Nick Mason Revisits Early Pink Floyd During Saucerful Of Secrets Tour

Since 2018, Pink Floyd co-founder and drummer Nick Mason has been celebrating the band’s early days and focusing on the group’s previous era.dark side of the moon Era as Five Pieces secret saucer.

In the midst of their second US tour, Mason, guitarists Gary Kemp (Spander Ballet) and Lee Harris (The Blockheads), bassist Guy Pratt, and keyboardist Dom Beeken (Orb) joined Pink Band. Celebrating the contributions of late Floyd member Sid. Barrett and Richard Wright took to the stage in Chicago earlier this week to open the show with slide guitar playing of “One of These Days.”

“It took me a while to get back here,” Mason joked of a tour originally scheduled for 2020, which was postponed due to the pandemic, and in 1968, when Pink Floyd returned to Kinetic Playground. I remember performing. north side. “Anyone remember that gig?” teased the drummer on stage at the Chicago Theater.

Guy Pratt playing with Mason during Pink Floyd’s tour Momentary lack of reason When division bellreplacing Roger Waters on bass and vocals, shining lead vocals on “If,” and Kemp stretching on “Candy and a Currant Bun,” about two hours featuring a newly reworked setlist. Half performance highlights.

“America is still the promised land for rock and roll bands, even older ones,” Mason said by phone. I will,” he continued. “For those of you who came to the show last time, we revamped it and extended it. Especially working on ‘Echoes’ was, for me, going from Pink Floyd with Sid to Pink Floyd with David. It’s like moving to Roger, me and Rick. ”

I spoke with Nick Mason about returning to the stage inside American theaters as part of the intimate Saucerful of Secrets north america tour It continues through November as we celebrate the multi-generational reach of Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd. Our telephone transcripts have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

I know you went on dates in Europe this summer. How was it being back on stage after 2 years?

Nick Mason: I’m really excited. It was a very strange two years. I tend to tell the audience, I don’t know who’s the most excited here tonight, us or them.

When I saw the performance of dark side of the moon Also The Wall, obviously, it’s a type of production that doesn’t allow any experimentation or improvisation on stage. Does this setup give you a little more freedom to experiment with your band?

NM: I think it’s very important. We are not a Pink Floyd tribute band, a Roger Waters tribute band, or a David Gilmour tribute band. So I think we maintain our identity by working in very different ways.

What’s great is that it’s very consistent with what we were doing in 1967. Most of the songs were an opportunity to play a song and then take off for a bit.

To some extent, it feels like Syd Barrett’s contributions are sometimes overlooked by the segment of fans fixated on an album or two. How important is it to you guys to celebrate Syd on these shows?

NM: Importance is a bit of a funny word. But I think it’s good to celebrate the beginning of Pink Floyd.

I think that’s especially important in America.A lot of people here think Pink Floyd dark side of the moonEurope is a little different in that regard. So there is more knowledge than I would say about the early works.

But with the band’s success, it’s inevitable that much of their early music will actually be removed and replaced by current albums and the music we used to play.

When you walk into a venue like this, a theater in America, you can see your bandmates on stage – they’re not blocked by props. How do these years of experience in stadiums influence what you guys do?

NM: Wow. It would be nice to do the stadium once in a while for income. (laughs) But on the other hand, it’s also nice to actually interact with the customers. As you said, you can see not only the band members but also the back of the audience. And it’s very different.

The stadium is great and gives you the opportunity to do all sorts of things. But the stadium as a whole doesn’t pay attention. There’s always a few people in the background playing drugs and frisbees.

You guys aren’t necessarily radically changing these songs, but you’re reworking them a bit. How important is it to do that and find new ways to keep music moving forward?

NM: I think that’s the balance we hope to work out. This is to make the song recognizable not only to those who are particularly familiar with the details of the song, but also to those who are less familiar with it.

There’s not much improvisation or anything like that, but there’s a kind of freedom that you definitely don’t get now, and Pink Floyd haven’t had a big gig or anything in years.

You guys have been working together for years and have honed the way you express this music. In the process, it also exposes fans to a new side of someone like Gary Kemp, for example. Gary Kemp may only know him for his work with Spandau Ballet. What was it like working with this band?

NM: Good. Gary is probably the best example. But when you look at the mix of stage influences with Lee of Ian Dury & The Blockheads and Dom Beken of The Orb, I think it makes for a great kind of melting pot to play his early Pink Floyd on. .

Why did you rework the setlist a bit for this tour?

NM: We reworked it for our European tour this summer. I have always believed that nothing beats rehearsing on stage. Then more ideas are thrown around. We are now doing a revised show with a changed setlist. In fact, what we’re doing starts with “One of These Days.” That’s what we ended up with. So to those who may have seen us a few years ago, we suggest picking up where we left off.

For those of you who came to the show last time, we’ve revamped and extended it. In particular, working on “Echoes” is like a transition for me from Sid’s Pink Floyd to David to Roger’s Pink Floyd. , me and Rick.

Pink Floyd has had the rare luxury of reaching across generations. How does it feel to watch it from your seat on stage every night?

NM: It’s amazing. For us, I think the big thing is that parents sometimes bring their children along, which is very satisfying.

One of the best things about touring with this band is the feeling that you’re not just a nostalgia band and that their music has some relevance in the 21st century.