Celebrating 50 Years of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon

[Editor’s Note: This article was updated on 1/19 to add new dates for Hudson River Museum’s planetarium show after its 1/19 show sold out. — MAF]

Several upcoming events will mark the 50^th anniversary of the fourth bestselling album of all time: Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, which was released in March 1973. In fact, Emelin Theatre, Hudson River Museum and Ridgefield Playhouse all have plans set in place.

Dark Side of the Moon, the band’s eight studio album, has gone platinum 14 times It was chosen for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress, which called it “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” Its cover artwork, showing the refraction of light through a prism in front of a stark black backdrop, is iconic.  It is even the center of a longstanding theory that the album’s music synchronizes perfectly with The Wizard of Oz (a theory that, though the band denies it, still has a life of its own).

The psychedelic concept album, which includes one of the band’s most famous songs, Money, broke the mold of conventional rock music.  Lyrically, it touched on universal themes that were relatable to its listeners, while musically, it introduced prominent synthesizers and studio effects to the already complex arrangements of standard rock instruments.

Fifty years ago, Pink Floyd neglected to appear at a press conference at the London Planetarium that was set to debut the release of Dark Side of the Moon. That day, four life-sized cardboard cut-outs were sent in place of the band members. Still, a recording of their album played, the planetarium displayed its constellations, and the album was an instant success. The rest is history as the album has become synonymous with visually stunning planetarium shows. Now for the 50^th anniversary, a revised 42-minute show will play at 100 planetariums throughout the world, with immersive visuals and audio from 10 of the albums beloved tracks. One of those planetariums will be at Hudson River Museum on January 19. Recently, new dates have also been added for February 16 and March 15.

Also January 19, for those who are looking for more of a concert experience, Emelin Theatre will present Pompeii Floyd, a tribute band that performs Pink Floyd’s greatest hits, including selections from Dark Side of the Moon. The group features JT Curtis, who starred in Broadway’s Let It Be. The performance will include a backdrop of visuals that recreate Pink Floyd’s famous Live at Pompeii concert.

Meanwhile, in Westchester’s neighboring Fairfield County, another tribute will soon take place. On March 22 and 23, Ridgefield Playhouse will host two nights with Pink Floyd cover band The Machine, who have played ten sold-out shows in the venue since 2011. On Friday, the setlist will consist of fan favorites chosen on social media and the radio. On Saturday, the band will play both Greatest Hits and Dark Side of the Moon in their entirety.