No one can replace the likes of Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Rick Wright, Nick Mason, or Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd, but in The Machine’s recent stop in Peekskill the band showed that it’s possible to get fairly close to doing so.
The Machine lived up to their 26-year reputation for accurately recreating the Pink Floyd catalog in their first ever appearance at Paramount Hudson Valley, a sort of hometown show as they are from across the river to the south in Nyack, NY.
The set list pulled from each of Pink Floyd’s distinct sounding eras including the songwriting of Syd Barrett, the Roger Waters-driven songwriting, and the post-Waters take-off under the wing of David Gilmour’s guitar. The Machine wasn’t shy in reaching deep, either. “Wut’s…Uh the Deal” and “Burning Bridges” were in the mix as treats to the true Pink Floyd fans in the crowd.
Each of the key elements that identify Pink Floyd’s style were obvious during The Machine’s set. Joe Pascarell’s guitar intonation mimicked that of Gilmour’s Black Strat and was almost note-for-note on solos, particularly the show-closing “Comfortably Numb.” The distinct vocal leads of both Waters and Gilmour were well represented in similar tones particularly when the two roles play off each other in “Run Like Hell.”
The Machine returns to New York for two shows in November in Ithaca and Tarrytown.
Setlist
Set 1: Welcome to the Machine, Another Brick in the Wall, Wot’s…Uh the Deal, Hey You, Astronomy Domine, Sheep, On the Turning Away
Set 2: Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts 1-5), What Do You Want From Me, Echoes, Money, Arnold Layne, Wish You Were Here, Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts 6-9)
Encore: Burning Bridges, Comfortably Numb
For a solid two hours, Etheridge presented a dynamic set (with no break) complete with both delicate moments and high-energy songs. Although the show was a solo act, her two hour set wasn’t just a singer with a guitar. Using loop effects and some percussion she backed herself up with more than just a guitar. At one time, she played a game of guitar roulette – looping a few background percussion and rhythm lines as she contemplated which of her ten guitars to pick next to play a bit of the lead part.
The evening starts at 8 p.m. with the Hudson Valley’s own 
The Skills’ set was driven by the band’s enthusiasm for sharing the stage with a band they listened to throughout the 90s and undoubtedly for the first large show they’ve played. From start to finish the crowd was impressed by a band who made it clear that they were genuinely having fun on stage. After a set of all original tunes, The Skills broke out their own version of “Pleasant Valley Sunday,” which they recently recorded as a single. Though they were the opening act, their performance put them at a level where they could have been mistaken as a co-headliner instead.
Over the past two decades, Gin Blossoms have been a staple in ’90s playlists with their albums New Miserable Experience and Congratulations I’m Sorry peaking high on the charts and each achieving Platinum status. Since the band’s 2002 reunion following a five-year hiatus, Gin Blossoms have recorded two studio albums and continued to tour.
