TICKET SCAN TO GO HERE

Capacity: 1,800

Concert starts: 8pm

Address of venue: 3790 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90010, USA. MAP

Website: www.wiltern.com

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 FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16th at 10am EST, via Ticketmaster.

WARNING - SPOILERS AHEAD!

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

Night five of Nick Mason's Saucerful Of Secrets 2019 tour, and the second of a pair of shows in Los Angeles. As with the first night, the band were enthusiastically received by the California crowd. A review of the show will be here soon. The production now packs up and leaves the state, heading for Arizona and a show at the Comerica in Phoenix.

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, T Westbrook

I am an old Pink Floyd fan since the '70's. My first notice was "Money" on FM radio. I became a more hardcore fan a few years later in college when I heard "Meddle, "Wish You Were Here," "Animals," and saw the "Pompeii" movie. "Pompeii" was a real eye-opener. I heard "Dark Side of The Moon" in full much later. I then understood it to do with the strain of modern life, the rat-race and something about aging.

As tech has advanced, different avenues to observe and study bands have developed. Several Internet sites now exist where younger persons listen to "older" or "classic rock" bands' music for the first time and note their reactions and analyze their playing. I recently saw a Youtube site that grabbed me, a young lady's reaction to the DSOTM track "Time." The lyrics brought her to tears. She noted that Roger Waters' lyrics hit the nail on the head, written when he was 29 years old! And, she was right: I am now over 60 years old and now just fully understand what he wrote about then. The sense of time has registered with me, especially with several deaths in recent years.

Though we had no TMZ, Internet, etc., I somehow knew in the late seventies that 3 of my favorite bands, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and Fleetwood Mac, were just "too big to continue as they were." I made sure I got tickets prior to 1980 to see all 3 bands. My first Pink Floyd shows were two "The Wall" premieres in LA, the 2nd and 3rd nights. I was so fortunate to witness this Herculean spectacle. And unfortunately, my hunch became true. As history has shown, Pink Floyd dissolved and smoldered to an end amid acrimony, lawsuits, etc. I saw David Gilmour solo in 1984. He was pretty successful at molding his own identity while not totally breaking from the Pink Floyd sound. His vocal and guitar is such a large part of Pink Floyd's sound. (A similar situation existed with Larry Graham and Sly and The Family Stone [though Sly played more on the records than we all knew. David Gilmour is also a multi-instrumentalist and reportedly played bass on some Pink Floyd tunes; in fairness, Roger Waters also plays rhythm guitar, as is well known.])

I did see Pink Floyd in 1987 without Roger Waters; the show was an extremely uplifting experience for me. I missed David Gilmour in 2006 and 2016. I did not see any Roger Waters shows until "The Wall" in 2010. It was really interesting to compare the technology and content of the show from 1980 to 2010.

I continued to buy all the albums and DVD's and keep up with their music.

I was always keen on the drumming of the other members' bands. If it was too precise or too technical, it lost something. New chapters were added with new styles and players on "The Wall", "The Final Cut", and later albums. Nick Mason has a certain swing, you know it when you hear it. A certain looseness and flair,…… That feel is integral to Pink Floyd's music.

I always wondered if Nick Mason would ever tour on his own. It's not totally surprising, as he has shown an interest in healing old wounds within the band. Due to the time issue (i.e., age, for the band members and myself) I had to see his show. (The songs performed were another reason.) The British mini-tour was a success, so I decided I was a "go" for any American tour if it materialized.

The Wiltern Theatre is one of the great places to see a concert in Los Angeles. It is a great Art Deco theater and one of the historical landmarks of the city. Over 17 years ago, the permanent floor theatre seats were removed and high modern barstool-type seats were installed. For the concert, the large, prominent "Saucerful" banner was hung behind the stage. It was so cool seeing Nick's double-kick drum set on stage -- and a gong! Something about a gong onstage…the space it occupies, the image it sends… Every stage is transformed once a gong is planted there, particularly one 5-ft or larger in diameter.

Opening act Get Cape. Wear Cape. FLY (Sam Duckworth) performed solo with acoustic guitar. He had good songs and a very strong voice. A solid solo performance.

One of the things I noticed with all the Pink Floyd/solo shows I have seen is a Pink Floyd commonality with sound effects starting well before the show. This was the case tonight. But one different thing from all other shows was no quad sound! David Gilmour and Roger Waters continued the Pink Floyd tradition of performing with quadrophonic PA systems. Nick used "only" stereo. The sound was clear and crisp, though.

As far as the staging, the backdrop itself served as a major portion of the show. I knew we would be in for a lighting feast. After all, it's Pink Floyd, who with band and crew were some of the innovators of concert lighting as we know it.

The setlist is well known and stayed the same with the addition of one song on the American tour. One of the reasons that cemented my decision to see the show was the addition of "Childhood's End" to the set in Vancouver. After the initial European tour performing obscure Pink Floyd songs, I thought this seldom-played jam would fit perfectly. More later.

As the show began with "Interstellar Overdrive" and "Astronomy Domine", I hoped Nick planned to record some shows. (As a reviewer noted on the 'Brain-Damage UK' website, a London show appeared to have been recorded.) The band was tight, brought all the old songs to life. Many stand the test of time. Some were abbreviated; I was just getting revved up when they were truncated ("When You're In", "Atom Heart Mother.")

As a bass player, I was fascinated by all the guitars. Guy Pratt brought a few basses. (It was also nice to see the "second generation" PF Guy on the tour.) Lee Harris had a gold Strat, which looked like the one made for Prince - though probably a bit less expensive. Gary Kemp had a white Strat with an extra knob on the top horn. Keyboard player Dom Beken was on point; all the Floyd flavor was in effect. And those dudes could play.

