Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon planetarium show at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History Museum is being extended. It will be shown on Saturdays beginning January 8, running through April 8, 2024
Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon planetarium show at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History Museum is being extended. It will be shown on Saturdays beginning January 8, running through April 8, 2024 Credit: Cleveland Museum of Natural History

Released in 1973, Pink Floyd’s groundbreaking album, “Dark Side of the Moon,” is the soundtrack to a new planetarium show celebrating the record’s 50th anniversary, now playing at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.  

“Dark Side of the Moon,” with its outer-space-inspired themes, provides plenty of context for the visuals in the show.

The song “Time” features a mechanical clock floating in space. “Money” moves through the halls of a spaceship with televisions showing images of 1970s consumer culture. And, popular recent images of the universe from the James Webb Space Telescope light up “Great Gig In The Sky.”   

Album played in chronological order

The album is played in its entirety in chronological order. Each song has its own visual representation. The often poignant lyrics and musical composition remain timeless, even if it’s the 3,605th time you’ve heard it.

The universally known prism and rainbow symbol appears in various incarnations, as does, of course, the dark side of the moon.   

It is definitely not “Dark Side of the Rainbow,” the late-’90s phenomenon of syncing up the album to the film “The Wizard of Oz” and watching as the audio and visuals align.  

For boomers, it’s an opportunity to relive the past, listening to Pink Floyd in a dark room surrounded by hippies and other dinosaurs. And, the show ends by 4:45 p.m. so nobody even has to worry about driving home in the dark. 

More shows just added

Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon is showing in the Shafran Planetarium at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Shows through Jan. 7 are currently sold out. The museum just added new shows on Saturdays beginning Jan. 13 through April 6. Check the museum’s website soon for updates, including Saturday show times.

Note: Bringing a travel pillow to hold your neck up is recommended for all attendees who wish to experience the full screen, as the seats in the planetarium are of a more newfangled design and there’s minimal headrest.

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If you go

Cleveland Museum of Natural History

1 Wade Oval Drive, Cleveland

Tickets: $10

Tuesday-Sunday, 4 p.m., through Jan. 7

Saturdays, through April 8

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