Today, Pink Floyd celebrated the 50th Anniversary of its iconic The Dark Side Of The Moon album with a listening event timed to a rare total solar eclipse at the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Marine Park (Nyinggulu) in Exmouth, Western Australia.
The legendary group invited eight competition winning fans to a special secluded beach location in the region to hear The Dark Side Of The Moon in full – with Roger Waters iconic closing lines “But the sun is eclipsed by the moon…” from the album’s final song, "Eclipse", timed to align with the extraordinary moment of total eclipse at 11:29 AM, WST.
The eight fans - dubbed the ‘Astronome Domine 8’ - arrived on Mcleods 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, which was livestreamed across the world on Pink Floyd’s You Tube.
“This is something I’ll never forget” said 27 year old Nathan, who took the trip in tribute to his father - a Pink Floyd mega fan who passed away in 2021. “It was like Dad was there with me”.
“I’m speechless”, said Monya who made the journey with her husband Joseph after they were brought together by love of Pink Floyd. “I’ve listened to this album thousands of times – but never like this."
A short form documentary film directed by Aubrey Powell charting the journey of the Astronome Domine 8 will be available soon.
The Dark Side Of The Moon is one of the most celebrated albums of all time and has sold over 50 million copies worldwide. It is widely considered one of the most influential and groundbreaking albums ever. Pink Floyd have released a new deluxe box set including CD and gatefold vinyl of the newly remastered studio album and Blu-Ray + DVD audio featuring the original 5.1 mix and remastered stereo versions. The set also includes additional new Blu-ray disc of Atmos mix plus CD and LP of The Dark Side Of The Moon - Live At Wembley Empire Pool, London, 1974.
The 300-kilometre-long, UNESCO World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Marine Park is 1,200 kilometres north of Perth (Boorloo) along Western Australia’s Coral Coast Highway. The Ningaloo region is renowned as where the outback meets the reef - home to Australia’s largest fringing reef adjoining the rusty gorges of Cape Range National Park.
