See Pink Floyd's rare total solar eclipse listening event in Australia
Eight fans listened to 'The Dark Side of the Moon' in full
Last updated 20th Apr 2023
Pink Floyd continued the 50th anniversary celebrations of their masterpiece ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ album with a unique listening event in Australia earlier today (20th April).
The English rock legends invited eight competition winners to a special secluded beach location at the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Marine Park (Nyinggulu) in Exmouth, Western Australia to listen to ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ during the rare total solar eclipse.
While standing next to a colossal black pyramid, the eight competition winners listened to the seminal 1973 record in its glorious entirety, with Roger Waters’ closing lines “But the sun is eclipsed by the moon…” from album closer ‘Eclipse’ timed to align with the moment of total eclipse at 11.29am WST.
A description of the unique event reads: ‘The eight fans – dubbed the ‘Astronome Domine 8’ – arrived on Mcleaods Beach this morning to witness a giant black pyramid framed by the horizon, constructed with creative oversight from the group’s long time Creative Consultant and Hipgnosis co-founder, Aubrey ‘Po’ Powell. Following a Welcome to Country by elder Hazel Walgar, the eight commenced the once in a lifetime listening experience as the shadow of the moon grazed the tip of Western Australia – the best land-based place in the world to view the eclipse.
‘The eight winners were brought together from all walks of life and represent multiple generations of Pink Floyd fans – a testament to the band’s cross-generational appeal. Several of the fans shed tears during today’s sensory experience.’
“This is something I’ll never forget” said 27-year-old Nathan, who took the trip in tribute to his father – a Pink Floyd superfan who passed away in 2021. He added: “It was like Dad was there with me.”
Pink Floyd reissued ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ as a deluxe box set on Friday 24th March with an official book also landing on the same day.
Roger Waters is also releasing his own re-recording of ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ this year. Nick Mason has hailed Waters’ rework as “absolutely beautiful.”