LIVE REVIEW: The Australian Pink Floyd Show in Uncasville, CT (09.10.26)
On a crisp Thursday evening in Uncasville, Connecticut, The Australian Pink Floyd Show brought their Happiest Days of Our Lives – Greatest Hits 26 World Tour to the Mohegan Sun Arena. With a concert spanning Pink Floyd’s legendary catalog, the group delivered two faithful, immersive sets, backed by an elaborate production of lights, lasers, projections, and visuals to perfectly recreate the magic of a classic Pink Floyd show.
Previously, I had seen their performance last year at the Hanover Theatre in Worcester, where they played the album Wish You Were Here in its entirety to celebrate the 50th Anniversary, alongside other hits–I knew they were simply spectacular. And while the intimate, old theater setting provided a beautiful backdrop similar to a Pink Floyd show, I was not prepared to see how their grand-scale production would fill up a packed arena. Not only that, but the anticipation was super high because the group’s performance last year at Mohegan was canceled due to a severe illness within the band.
Formed in Adelaide, Australia, in 1988, The Australian Pink Floyd Show (TAPFS) has been known for performing the music of Pink Floyd with note-for-note perfection, backed by a world-class light and laser show, video animations, LED screen spectacles, and even a variety of life-size inflatables like the giant pig, similar to the one used on the album cover of Animals. Their status has even earned praise from Pink Floyd themselves, with founding drummer Nick Mason stating, “They’re probably better than we were,” and legendary lead guitarist David Gilmour even inviting them to perform at his 50th birthday party.
With a hum of anticipation, the band abruptly kicked off the night with a performance of “In The Flesh,” immediately setting the tone for the evening. Then came “Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V),” the first song that made me a fan of Pink Floyd. The song, which has always held a deeply emotional weight, was written as a tribute to founding Pink Floyd member Syd Barrett. As lead singer Chris Barnes strolled up to the front of the stage, he welcomed the crowd, stating, “Good evening, Mohegan Sun, we’re going to carry on now with a selection of music from The Dark Side of the Moon,” which introduced the best part of the show, where the band performed “Time,” “Breathe (Reprise),” “The Great Gig in the Sky,” and “Money,” in order, just like the album.
By the time they closed the first set off with back-to-back action of “The Happiest Days of Our Lives,” “Another Brick In The Wall, Part 2 and 3,” and “Goodbye Cruel World,” the transition from an intimate theater to a massive arena felt completely justified. The size of the Mohegan Sun Arena just allowed the lasers to stretch endlessly over the audience, making the music feel as massive as it was intended to be when you listen to the studio albums.
As of late 2026, the Australian Pink Floyd Show is currently led by David Domminney Fowler (guitars and vocals), Paul Bonney (drums), Luc Ledy-Lepine (guitars), Ricky Howard (bass and vocals), Chris Barnes (vocals), Matt Riddle (keyboards), Alex Francois (saxophone), and backing vocalists Lorelei McBroom, Kelly Lamont, Lara Smiles, Emily Lynn, and Chess Galea. And sure, when Pink Floyd would tour, they would only have four or five guys up there, but in the end, did they really sound like how they did on the record? Not really!
After a brief intermission, the band returned with even more energy. And unlike most tribute acts on the road these days, the band dove straight into two deeper tracks from Floyd’s psychedelic catalog, “See Emily Play” and “Sheep,” two songs I honestly wasn’t expecting to hear, but ended up being some of the most memorable choices of the night. The musicianship was on full display during “Empty Spaces,” “Young Lust,” and “Hey You,” where each member earned their own moment to shine their talent towards the audience. And as a bassist and guitarist myself, just hearing how spot-on the tones were for each was killer.
Wrapping up the main set with “Run Like Hell,” leaving the entire arena standing and cheering for more, the band returned to the stage with a roar of applause, delivering a powerful final encore performance of “Comfortably Numb,” which featured a massive disco ball shining over the band. It was the perfect exclamation point on a night dedicated to the geniuses who wrote some of the greatest songs ever written, with the screens showing the different lineups of Pink Floyd over time as a tribute.
Overall, seeing The Australian Pink Floyd Show in an arena setting proved that their production is built for large arenas around the world. While the Hanover Theatre offered cozy nostalgia, Mohegan Sun offered that cinematic scale which Pink Floyd’s music truly connects with. Whether you are a die-hard fan, a casual listener, or me, TAPFS continues to prove why they are the gold standard of tribute acts touring the world.
