pink Floyd tonight. True. However. This was as close as we will ever again get to having Pink Floyd on stage. This right here. This is the best any of us can ever hope for. Brit Floyd pay tribute to the legends better than anyone else ever has or ever will.
Tonight, well, tonight was a brilliant night for the city of Montreal. Brit Floyd filled our hearts and souls with music. And the Montreal Canadiens filled our hearts with pride and hope! Tonight! Tonight was a great night to be a Montrealer.
Ole! Ole, Ole oleeee!
