It’s been almost a year and a half since Aqeuous said goodbye at The Great Flamingle II and went on indefinite hiatus. The groove-rock jam quartet’s absence has left a void in the meaty middle of festival lineups across the country, so it was a welcome sight to see Aqueous guitarist Mike Gantzer and bassist Evan McPhaden reunite for a one-off Pink Floyd tribute show in the band’s hometown of Buffalo, NY on New Year’s Eve.
Billed as “Gantzer Does Pink Floyd,” the lineup consisted of Gantzer, McPhaden, drummer Matt Kellen (formerly of Mungion), keyboardist/vocalist Max Davis (Tortoise Forest), guitarist/vocalist Bill Bratek (Maufrey), and saxophonist Craig Abraham. In addition to the significance of Gantzer and McPhaden playing together again at their old stomping grounds of Buffalo’s Town Ballroom, Bratek added extra emotional weight as he was Gantzer’s first guitar student many years ago, per NYS Music. All of these connections underscored Aqueous’ pivotal role in and lasting impact on Buffalo’s music scene.
Those hoping for an Aqeuous cover were unfortunately let down on Tuesday, though Gantzer and Friends made it up to them with a far-reaching setlist of greatest hits and deep cuts alike. After the show opened with “In the Flesh” > “Young Lust” and “Pigs”, it looked like this might have just been another run-of-the-mill Pink Floyd tribute show—only for the supergroup to dig up “Wot’s… Uh the Deal?” from 1972’s routinely overlooked Obscured by Clouds. The first set included other favorites “Have a Cigar”, “Fearless”, “Hey You”, and closer “Comfortably Numb”, broken up by Animals‘ “Sheep” and an enveloping exploration of “Echoes Pt. 1”.
The second set focused solely on Floyd’s most celebrated material, beginning with “Shine on You Crazy Diamond” and “Run Like Hell” before a complete performance of The Dark Side of the Moon encapsulated the rest of the frame. Returning for the encore, Gantzer Does Pink Floyd still had one more deep cut in store with the driving “Let There Be More Light” from Floyd’s 1968 sophomore album A Saucerful of Secrets, before an emotional “Wish You Were Here” closed the show.
While Aqueous is still very much on the shelf (and the band’s website domain is currently for sale), shows like Gantzer Does Pink Floyd emphasized just how ingrained the band is within Buffalo’s music scene and the jam community as a whole. In March 2024, Gantzer released his debut solo single “The Comeback Kids“, featuring Alex “Gator” Petropulos (Pigeons Playing Ping Pong) and Zdenek Gubb (Twiddle, also on indefinite hiatus), and teased more original music and artist collaborations to come. Stay tuned to the dedicated @gantzer_music Instagram page for upcoming releases.
Check out some videos from Gantzer Does Pink Floyd in Buffalo, featuring Mike Gantzer and Evan McPhaden of Aqueous.
Gantzer Does Pink Floyd —”Young Lust” — 12/31/24
[Video: Jeff Miers Music]
Gantzer Does Pink Floyd —”Pigs (Three Different Ones)” — 12/31/24
[Video: Jeff Miers Music]
Gantzer Does Pink Floyd —”Fearless” — 12/31/24
[Video: Jeff Miers Music]
Gantzer Does Pink Floyd — Town Ballroom — Buffalo, NY — 12/31/24 — Set Two
[Video: Matt Kellen]
Setlist: Gantzer Does Pink Floyd | Town Ballroom | Buffalo, NY | 12/31/24
Set One: In the Flesh > Young Lust, Pigs, Wot’s… Uh the Deal?, Have a Cigar, Fearless, Sheep, Hey You, Echoes Pt. I, Comfortably Numb
Set Two: Shine on You Crazy Diamond, Run Like Hell, Breathe, On the Run, Time, Great Gig in the Sky, Money, Us and Them, Any Colour You’d Like, Brain Damage, Eclipse
Encore: Let There Be More Light, Wish You Were Here