Tribute band to rock 1st Rally by the River

Cleveland's Wish You Were Here will perform on the Toledo waterfront.

Fans of British rock legend Pink Floyd can get a taste of the band's atmospheric rock sound and concert special effects when the tribute band Wish You Were Here performs at CitiFest's Rally by the River tonight in Promenade Park.

An eight-person band from Cleveland, Wish You Were Here: The Sight and Sound of Pink Floyd, has spent more time playing Pink Floyd songs than Pink Floyd has since the tribute band was formed in 1995.

"Pink Floyd hasn't toured since 1994 and it looks like they may not ever tour again," said Eric Sosinski, founder of Wish You Were Here. "There's a whole generation of fans of Pink Floyd who never had a chance to see them back in the day, and now it looks like they may never get to see them now."

That makes Wish You Were Here about as close as a fan can get to Pink Floyd these days.

The tribute artists' repertoire includes every tune from the Pink Floyd albums "Meddle," "Dark Side of the Moon," "Wish You Were Here," "Animals," and "The Wall," plus highlights from the rest of the British band's extensive catalogue.

And as any Pink Floyd concert veteran knows, the lighting, stage, and sound quality of one of the band's concerts are all important elements of the total experience. Wish You Were Here acknowledges as much by promising "a theatrical presentation that captures the mood, emotions, and the intensity of the Pink Floyd concert experience."

Since Wish You Were Here is slated to start playing at 6 p.m., the daylight setting will preclude the band's usually elaborate light show, Sosinski said.

He said he first began focusing on Pink Floyd's music in 1987 when he teamed with guitarist Jim Tigue for a program called Pink Floyd Revue.

Sosinski switched to performing only Pink Floyd songs when he formed Wish You Were Here. In addition to Sosinski, who sings and plays bass, the current lineup features Mark Brennan and Scott Langston on guitars, Bob Gerhard on keyboards, Tim Hanculak on drums, Bob Barno on saxophone, and Debi Lewin and Marla Zahorsky on vocals.

In 2002, Wish You Were Here headlined a Midwest tour of Fake Fest, featuring some of the top rock-and-roll tribute bands in the country.

CitiFest has scheduled one other Rally by the River, on Sept. 3 with Motown specialists the KGB Band.

"Wish You Were Here: The Sight and Sound of Pink Floyd" will be featured tonight at CitiFest's Rally by the River in Promenade Park downtown. The rally runs from 5 to 9 p.m. and admission is $3. Information: 419-249-5018.