Dark Side of the Moon’s first gig since Sept. is this weekend

Northeast Ohio-based Pink Floyd tribute Dark Side of the Moon’s first gig since September is this weekend

As a teenager growing up in Norton, Jeff Tucker had no idea what was in store when in 1988 his father took him to see Pink Floyd at the old Richfield Coliseum. “I was 13 or 14, and it was the only time I would ever see Pink Floyd,” said Tucker, who now calls Wadsworth home. “It was fantastic. I wasn’t a big fan of them at that time, but I knew some of the music. It was like seeing a really good band. I remember the lights and lasers. “I started casually listening to Pink Floyd more at that point. As I got a little bit older, I started playing guitar and getting into different music.” Today, Tucker is such a fan that he’s seen both Roger Waters and David Gilmour in recent respective solo concerts. He also has “The Great Gig in the Sky” as singer-guitarist for Pink Floyd tribute act Dark Side of the Moon. You’d better believe Tucker is grateful for his “A Momentary Lapse of Reason” tour experience, which in Floyd circles makes him bona fide. He joined the band in 2009 as a Roger Waters fill-in and eventually he took over. “It’s my third decade in Dark Side of the Moon,” Tucker said. “The odd story is there are no original members left in the band, which started as a group of friends and over the years slowly got replaced by more and more committed people and better musicians.” He joked in the Pink Floyd dynamic, he’s more of the Gilmour — who stuck around to keep the classic rock band’s music alive for fans. During a non-pandemic year, Tucker said, the group performs more than 12 gigs annually, including regional dates. After performing a winery show in September, Dark Side of the Moon has booked a performance for April 3 at the Lorain Palace Theater. in the band, we’re covering all of the parts. It’s a good group of musicians that accurately replicate the songs that we’re doing.” The setlist includes material from the entire Pink Floyd catalog — “Shine on You Crazy Diamond (IV),” “Comfortably Numb,” “Money” and “Wish You Were Here.” Now Tucker approaches each Dark Side of the Moon show as if he’s performing for his teenage self in the audience. “That concert was something I really enjoyed, even without knowing or understanding the music,” Tucker said. “It was still a fun experience. The conversation we have with venues we play is that as a band we perform a 50-year span of music that now attracts three or four generations of people who all can come out and enjoy a show.”

“We own all of our lights, lasers, the round hoop (screen) and the video equipment,” Tucker said. “That allows us to play a place like the Lorain Palace and offer that experience without having to get into a $50 ticket like if (fellow tribute act) Brit Floyd comes around. “That allows us to get into some smaller places and give that intimate experience. With eight people

SUBMITTED Pink Floyd tribute band Dark Side of the Moon performs.