Games for May

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Games for May was a concert by the British rock band Pink Floyd that took place on May 12, 1967 in London's Queen Elizabeth Hall . This was the first time the group used surround sound technology.

history

In their performances, Pink Floyd had experimented with various show elements since 1966, in particular with light shows . In the spring of 1967 they were in the process of recording their debut album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn , which came out later that August. The concert promoter Christopher Hunt asked if the band would like to give a multimedia concert.

Hunt described the concert as Space age relaxation for the climax of spring - electronic compositions, color and image projections, girls and THE PINK FLOYD (“Relaxation in the space age for the climax of spring - electronic compositions, color and image projections, girls and THE PINK FLOYD "). The Queen Elizabeth Hall was usually used for classical concerts, so the equipment was quite unusual for a rock concert.

After the band had already experimented with surround sound in the studio, they now implemented it on stage. Four groups of loudspeakers were installed in the corners of the room. Bernard Speight, one of the technicians at Abbey Road Studios , built a control system that made it possible to distribute the sound over the various loudspeaker groups using a joystick . That way the music could wander around the room. Tape recordings of footsteps, for example, could give the impression that someone was crossing the room. The device was named Azimuth Coordinator .

Pink Floyd played for two hours, starting with tape recordings of noises in the early morning while the light simulated a sunrise. The tracks played came mainly from her debut album including the first two singles, mostly written by Syd Barrett . See Emily Play written by Barrett especially for the concert, initially titled Games for May . Between the pieces there were small theatrical interludes, the sound of which was sent via the azimuth coordinator. Nick Mason sawed up a board, the microphone attached to the saw, Roger Waters tossed tomatoes at a large gong, Syd Barrett worked his guitar with a plastic ruler, Richard Wright operated a machine that made giant soap bubbles, and the roadies threw daffodils into the audience .

The expensive furnishings of the Queen Elizabeth Hall were damaged by the soap bubbles and the crushed flowers, so that Pink Floyd was banned from the house for life after the concert. The azimuth coordinator was stolen after the performance; a second was not built until 1969.

Title sequence

Quotes

  • A genuine 20th century chamber music concert. (“Truly a 20th century chamber music concert.”) International Times
  • The noisiest and prettiest display ever seen on the South Bank. ("Loudest and most beautiful performance ever seen on the South Bank.") Financial Times
  • In the future, bands are going to have to offer more than a pop show. They are going to have to offer a well presented theater show. ("In the future, bands have to do more than a pop show. They have to have a well-performed theater show.") Syd Barrett
  • I think Games for May was one of the most significant shows we ever performed. ("I think Games for May was one of our most important gigs we have ever had.") Nick Mason

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Unreleased Pink Floyd material on "The Pink Floyd Hyperbase"
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Michael Calore: May 12, 1967: Pink Floyd Astounds With 'Sound in the Round' . Article in Wired magazine , May 12, 2009