Jul 31 2026
The Darkside Experience, a tribute band to Pink Floyd, will perform Friday, September 18 at 8 p.m. at New River Community College in Dublin.
Tickets for the show are on sale now. Reserved seating tickets are $27 in advance and available for purchase online only at www.nr.edu/concerts. Reserved tickets are $30 at the door. General seating tickets are $22 in advance and available online or in-person at the NRCC Business Office, 23 Godbey Hall, Dublin (cash and checks only for in-person sales). General seating tickets will be $25 at the door. NRCC student general admission tickets are $10 with a valid student ID.
The Darkside Experience is a tribute band dedicated to faithfully recreating the legendary sound and atmosphere of Pink Floyd. Formed in 2018, the group brings together seasoned musicians with a shared passion for authenticity, musical precision, and immersive live performance. The band performs throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, typically within a 6-hour radius of Roanoke, Va., at theaters, clubs, and festivals including recent headlining sets at the Hard Rock Café in Bristol, the Grandin Theatre, 5 Points Music Sanctuary, and the Millwald Theatre in Wytheville.
Covering the full arc of Floyd’s catalog, their repertoire includes complete performances of The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, and Animals, as well as deep cuts from The Wall, Meddle, More, and early Syd Barrett-era material. Each show is performed with deep respect for the source material, combining authentic sound design, layered vocal textures, and immersive light elements to bring Pink Floyd’s timeless music to life.
The band draws from a lineup of seasoned professionals with over three decades of performance experience across genres—rock, jazz, theater, studio work, and beyond. Jonathan Barker, the band’s founder and lead vocalist/keyboardist, is a veteran of Electric Woodshed and current member of The Jive Exchange, known for his intricate recreation of Rick Wright’s sonic architecture. Guitarist Dan Dunlap brings decades of blues and theater experience and a keen ear for capturing the nuance and emotion of David Gilmour’s guitar work.
Willis Greenstreet, a multi-instrumentalist revered in the Roanoke scene, covers both guitar and saxophone duties, contributing versatile musicality to classic Floyd tracks. Jake Dempsey, a widely respected bassist and sound engineer, anchors the band with precision and depth, drawing from his work with Dead Reckoning, Lengthwise, and earlier Floyd tributes. Drummer Brett Reynolds, with roots in legendary rock acts including The Chesterfield Kings and collaborations with Mick Taylor, recreates Nick Mason’s progressive rock technique with meticulous authenticity.
The vocal depth of the band is enriched by Julie Gruver, whose soaring soprano draws from her classical training and musical theater background, and Melissa Mesko, a dynamic vocalist with a rich resume spanning Nashville, Mississippi, and the Mid-Atlantic. Together, they recreate the ethereal vocal layers that define much of Pink Floyd’s studio sound.
Whether delivering full-album recreations or curated setlists for theater audiences, The Darkside Experience offers an immersive, high-fidelity tribute to Pink Floyd rooted in reverence, driven by musicianship, and executed with professional precision.
Doors will open for the show at 7 p.m. The concert is part of the NRCC 2026-2027 Concert Series and is a Crooked Road affiliated venue. For more information about this concert, visit www.nr.edu/concerts. Questions may be directed to Tim Jones at (540) 674-3625.
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