It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost three years since Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets project was first presented here. That’s when Mason & co. they played in the beautiful, but acoustically somewhat unbalanced Great Hall of Lucerne. They presented themselves for the second time, with a changed program, on Sunday at the Karlín Forum. What was it?

Although the Great Hall of Lucerna is the place where the legendary Beat festivals took place and in many ways resembles the spaces where Pink Floyd played in their early psychedelic era, topped off with the record “Meddle” and the film soundtrack “More”, sonically it is an unbalanced environment to say the least. The move to the Karlín hall, albeit modern cold and austere, only benefited the concert (no matter how great it was at the time).

The bigger stage allowed for a better scenography, so mood-creating projections now ran behind the five musicians, one reminiscent of a young Nick Mason, the other Syd Barrett, i.e. a key figure of the early Floyds. And there was noticeably better sound too, which is always a plus for this type of detail-oriented music. Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets is a project that gives new life to compositions from the psychedelic period of Pink Floyd, i.e. those that, with some exceptions, disappeared from the band’s setlists for a while and were replaced by art rock compositions or directly conceptual pieces like “Animals” or “The Wall “. The approach of this formation thus moves between an almost revivalist meticulousness and a slight turning of the arrangement of the compositions, so to speak, more on the body. However, the important thing is to preserve and pass on the spirit of Pink Floyd, and that is being done very well here.

The magic word “Echoes” was perfect in the title of the tour. During the two-hour set, all three major large-scale compositions were performed, that is, “Atom Heart Mother”, the slightly shortened “Saucerful of Secrets” and especially the twenty-minute opus “Echoes”, which became the expected and deservedly applauded highlight of the event. The core of the setlist was identical to that of Luzern, the songs were played in a different order, something disappeared (“Interstellar Overdrive”, “Let There Be More Light”), something was added (for example, “Burning Bridges”, “Candy and a Currant Bun”).

The evening was divided into two parts separated by an intermission. Admittedly, it disturbed the dynamics a bit, but on the other hand, it was a much-needed breath right before the peak towards the mentioned “Echoes”.

The musicians did not hide their excitement at the opportunity to play these songs, Nick Mason added a humorous remark that he can finally play the gong at the beginning of “Set The Controls Of The Heart of the Sun” because his colleague Waters he didn’t want to allow. Overall, the performance was extremely relaxed, even carefree.

With the passage of time, it is clear that back then, three years ago, the entire concept of the project was still being discussed. It wasn’t until the second concert at Foru Karlín that everything fell together: the selection of songs, the atmosphere, the scenography based on colored lights and projections, flawless performances by the players, an educated and correspondingly enthusiastic audience.

At a time when David Gilmour has hung up his guitar and is more reserved about a possible revival of the group, and Roger Waters has turned the Floyd’s music into a showcase of his own political views on the world, Nick Mason is the one who carries the Pink Floyd banner forward. Concert-wise, you can’t get closer to this one, I’m not afraid to say, today’s rock classics. Sure, there are some very good revivals, but which one can boast the stamp of quality in the form of an original member?

With Thanks To Tom Jajo Rozkovec

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