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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (June 23, 1994)
Author’s debut provides good read “Cold Allies” Patricia Anthony Ace Science Fiction Rarely does a first book make such a strong impression, but Patricia Anthony makes a definite splash with her debut, “Cold Allies.” Plau sible, tightly-written, filled with in triguing concepts—the right ingre dients for a memorable story. Anthony’s theme is a familiar one, that of first contact with aliens. The setting is the near future, one in which the Greenhouse Effect has turned Nebraska into a desert, and driven Arab armies into Eastern Europe in search of habitable land. The Arabs have taken the Ukraine, a good part of Poland and are knocking on Warsaw’s doorstep when the book begins. Odd things begin to happen, though, over the battlefield, and Allied offic ers investigate. Bodies arc strangely drained of life, and mysterious blue lights that act intelligently hover over battle sites. They’re not an enemy weapon, so they must be alien. Their purpose is unknown, but appears to be merely observation. The American commander be lieves that they aliens represent a last chance to save Europe from the Ar abs, and he begins a program to communicate with them, and to bring them in on the Allied side. Using everything from a New Age UFO abductee writer to communicating in dreams with soldiers captured by the lights, the race to win the minds of the aliens rushes forth, racing against the last-ditch stopgap of us ing nuclear weapons on the Arabs. We never do learn much about the al iens, which would be annoying in most other books, but not here. It is a promising debut, and fans should keep her name in mind when check ing new releases. — Sam Kepfield Twisters Reggae Sale 1 $3.00 OFF j All Heartbeat Reggae CD's $2.00 OFF All Heartbeat Reggae Cassettes Featuring: Various Artists “Reggae Culture: More Heartbeat Reggae Now!" — Catch the latest from reggae's newest stars like Beres Hammond and Garnett Silk, as well as new tracks from legends Gregory Isaacs, Rita Mariey and more. With over 70 minutes of music, this release is a guaranteed winner! Other Heartbeat artists on sale include: • Black Uhuru • Culture • Dennis Brown y* Bob Marley ^J • Sly & Robbie ^ • Andrew Tosh • Frankie Paul • Ethiopians • Abyssinians And Many More! Silk & Rebel “Hail Him” All Twlston locadontJune 21 through July 4 British group rloyd dazzles K.C. crowd with show, spectacle i / Concert V/ review By Paula Lavigne Staff Reporter There was no dark side of the moon Monday evening as a full halo of light shone down on Kansas City’s Arrow head Stadium, casting an eerie glow over a sell-out crowd of about 80.000 screaming Pink Floyd fans. Nearing the end of its North Amer ican tour. Pink Floyd continues to magnetize audiences across the conti nent, and Kansas City’s show was no exception. The lights dimmed to the entranc ing sound of humming helicopter blades and chirping crickets bounc ing off stadium walls as the members of Pink Floyd secretly stole onto the stage. It was an evening of sensory over load, psychedelic phenomena and the explosive talent of a band carrying out its 25-ycar-old legacy with a style all its own. uyncisi/guuansi uaviu \jumour, keyboardist Rick Wright and drum mer Nick Mason held their own as the true members of Pink Floyd. They were accompanied by saxophonist Dick Parry, bassist Guy Pratt, guitar ist/lyricist Tim Renwick and other outstanding backup musicians. Special commendation goes to the three back-up singers who were any thing but backup—they were power fully seductive in how they moved, and sang as if they were their own instruments plugged into the action of the evening. Surprisingly, Pink Floyd opened its set w i th an older song, “Astronomy Domine,” set to the bubbling light gels the band pioneered back in the 60s in underground clubs in the heart of pyschedelic London. * Proving their artistic ambiance and caustit wit remain intact, they per formed “What Do You Want From Me” from their latest No. 1 album, “The Division Bell,” with a forceful, gnawing guitar and throbbing drums. But Pink Floyd wouldn’t be “still first in space" if it didn’t send out a beacon. With the strum of a single chord, a web of shimmering laser beams shot toward the moon and be yond as lights of all colors and sizes gyrated around the musicians. The hallucinatory blaze of lights paired with the psychedelic harmo nies and hypnotic drones of past ma terial such as “The Wall” and “Dark Side of the Moon” to the more opti mistic songs on “The Division Bell” met the audience’s approval. The fans’ encouragement gave tes timony to Gilmour’s achievement in preserving Pink Floyd’s trademarks, while expanding the band’s horizons both musically and artistically. On “Keep Talking,” Pink Floyd’s quadriphonic sound allowed for voic es to bounce from all sides of the stadium, a haunting effect. “One of These Days” proved that pigs do fly as two giant inflatable oinkers with glow ing eyes were thrown down from two columns adjacent to the stage. The stage itself was an impressive feat of design technology. The 700 tons of steel used required 33 trucks and three days to assemble the struc ture. Enclosed by a 130 foot arch, it created the aura of a shrine to some pagan god. And gods they were, shining in the luminescent haze of shimmering fog and gold lasers. At their will, the fans —from the young grunge-laden teen ager to the older businessman who shed his suit for a token Pink Floyd t shirt — paid homage to the Floyd. The band performed favorites as “Shine on You Crazy Diamond,” a tribute to Pink Floyd’s founder, the brill iant, yet disillusioned, Syd Barrett, as a giant circular screen rose above the band, onto which were projected video graphics. The video projection from “High Hopes” was beyond surreal and sym bol ic. It was a mastermind of the heart and soul of Pink Floyd that struck an inner nerve in the mind. Other popular songs such as W ish You Were Here” and “Another Brick in the Wall” became sing-alongs as the audience rose to its feet. During “Money.” Gilmour proved he had the edge everyone thought the band lacked since former singer Rog er Waters left the band as his voice gleamed with caustic force. “Comfortably Numb” was an emo tional, almost reverent, point in the set when Gilmour, amid a halo of circling light and piercing lasers, reached out with a voice so narcotic it was addictive. A colossal glittering mirror-ball arose from a tent in the middle of the stadium. It burst open like a plump rose and basked the audience in shim mering lights. The band members left the stage and immediately, a tidal wave of light ers filled the stadium, awaiting their return. They came back onto the stage. greeted by a roar. “Hey You,” a pleading song of loneliness preceded their grand fina le, “Run Like Hell” — a true display of genius. It was dizzying to watch the patch work of lights and lasers dart across the stage as fireworks exploded from the sides and overhead as the band launched into its own passionate ex plosion of guitar chords, drums and voices. W ith a single blast of fire from the circular orb above the stage,, it was over. Gilmour, Wright, Mason and the others gathered on the stage thank ing the audience and bidding good bye. After the show’salmost inconceiv able spectacle, the band left a hollow sort of void in the audience’s hearts until Gilmour waved one last time to the audience and said, “We’ll sec you again.” On the dark side of the moon, perhaps? — Paula Lavigne