For more than three decades, Pink Floyd thrilled millions of fans with provocative philosophical lyrics, interesting melodies and some of the more visually stimulating performances in the history of arena / stadium rock concerts.

Considering that pedigree, many experienced bar bands find the idea of covering a Floyd song absurdly intimidating and won't even make the attempt during rehearsal.

Think Floyd USA has other ideas.

The eight-piece, Chicago-based band, which performs Saturday night at Shank Hall, attempts to recreate the musical and visual magic of Pink Floyd for audiences throughout the Midwest.

OnMilwaukee.com caught up with lead singer Mitch Blumfield earlier this week and asked about the upcoming show:

OnMilwaukee.com: Can you give us a brief history of the band -- how did you come together and how long have you been at it?

Mitch Blumfield: We have been together five years now. We were called Igneous Biscuit before and did a '70s rock block review with a Pink Floyd medley as part of the show. The Floyd seemed to get such a huge response we decided to grow it and here we are today.

OMC: What's the secret to being a successful tribute band? Are there any others that you particularly like? Do you have any favorite tribute bands?

MB: I think the secret to being a successful tribute act is, being honest to the music, celebrate the band you are tributing, never take it to seriously and make sure you all have fun. My personal favorite tribute band is American English Beatles tribute act here in Chicago.

OMC: Pink Floyd shows have relied so heavily on visual / production elements like lasers and animals and not so much on stage presence. What kinds of things do you guys do to replicate the band onstage? You can't recreate the exact "Animals" staging, but do you do things with lights, etc.?

MB: We work with an outstanding lighting company -- Proline Entertainment -- out of Wisconsin. They are the best! We, along with husband and wife team Aaron and Lynn Zimmerman of Proline, work very hard to give our audiences an unforgettable light show. There are lots of hours put into programming lighting and discussing certain aspects of what Floyd themselves might do or not do. Aaron is a whiz at lighting and always makes it exciting both for the audiences and for us on stage.

OMC: What are your favorite songs or suite of songs in the set? How do set lists vary from show to show? Do you ever focus on albums or play them in order? Do you recreate classic shows?

MB: We do album shows all the time. This weekend at Shank Hall, we will be doing the "Animals" show, my personal favorite. We do like variety shows as well with a bit of all the Floyd thrown in. We keep a sharp eye on our sets as not to bring the same shows in all the time. We have been talking about doing all kinds of things, including a tribute to the Syd Barrett years and now Richard Wright, as well.

OMC: Has the band done any memorable Milwaukee shows? I know you've built a following at Summerfest. Do you have any other memories or Milwaukee ties?

MB: All our shows in Milwaukee are memorable, no matter where they are played. We love State Fair, Summerfest and Shank Hall. On Friday, Jan. 23, we will be at the Northern Lights Theater -- our first time in -- for the "Dark Side of the Moon" show.

That will be memorable, for sure.