TICKET SCAN TO GO HERE

Capacity: 3,200

Concert starts: 8pm

Address of venue: 175 N State St, Chicago, IL 60601, USA. MAP

Website: www.msg.com/the-chicago-theatre

COMMENTS

When Nick Mason (during the press launch of the Rome staging of The Pink Floyd Exhibition: Their Mortal Remains) made comments in Italy about heading out to small venues, to play early Pink Floyd songs, few took the remarks seriously. As unlikely as it seemed, Nick was entirely truthful and in the initial announcement a set of four shows in London were announced for his new band. Due to the critical success of those shows in May 2018, held in small venues in Camden and Putney, a full European tour was announced for September. The expanded shows for the full tour were even more highly acclaimed, and it came as no surprise when further dates for 2019 were announced!

Nick Mason's Saucerful Of Secrets brings together some familiar names, all great musicians: joining Nick are Gary Kemp and Lee Harris on guitars, Guy Pratt on bass, and Dom Beken on keyboards. Kemp is best known for his work with Spandau Ballet, Harris as having played guitar with The Blockheads (Ian Dury's band), Pratt needs no introduction, and Beken is principally known for his work with The Orb, and Transit Kings (with Pratt). The band will be playing early Pink Floyd songs.

This is a unique opportunity to experience Pink Floyd's celebrated and significant early body of work played live including songs from albums 'The Piper At The Gates of Dawn' and 'A Saucerful Of Secrets'.

The regular sale of tickets started on MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5th at 10am (local time), via Ticketmaster. Please support Brain Damage by purchasing your tickets using this link - thanks, we really appreciate it!

WARNING - SPOILERS AHEAD!

Do not read on if you don't want surprises to be spoilt, regarding what the band played!

Having reached the half-way point of the North American tour, the Saucers have reached Chicago, for a show that - as the review below attests - was extremely well received.

Tomorrow, the band arrive in Indianapolis for their show there, before they get a deserved day off. Wonder if they'll pop over to The Brickyard (the Motor Speedway) for a visit? Chances are pretty high!

We'd love to know from those attending how they felt the concert went. How was the show for you, if you were one of the fortunate ones to attend? Let us know what YOU thought!

CONCERT REVIEW by BD CONTRIBUTOR, Brett Negray

Of course I'm going to say that the Pink Floyd show I saw last night was amazing, right? Well .... yes. Yes, I am. I'll admit, though, when I first heard that Nick Mason, Pink Floyd's drummer, was taking a band on the road to tackle Floyd's pre-Dark Side catalog, I figured it would be something of a lark, or a novelty act. I think a lot of people felt this way initially, but I know now, as I'd heard soon after Mason's band started doing shows in England, that what Mason is doing here has *every bit* of the gravitas of Roger Waters' and David Gilmour's solo shows, and also fills a very different niche. This is, by no means, a greatest hits show, and it certainly is no joke.

I'm still trying to organize my thoughts. It's hard to put into words what I saw last night. First of all, the playing and production were top-notch. Precise and perfect, but including some long, seemingly free-form jams. The sound, like all of the Floyd concerts I've seen, was just the way I like it - deep, rumbling bass, with every note played by every band member crystal clear, and, at times, projected in front, behind, and atop the audience. There is nothing better than Pink Floyd immersion.

Until last night, I'd have said that Dave's shows rocked the most, but Nick's band takes that honor now. Not only does old Pink Floyd rock a lot harder than their later material, but Nick and his band's interpretation of those old gems put an even harder edge on it. They even played The Nile Song, which many describe as Pink Floyd's one heavy metal song. In other words, Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets rocked my f'in socks off!

Throughout the show, Nick and the other band members spoke to the audience, telling amusing stories, and, courtesy of "the professor" (Lee Harris, the co-lead guitarist, who is apparently a Floyd historian), shared a bit of Floyd's history with us. Nick himself is clever, charming, and very funny. When he first addressed the audience, he informed us that his band is not the "Australian Roger Waters, or The People's Republic of David Gilmour" (a riff on some popular Floyd cover bands, and, I think, a bit on his old bandmates too). In his typical self-deprecating manner, he told us that, when he decided that Dave and Roger wouldn't be calling him anytime soon for any new projects or tours, he'd decided to take this show on the road.

It's clear that this is, for everybody on that stage, a labor of love. These old songs are revitalized, and every detail is carefully and lovingly attended to. They were not note-for-note renditions, but rather interpretations that perfectly mimicked the albums at times, and took them in different directions at others.

Along with some of the great post-Syd Barrett, pre-Dark Side material, they played several early singles/first album songs, along with Vegetable Man (an unreleased song I'd never heard before, but had heard of for many years). It was very heavy on psychedelia, with shapes and colors constantly moving across the back screen, and a great light show. I finally got a taste of what brought Pink Floyd to prominence in the 60s London Underground, and it was spectacular. Oh, to have been there!

They also paid homage to their fallen comrades, Syd and Rick Wright. Syd's spectre has always hung over the band, and Nick's dedication to him was met with a respectful solemnity and loud applause by the audience, but it was Rick who came up several times during the show. This was partially due to the fact that the bassist is his son-in-law, but mostly because of his profound contribution to the music of Pink Floyd over their entire career. After so many years of being immersed in their world, I feel like they were friends of mine too. The tributes were heartfelt and poignant, and contributed to the feeling of camaraderie.

And that, most of all, is what I felt at this rock and roll show. Though I took no companion with me, there was a sense of family; of a shared experience amongst the concert goers. I've always said that music is like a great and secret show that plays out right in front of everybody, but is only known to the initiated. Within that secret world are subsections made up of the different bands, genres, etc., that music lovers find themselves fanaticising over, and those lunatics who share that passion have a special bond. I've been a Pink Floyd lunatic for some 25 years now (a short tenure compared to many of the other concert goers), and found myself easily conversing with perfect strangers, instantly linked by our love for this band, and all of us reaching back together to a time fifty years ago, when fate brought these young men together to make their indelible mark on the world of music. In this endeavor, I'm happy to report, both Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets, along with the audience, were successful .... if only for a short time.

YOUR HELP NEEDED! We want to cover Nick's concerts the best we can, to share the experience with everyone, especially those who won't be able to attend the shows. We'd love to see ANY pictures, tickets scans, reviews, newspaper reports, and anything else you come across for this show - we look forward to hearing from you!