In 1972, ascendant British prog rockers Pink Floyd challenged the artist/audience relationship by releasing their concert film Live at Pompeii. The band chose to play in an empty, ancient Roman amphitheater, bravely eschewing any filmed crowd reaction or hilarious Italian accents whatsoever.
Over 50 years later, music fans may have found the next Pink Floyd. Indie noise rockers Sardonic Glitter just echoed the Floyd’s feat by playing Buffalo, New York’s somewhat less historic Mr. Winks’ Bar to an audience of no one, save for venue employees. And yet again, the purpose of an audience in music comes into question.
“I can confirm that absolutely no one showed up. Not the two opening bands, nor Sardonic Glitter’s friends or significant others. Hell, I went for a smoke and Candy Crush break for most of it,” recalled bartender Leigh Porter. “And similar to Pink Floyd, they went through all this effort to get a fucking gong on stage only to hit it in one part of one song. It really makes you wonder, did they even play a show? Or does the lack of crowd mean they just had rehearsal?”
Porter’s lone account of the concert provides some insight into the band’s intentions. Guitarist Blake Kinsley was reportedly and inexplicably shirtless at the beginning of the performance, despite freezing temperatures outside. He frequently added textures to songs with a combination of fuzz and wah pedal, which Porter described as “ear-splitting.” The show might have been immediately lost to the annals of history if music fans didn’t notice the band’s bassist Phil Jericho checking in his order of Pliny the Younger IPA on Untapped.
Art historians are already struggling to analyze the true meaning of Sardonic Glitter’s bizarre act.
“The comparison of Buffalo to Pompeii is significant,” states author Clark Terrino. “On one hand, you have a city utterly ravaged by God’s wrath—on the other hand, you have Pompeii. And while Pink Floyd remained a stable band for only a decade longer after their Pompeii performance, Sardonic Glitter’s members are all reportedly looking into grad school programs. While we may never hear this young band’s Dark Side of the Moon, look at the bright side: at least we don’t have to sit through their Momentary Lapse of Reason.”