Pink Floyd "Dark Side of the Moon" Tribute Rocks Aims Community College

Aims Professor of Music Rick Busson initiated the idea for the event. To make it a reality, he found support from Stephanie Newton, Chair of Visual & Performing Arts and Scott Reichel, the Dean of Arts and Sciences. Busson serves as the musical director for the performance and will play guitar at the concert. “Pink Floyd took the concept album to the next level by questioning the meaning of your life and what you would like to accomplish in your lifetime.” He has been inspired by the music and its cultural and social impact over the decades. “Some people are very familiar with it, and some people are not really sure what the big deal is. I'm just the right age for that. If you think about 50 years, I was in high school when that came out. It did touch a lot of my generation,” Busson said.  

He believes this event will excite more than just fans of classic psychedelic rock. “Celebrating that particular concept album and seeing how our community college would interpret it and enhance it with a multimedia event. I think that's going to intrigue more than just my generation.”

The music ensemble has been rehearsing for several months; it comprises Aims faculty, staff and students. The music from the album “Dark Side of the Moon” will be performed in its entirety on stage. “It's a studio masterpiece, so it's pretty hard to do all that stuff live. We’re working on the parts of the instrumentation and trying to be true to that and the vocals.”

This event is a collaboration between Aims students, faculty and staff in departments ranging from Visual and Performing Arts, Multimedia Graphic Design, Rich Media Communication Media and more. “We wanted as much of a college-wide project as possible and got everybody's creative spirit involved,”  Busson said.

Students in the Graphic Design Production II class, taught by instructor David Jané, created potential design images for advertising for this event, and their art will be part of what will be displayed at the event. One of the posters, created by Aims student Kristen Hyland, was chosen as the official poster for the event. Developing a design brief, the class learned about design history, what look was popular in the 1970s, the professional printing process, and how to incorporate UV Blacklight ink into these posters.

The art department created 3D prisms and pyramids for students to pay homage to the classic image on the album cover. Art Professor Sonya PauKune has students in her Ceramics classes and 3-D Design class decorate these sculptures inspired by the music of Pink Floyd. “I like collaborating, especially within the art department,” PauKune said. “It's been a really fun project. I'm a big believer that if a person is artistic, they can transcend different utensils or materials to create that art conversation. So, whether it's music, dance, theater, or the visual arts, students can really express their stories.”

Communication Media Department faculty staff and students play an integral role in filming this event and contributing to the on-stage lighting and audio production. David Farrell, Professor of Communication Media, will run the sound and students from his Live Sound Reinforcement course will assist with the setup. The sounds of "Dark Side of the Moon" will be tricky to create in a live setting as it is a complex studio album. “The production on that album, there were many delay effects and effect processing. We're going to try to recreate some of that sonically.” Farrell said. The team will incorporate sound effects into the mix, like the sound of cash registers in the song “Money.”

Dev Multer and Gregory Driskill, Media Producers for Aims, have created video loops to be on the large screens during the performance to add to the multimedia experience. This will include images that were inspired by the songs and crazy swirling patterns for people to explore as the music goes on. The team will also record a video of the live production; students in television classes are assisting with that. 

Pink Floyd's “Dark Side of the Moon” is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most popular albums ever. The 1973 album was a commercial success, spending a record-breaking 937 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart, and is estimated to have sold over 45 million copies worldwide. It is an album with a cohesive and thought-provoking theme exploring the human condition, including topics such as greed, mortality, and mental health. The album is also known for its innovative use of sound effects, sampling, and production techniques. The band employed techniques like multitrack recording, tape loops, and synthesizers to create a unique soundscape that was groundbreaking for its time.

Admission to the event is free. This event is an opportunity to support Aims students by donating voluntarily to Arty's Pantry. It is a college-wide pantry that provides students with food, personal hygiene products, school supplies, and more. Aims is an officially designated Hunger-Free campus, and Arty's Pantry is critical to supporting students.  

To get more information about this event or donate to Arty’s Pantry, visit aims.co/dark-side.

View the full photo gallery.