As a fan of classical music, I’ve always loved instrumentals, preferring them over lyrical music; however, the Commercial Music’s Pink Floyd Experience vocally and instrumentally impressed me throughout the night–allowing me to admire the clash of singing with drums and guitars in the rock music genre.

The showcase, held Thursday at the Diamond Bar High School theater, consisted of the opening set of pop music classics  followed by covers from Pink Floyd  albums “The Wall” and “Dark Side of the Moon,”  two of the most popular albums in rock music history. Pink Floyd, an English rock band popular in the 1960s and 70s, was known for its experimental music and offbeat lyrics.

The director of the DBHS class and program, Daryl Hernandez, accompanied his students in the opening act. Students from Period 1 sung two songs, “House of the Rising Sun” by the Animals and “Hold On, I’m Coming” by Sam and Dave. Both songs were covered beautifully by vocalist and guitarist Younga Kim.

I was extremely impressed with all the students’ musical abilities and Kim’s singing. Her raspy, soft voice suited the songs extremely well, leaving me in awe.

Music videos of the original versions  of the songs played throughout the performances. This helped in adding a casual mood-reflecting the relaxed solos in the songs. The videos also served as entertainment purposes, shifting our focus away from the performers, as it was evident some of them were quite nervous.

In addition to the videos, lights were used to add effect to the performances. However in some songs, such as “Another Brick in the Wall (Part 1)” in particular, I found them a bit distracting. Nonetheless, I still enjoyed the performances.

Although most of the songs seemed to merge together to me, there was one performance that stood out.  “Time/Breathe Reprise,” sung by Raeana Wright, surprised me, as it began with a series of dissonant notes, which frankly, sounded like a bad warm up session. However, as the song progressed, it transitioned into better, harmonious instrumentals. In addition, the vocalist demonstrated her abilities by singing in high pitches similar to an operatic style.

I was thoroughly impressed with male vocalist Glenn Arnade efforts on  the song “Money.” His singing was complemented by saxophonist Nicholas Lucero, who added a jazz-like vibe to the song. Although Lucero received the sheet music two days prior to the performance night, he played his part fluently.

The showcase consisted of both slow and upbeat songs. I noticed that the guitarists in general would dance and groove to their own music, and strangely, it was entertaining seeing them have so much fun on stage. The upbeat song “Run Like Hell” had the performers all grooving, and as for me, I was tapping my foot enthusiastically along to the beats of the song. In the next song, “Us and Them,” a slow, laid-back song with bits of quick tunes, the performers began having a little more fun as they loosened up and added their own choreography to the song. The saxophone made an appearance again toward the end of the night, but this time, played to match the song’s slow blues.

It was an amazing performance, one I wish more had attended, as Commercial Music’s Pink Floyd’s experience definitely deserved more recognition and viewers.