The band began at 10, but the fans that came early got an unsuspected treat: DJ Rootz (www.crushmorerecords.com). Rootz mixed classic rock with rap, a great combination for those who grew up in the 90’s when hip-hop turned pop and when teenagers learned to appreciate great classic rock bands. Rootz, whose intention seemed to be to calibrate the eardrums to high volume and booming bass, meshed Led Zeppelin’s ‘Whole Lotta Love’ perfectly with some deep hip-hop beats. AC/DC’s ‘Back in Black’ apparently was written with the amazing foresight to mix with Dre’s ‘The Next Episode,’ or maybe that was just Rootz’ foresight and talent shining through.
Pigs on the Wing opened by staying true to their promise of playing the entire ‘Animals’ album. The only cover of this album that I am familiar with is Les Claypool’s spot-on version, which sounds closer to the album than even Pink Floyd could recreate live. P.O.T.W. did do justice to one of the greatest albums ever made, although intentionally straying from the version by the methodical disciplinarian that is Claypool.
From there, P.O.T.W. embarked on a hyperbolic reflection of Floyd.
“[They] bring the spirit out of it. They got a lot of touch, a lot of style, I’m loving it,” fan Brian Brewer reflected upon the rocked-out, obviously Floyd-enamored tribute band. I say ‘tribute band’ and not ‘cover band’ because I feel they were playing homage to the great Floyd and not simply trying to recreate it’s music.
There are two ways to play another band’s music. One is attempting to play it perfectly like Les Claypool did, and the other is playing it with your own style because the musicians of the tribute band have a deep-found respect for the band. Pigs on the Wing did the latter. These two notions leave a lot of room for failure. A cover or tribute band can fall short very easily by trying to play it like the band itself and failing, or by trying to play it their way and simply not being able to convey their respect for the band.
Pigs on the Wing is made up of three side projects that came together for one common good – that common good is Floyd, if you are a fan, and there’s no reason you shouldn’t be. You know a four-member band like Floyd is awesome when it takes eight people to honor it’s music – three electric guitars, one acoustic, one bass guitar, two keyboards, and one drummer.
Pigs on the Wing played Floyd as they wanted, with a hardcore, heavier rock and roll sound. Acoustic guitarist and lead vocalist, Count Kelly, sang with a voice almost indistinguishable from Water’s. He hit the same soul-shattering notes with lead guitarist, Matt Weiss’s lavish strands of guitar filling in the background nicely.
While many people I talked to came to hear the gleaming bass of STS9’s Dave Murphy, all members of P.O.T.W. fulfilled their role beautifully. Count Kelly even added the greedy snorts that accompany the songs ‘Pigs.’
One of the highlights was a trippy version of ‘Echoes’ that ran into a morbid ‘One of These Days,’ which, at one point, sunk into the bowels of Death Metal. It was during this song that some pernicious motherfucker let off stink bombs, (probably a minor fan resentful for being quarantined in the Fox’s under-21 section due to the theatre’s strict drinking regulations). Although, the foul smell seemed to add to the rancidity that came with Pigs on the Wing’s version of ‘One of These Days.’
Guitarist, Matt Weiss said many of the band members are from Athens, Georgia, which Weiss described as a ‘hub of creativity.’ P.O.T.W. member, Timi Conley, said everybody in the Floyd tribute band “is in like five other bands.” The keyboardists are in Velveteen Pink, while Conley is in Kite to the Moon. Conley is also instrumental in the Athens’ festival, The Wild Rumpus.
Pigs on the Wing plays Cervantes in Denver tomorrow then goes to Aspen. Boulder was the musicians’ third show playing as Pigs on the Wing.