On June 9, I went to a Pink Floyd concert. I’m not kidding, I actually went to a Pink Floyd concert. Yes, it was actually a Nick Mason concert, but in absolutely every way I felt like I was at a Pink Floyd concert. Or, in any case, how a Pink Floyd concert from the psychedelic 60s and 70s can be imagined by a man who was not even in the plan in those days. But, as the band members themselves said, impressed by the large number of young people who hummed side by side with them the lyrics of historical songs, you can’t be too young (or too… anyway, I’d say) to listen, live and love Pink Floyd music.

Although I saw Roger Waters’ The Wall live and the reincarnation of the famous Live at Pompeii with David Gilmour in the cinema, both spectacular productions, the impact that Nick Mason’s understated Saucerful of Secrets had on me is incomparable. In fact, the first thought I had at the end of the concert was, look, you don’t need million dollar productions to bring Pink Floyd back on stage.

At this point it is perhaps worth noting that drummer Nick Mason, although probably less known to the general public than his more famous (former) colleagues Waters and Gilmour, is not only one of the founders of the legendary band Pink Floyd, but also the only constant member of her, who contributed to the entire discography. And despite the conflicts that followed the band over time, he remained on good terms with both of his colleagues, whom he remembered fondly and nostalgically during the concert.

The band entered the scene to the tunes of the song One of These Days, which opens the Meddle album from 1971. An almost entirely instrumental track, perfect to demonstrate the mastery of these titans of music. Which somehow manage to sound exactly like Pink Floyd, but also modern and original at the same time. Incidentally, one of the core features of the psychedelic/space-rock style that defined those times (and which Pink Floyd pioneered) is spontaneity in live performances.

The concert was divided into two sets and covered the 1967-1972 period of Pink Floyd’s career, the band’s “experimental” era, from the first singles to the last album recorded before the giant Dark Side of the Moon. Specifically, debut singles Arnold Layne and Candy and a Currant Bun (B-side originally titled Let’s Roll Another One and viewed with suspicion at the time of release due to the mature themes covered), both played in concert, and The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967), A Saucerful of Secrets (1968), More (1969), Atom Heart Mother (1970), Meddle (1971) and Obscured by Clouds (1972). As a surprise for the audience, the band also played the song Vegetable Man, considered the third Pink Floyd single although it did not appear on any album, except for a box set released only in 2016. Nick Mason is, moreover, the only member Pink Floyd playing this song in concert.

The Saucerful of Secrets tour is rightly considered a tribute to Syd Barrett, the co-founder and original lead singer of Pink Floyd, who was mentioned repeatedly during the concert. But the discography covered goes beyond the period of direct contribution by Barrett, who left the band after A Saucerful of Secrets in 1968. His influence, however, remains and is felt in every word spoken about him. He is “the man who started it all”, as described on stage by Mason.
Unsurprisingly, the entire concert sounded flawless.

“Magic” would be an even better word. Even the clouds dissipated the moment the band took the stage, as if not to spoil this truly unique experience. And it’s a good thing they did, because at certain moments, on certain purely transcendental passages, as only the music of those times could imagine, you felt inspired to look up at the stars and let the sound simply pass through and over you. With flowing chords, oriental-influenced instrumental passages, unusual electronic effects, colored lights crossing the arena and, I could swear, fragrant smoke wafting from the stage. Magic. As magical, I’d like to think, as when Pink Floyd’s music was first heard. A journey back in time to an era where music was, more than anything else, about freedom and experimentation. Where each artist brought something unique, personal, because there were no successful recipes to follow. In which the same artist unreservedly sang his feelings and, at the same time, those of his audience.

The song that ended the concert was, of course, Echoes, considered one of the best in Pink Floyd history. “We couldn’t do this without an audience like you,” said Nick Mason, before inviting those in their seats to approach the stage for the three encore encores: See Emily Play, A Saucerful of Secrets, Bike.

In closing, I’ll leave the lyrics to Echoes here, accompanied by a question: What musician or band of our time could compose something like this? To paraphrase Gary Kemp, no one would have imagined 50 years ago that the music of that time would be the greatest music ever written.

Review Courtesy Of Mihai Vasilescu

Can YOU help? We are looking for any material related to this show. Scans of posters, news items, ticket stubs, show pictures, or anything else you may think be of interest to our visitors. Thanks. Please send any show material to liam@pinkfloydz.com