“I’ve seen Nick and the Saucers on several occasions before Covid-19 pandemic. I’ve seen him in concert halls, classical music auditoriums and a Roman amphitheater. Each time the band was spectacular and the joy flowing off the stage was infectious (in a good sense!). After almost 5 (!!!) long years I saw the band once more yesterday, during the Montreux Jazz Festival. Once again, the venue they played in was legendary. Nick and his original band played at the Scene du Casino in ‘70, Guy Pratt returned after almost 30 years, for me it was the first time at this historic venue.
I was surprised by how small it was. Watching archive footage of Nina Simone, Marvin Gaye or Miles Davis performing at the MJF tricks you into thinking that the hall is bigger. Despite its historic connection and flair, the concert venue is an intimate place. Rest assure, you don’t have slot machines or roulette disturbing you during the concert (that roles has been taken long ago by selfish archivists holding their recording devices high up in the air).
The show was great. It’s hard for me to definitely tell the difference between 2018 and 2019 and now – it’s been a long time, this one was spiced with a new wave of excitement, I knew what to expect. However, I could risk almost nothing by saying that they’re double as good as they were those few years back. And they were already stellar half a decade ago. I think there’s more confidence on stage and in the material leading to more jamming and more fun. It’s been so reinvigorating to see the smiles and jokes between the members on stage. Had the name Band of Joy been already taken by another behemoth of rock and roll, they could easily take it. Rightly so.
As I mentioned before, the gig has been recorded. What I didn’t know was that it’s going to be shown live on the sides of the sage. It had some nice shots, some moments where the director didn’t know what to show (zooming on Guy during Lee’s solo), but overall it looked very well from those few glimpses I had. Since Dom is well hidden behind his equipment, I especially enjoyed shots of him working hard on the keyboards. I think he’s sound and role in the band is now much more exposed.
I took some videos which I uploaded to YouTube. There were signs and messages everywhere that personal recording is strictly prohibited, but as soon as the band finished Astronomy Domine, Nick said that they don’t mind as long as people switch off flash in their mobiles.
I really do hope they return to Europe with another leg. Such a joy to see them taking Pink Floyd so seriously yet frivolously.
BTW I think they didn’t play Childhood’s End yesterday. It’s listed on setlist.fm and so on, but I cannot recall seeing them play it yesterday. I got a weird feeling that Echoes came one song too early. I hope my memory serves me well and it’s not some dopamine-induced trickery that made me forget it!” – Review, photos, and videos thanks to AFG contributor KubaWinter
Set 1: Astronomy Domine, Arnold Layne, See Emily Play, Remember Me, Obscured By Clouds, When You’re In, Remember A Day, If, Atom Heart Mother, If (Reprise), The Nile Song, Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun
Set 2: Scarecrow, Fearless, Childhood’s End, Lucifer Sam, Echoes
Encore: One Of These Days, A Saucerful Of Secrets
Capacity 1,300
Montreux Casino (Casino Barrière de Montreux) is a casino located in Montreux, Switzerland on the shoreline of Lake Geneva. It has served as the venue for the Montreux Jazz Festival and was rebuilt following a 1971 fire memorialized in the Deep Purple song “Smoke on the Water”. It is a property of Groupe Lucien Barrière. The casino housed Mountain Studios which has since become the museum Queen: The Studio Experience.
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