Echoes

In October 2019, I asked my mate Stuart if he fancied going to see Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets at the Manchester Apollo the following May, to celebrate us both turning 60 that year. Last night, three postponements and two years later, we finally got to attend the concert. But it was well worth the wait as it was a superb night and the band were on top form.
In 2018, ex-Blockheads guitarist Lee Harris was bored and looking for a project. A long time Pink Floyd fan, he approached their ex-touring bassist Guy Pratt to see if original drummer Nick Mason might be persuaded to come out of retirement and tour again. Surprisingly, he said yes and, after recruiting ex-Spandau Ballet guitarist and vocalist Gary Kemp (another fan) and keyboard player Dom Beken (who had previously worked with the late Rick Wright), a band was born. Their aim was to play Pink Floyd music from the Syd Barret era up to just before Dark Side of the Moon - in other words, the stuff you don’t normally see being performed!
I saw them just after they formed (also at the Apollo) and again in 2019. You could see the improvement in that short timescale as well as the obvious enthusiasm from all concerned, now they realised it was going to be a success.
And it seems they have not been idle during the last two years. The light show was much improved and the musicianship was superb. They really looked like a band on top of their game, each knowing exactly what the others were going to do. A really great concert and a band I would be happy to see again. Nick Mason might be 78 but he looked fit and healthy, even after nearly three hours on stage, so there is hope that they will carry on for a little while longer.
And, yes, they did play “Echoes” - all twenty three minutes of it. And it was bloody brilliant.