Pink Floyd celebrated the 50th anniversary of his iconic album “The Dark Side Of The Moon” with a listening event scheduled to take place concurrent with the solar eclipse at the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Ningaloo (Nyinggulu) Marine Park in Exmouth, Western Australia.
The legendary group invited eight competition-winning fans to a special, specified location on a secluded beach in the region to hear “The Dark Side Of The Moon” in its entirety, complete with the iconic final lines of Roger Waters’ “But the sun.” is eclipsed by the moon…” from the final song of the album ‘Eclipse’, it was programmed to play simultaneously with the extraordinary moment of total eclipse at 11.29am WST.
The eight fans, dubbed the ‘Astronome Domine 8’, arrived at Mcleods Beach to witness a giant black pyramid framed by the horizon, built with the creative supervision of the group’s consultant and Hipgnosis co-founder, Aubrey ‘Po’ Powell. After a welcome to the country by the elderly Hazel Walgar, the eight fans began their unique listening experience as the moon’s shadow brushed the tip of Western Australia, the best terrestrial place in the world to view the eclipse.
The eight winners were brought together in consideration of all walks of life and represent multiple generations of Pink Floyd fans, evidence of the band’s intergenerational appeal. Several of the fans were moved to tears during this incredible sensory experience, which was broadcast live around the world on Pink Floyd’s You Tube.
“This is something I will never forget”said Nathan, 27, who made the trip in tribute to his father, a Pink Floyd mega-fan who died in 2021. “It was like dad was there with me.”
“I’m speechless,” said Monya, who made the trip with her husband Joseph after they bonded over love for Pink Floyd. “I’ve listened to this album thousands of times, but never like this.”
“The Dark Side Of The Moon” is one of the most celebrated albums of all time and has sold more than 50 million copies worldwide. It is widely considered to be one of the most influential and innovative albums in history. Pink Floyd have released a new deluxe box set including CD and vinyl gatefold of the newly remastered studio album and Blu-Ray + DVD audio with the original 5.1 mix and remastered stereo versions. The set also includes a new bonus Blu-ray disc of the Atmos mix plus CD and LP of “The Dark Side Of The Moon – Live at Wembley Empire Pool, London, 1974”.