During Nick's intro after the first 2 songs, he took jocular jabs at Roger Waters, David Gilmour, tribute bands and ageism. He talked about the riots in 1975 during the LA Sports Arena shows, all with his usual grace and humor. It just dawned on me… with today's technology, the whole the show - with edits - can now be watched on Youtube! Time and aging, a big theme for Pink Floyd. My personal notes on concerts have been and continue to be from memory and handwriting. Now we can go online for follow-up, or to sometimes see the whole show again. There is nothing like being there. But when you can't be there, a visual document will greatly suffice. But I'll continue on anyway with notes on some of the performances…..

"Lucifer Sam" - Rocked. Reminded me of a '60's secret agent TV or movie music. One of my favorite jams of the night!

"Fearless" - Good choice, always one of my favorites off of "Meddle." Gov't Mule has performed several Pink Floyd tribute shows including this song. Other tribute bands have also performed the track.

"Remember A Day" - Nice touch when Guy introduced song as written by his son's grandfather; many may or may not know his son's grandfather was Rick Wright.

"Vegetable Man" - The 'unfinished' song, nice to hear a bit of closure on this one, cool touch and well done. Nick gave tribute to Syd Barrett afterward. They never forgot him and always took care of him.

"If / Atom Heart Mother / If" (Reprise) - Very cool arrangement, though AHM was cut off! However "dinosaur-ish" it may sound, there's nothing like a good jam once in awhile.

"The Nile Song" - Rocked hard and was introduced by Guy as that type of song. This song is one of the more obscure, more rarely played by other bands, also performed by Gov't Mule.

"Green Is the Colour" - Well done, faithful to the original; short version, no extended jam a la 1971.

"Let There Be More Light" - One of their more recognizable singles from the Sixties, with BBC radio intro. Guy introduced his Entwhistle-style Warwick Buzzard bass.

"Childhood's End" - Finally. One of my absolute favorite Pink Floyd songs. Pink Floyd rarely performed the track. Even most tribute bands rarely perform the track. (Brit Floyd played it regularly during 2014-2015.) Saucerful also played the main track here, not the extended version performed by Pink Floyd in 1972-73. The extended jam before the the final verse is a jam to hear, awesome. I have never read in an interview why they chose to extend the song. The main song was performed tonight at a slightly sped-up pace, but a great version nonetheless. I got to see a Pink Floyd member perform one of two of my favorite Pink Floyd songs.

"Set The Controls for The Heart of The Sun" - Also one of my favorites. I have always loved the Eastern melody and build to climax. Nick joked about how Roger never shared the gong in the old days. I especially loved Rick Wright's delay/echo organ interlude performed during 1971-73. (I can only imagine what it sounded like in quad.) Gary Kemp made a fine substitution with cool stereo guitar effects. These particular effects were on a music stand next to his mic, quite unorthodox. Guy played Roger Waters' part on the gong. (It was a nice touch that Roger Waters guested and played on this song in NYC. I was also hoping for more guest appearances on the tour.)

"One of These Days" - As Pink Floyd occasionally did, song was placed as the show closer (with wild light show.) Lee Harris did a great job on lap steel, nice and rude.

"A Saucerful of Secrets" - The reason I probably would have come to see the show, regardless of any other song in the setlist. When I first saw the "Pompeii" movie, this piece blew my mind. I was able to witness musicians at work demonstrating their stage performance; perfecting their studio craft; all in the cinematic format with [an artistic framework. The movie stimulated my own artistic expression. This was a peek at Pink Floyd unmasking themselves sound wise, in broad daylight, with a phenomenal backdrop. We got to see how the effects were created on their songs. The movie also directed me to their back catalog. I am still more familiar with Pink Floyd, "Ummagumma"-forward. However, since this show, I now am possibly familiar with more Syd material than before. But tonight "Saucerful" was performed in a condensed version which did justice to the recorded version as well as the old live versions. (I personally love the 20+ minute epic versions.) At the Wiltern, on the 'Storm Signal' sound effects into the 'Celestial Voices' section, Guy used slide on his bass, a la "Echoes." A guitar solo added at the end for this tour remained, with the nightly tribute to Rick Wright. A tour-de-force as it has always been.

"Point Me At The Sky" - Such an upbeat song, about flying, off into space and the future. Kind of touches on us today - in the future from 1968, and somewhat accurately. Amazing this song was not a bigger hit. Great light show, clever way to end on an undercover ominous note, along with closing chorus of "Goodbye!"

The crowd was mainly my age, from 50-to-70's. But I was quite shocked to see a large number of 20-30 year-olds. I sat next to a guy in his 20's to my left; to my right were 3 guys in their 20's. The guy at my left asked how long I had been a Pink Floyd fan. Nowadays, especially in the workplace, history and experience gets ignored and often lost in this instant-gratification world. I got some long-term gratitude in telling of my Pink Floyd experience - not from a boastful point, but as history - of being a fan since the seventies and all the concerts I attended. Of course, this does not compare to those who have been fans since 1967, and there were surely several in the audience.

Thinking back, I missed Pink Floyd at the San Diego Community Concourse as a teen, just learning bass guitar (not yet a regular concertgoer) and missed the 1975 and 1977 tours (lived in different city and not yet a full-fledged fan.) It makes me realize, though, I have seen several Pink Floyd/solo concerts in different eras of their careers. They have made an impact on me artistically and personally. This show covered lesser known music as well as cuts very well known by die-hard fans of all ages. A nice and timely statement by Nick Mason.

T. Westbrook
Los Angeles CA

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!