They'll still be seeing you on the "Dark Side of the Moon" Saturday night at the Parkway Theater, but they won't be off to see "The Wizard of Oz." MGM Studios has pulled the movie at the last minute and won't allow it to be screened at the south Minneapolis theater alongside the live performance of Pink Floyd's second-greatest record.
For those who don't have stoner friends with way too much time on their hands, "Dark Side" supposedly syncs up perfectly with "Oz" and is an unofficial soundtrack to the movie, an idea that the band dismissed a long time ago. To be fair, there are actually a couple of cool moments when the two iconic pieces of art do seem made for each other (like when Dorothy opens the door to Oz's colorful to in perfect timing to when the song "Time" kicks in). A mish-mash cast of local musicians were all set to play off those coincidences, but instead they will just be playing the album with a lazer-light show and no movie.
The screening cancellation was so last-minute it's not entirely clear what happened,. Sources at the Parkway say MGM is prepping a 3D redux of the movie to be soon shown in theaters, so the studio wants to limit the number of "Wizard of Oz" screenings in the meantime. In other words, this screening wasn't necessarily singled out just because of its semi-nefarious nature.
The show will still go on at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, with a band of musicians that includes Chad Whittaker (Tim Mahoney's band), Mark Joseph (Big Wu), Robert Hilstrom (from the Cabooze's "Last Waltz" tribute) and Mark Munchie Collins (Gooney Birds). Tickets will be available at the door for $10. The Parkway is located at 48th Street and Chicago Avenue next to Mexican food mainstay Pepito's Grill.
