TICKET SCAN TO GO HERE

Capacity: 908

Concert starts: 8pm

Address of venue: 5601 N 16th St, Phoenix, AZ 85016, United States. MAP

Website: www.themadison.org

COMMENTS

Due to the critical success of the four initial shows in May 2018, held in tiny venues in London's Camden and Putney, Nick Mason's Saucerful Of Secrets announced a full European tour for September that year. 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. The insatiable demand for more dates, in more locations, has resulted in the band carrying on from where they left off, with shows for 2022 taking the music to new fans, as well as those who have already experienced the show, eager for more - particularly with the halt to concerts due to the Coronavirus pandemic!

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 5th, via etix.com, and the venues themselves.

UPDATE, 28th December 2021: In a not overly surprising move, bearing in mind the current global situation with Covid-19 and the Omicron variant, which is spreading extremely fast, the January/February 2022 Saucerful Of Secrets tour of the US and Canada has now been postponed. Rescheduled dates for the Fall (Autumn) of 2022 will be announced, and ticket holders are advised to hold onto their original tickets and await further information from the venue and/or ticket company where they purchased their tickets.

UPDATE, 21 March 2022: The revised touring schedule has been announced, and this concert is one of the shows to have moved to a new date in the Fall of 2022. For rescheduled shows that will be taking place at the same venue, all previously purchased tickets will be valid for the new date. For all shows being moved to new venues (like this one), customers will be automatically refunded for their purchase and offered an exclusive presale opportunity for the new venue and date. Further information will be sent directly to the original ticket holders by email shortly, and for any additional ticketing inquiries, fans should reach out to their point of purchase.

WARNING - SPOILERS AHEAD!

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

Show twenty-two of the North American tour, with just six more to follow, saw the band in Phoenix, Arizona for a show which coincided with the 50th birthday of Lee Harris - a very special occasion. Did you go to this show? Let us know!

The band now have a day off, albeit in part travelling, to San Diego, California for their show there, which Is the first of a string of shows in that state.

CONCERT REVIEW and PICTURES by BD CONTRIBUTOR, Danny Vacek

A spot at the center of Arizona became a new vortex for Harmonic Convergence when Nick Mason's Saucerful Of Secrets came to Phoenix on October 22nd.

For various reasons, my excitement about the Saturday performance began soon after I learned the stop got added, when North America 2022 Echoes Tour was rescheduled.

My wife and I flew down for the weekend to see the show.

Severe heat kills several hundred people in Phoenix every summer. Even mid-October it's very hot and doesn't usually start to be comfortable until November. As we arrived on Friday, in fact, all day was still quite warm. But winter came early to the area, that night, and weather was perfect concert day.

Since the Arizona Republic is part of the United States, with American midterm elections only weeks away, busy right-of-ways everywhere were lined with political advertising. I saw both sides represented on signs promoting, or opposed to, tax raising and other measures.

By just such an initiative, two years ago, Arizona voters chose to allow a regulated open market for adults who wish to consume marijuana. Of course I immediately visited the store nearest to our hotel for some samples of local bake goods. In my opinion, the prices were reasonable. Always tip your budtender; Mine earned hers, helpfully answering the many questions I had about dosage and timing etc.

The different medicated gummies are sweet, potent, and effective. However, I especially enjoyed one particular confection named Tipsy Turtle, a sand dollar that's both delicious and wonderfully elevating.

Possibly the worst Arizona experience is enduring traffic congestion. We got stuck a couple times, because there's no alternative way to get around. It's simple to ignore, while you're vacationing. But I'd hate living in the region, getting anywhere.

We stayed near the easternmost edge of Phoenix, close to Madison Center For The Arts, so transportation was easy for the event. The venue provides free parking.

Seemingly in the middle of nowhere, Phoenix is far more a center for fine arts than I'd realized. I already knew that Prairie School architect Frank Lloyd Wright made his winter home a short distance outside city limits, in Scottsdale. And if you drive up north into the mountains, about 100 miles, the weathered sandstone rock formations there, surrounding the town of Sedona, have inspired artists for centuries, including Krazy Kat creator George Herriman, who pilgrimaged the foothills around the Valley of the Sun over one-hundred years ago. And another 100 miles north of Sedona lies the Grand Canyon, everyone knows that.

But I didn't remember Phoenix is home to Alice Cooper. I learned that at MIM (Musical Instrument Museum), a world-class institution also located nearby, on the east side of town. Wow. What a place that is! Being in presence with the same guitar Joan Baez played at Woodstock. And much space devoted to early mass-produced electronic instruments, the theremin is proudly a centerpiece. Also, astonishing to gaze at Roy Wooten's one-of-a-kind prototype synth-axe-drummitar up close. Session musicians are even recognized at Phoenix's MIM.

On Saturday night, the stage manager spoke a few minutes before the program began, announcing with excitement Nick Mason's Saucers were here as the first to christen the brand new facility.

The state-of-the-art Madison Middle School auditorium holds twenty-five rows, seating 908 max.

My wife loved her view from our seats in the 7th row, though actually a little too close for my taste. The mix seemed a bit harsh, with Nick Mason's bass drums booming forward everything. Although that might have been intended, since only Arnold Layne when I noticed, maybe appropriate for the song?

At the first break between pieces, during Set 1, Nick told everyone the evening was a celebration of lead guitarist Lee Harris' 50th year, October 22, 2022, and the audience stood to sing Happy Birthday.

I'm a big fan of music fans. For example, I'm equally as interested in deadhead tramp art, as I'm fond of Grateful Dead's entire musical legacy. Unlike NMSOS at Newcastle, where I was free to move around the empty rows of seats in the balcony section; There were no extra spaces available to sit, in the performance room at Phoenix. Later, toward the end of Set 2, I found a place at the exact center, ninth row, with no wheelchair parked, where I was able to stand without blocking anyone; Even if only for a few songs; Exactly the sweet spot, no less!

While in the accessible seating row, I talked with Super-fan who told me she'd met Roger Waters, shook his hand (on more than one occasion), and also heard David Gilmour Rattle That Lock; but when she found out about the Saucers coming to town, she hurried next in line for tickets. Her craft made, tie-dye glowing neon Apples And Oranges blouse is what caught my eye.

It's absolutely true that an audience provides the whole difference. Having seen Echoes Tour '22 now four times, in four different cities---on two continents---I must concur that's based on fact. Every performance that I saw exhibited greatly varied flavor. I could be mistaken, but I swear seeing some band members drinking beers on stage, at Milwaukee; Makes sense, in the brewing capitol of Upper Midwest (Riverside Theater belongs to Pabst Brewery). The highlight in Wisconsin, for me, was Nick's drum "solo" mid the song Echoes; Like he's driving a Ferrari, navigating tight turns and steering the group through the complicated tune. At Phoenix, maybe the finale A Saucerful Of Secrets was my favorite moment: In Sun Valley, I'm fairly sure I spotted someone sipping from a vape pen, on stage; It fits.

I'm often bothered by shouts or inappropriate whistling during quiet movements of melodies; The Pink Floyd catalog is atypically dynamic, so that happens frequently, even with the most respectful of audiences. The crowd gathered at the Center for the Arts on Saturday was amazing, both polite and energy-filled. Except for the first half of Saucerful; But I decided that wasn't inappropriate; Screams and shrill whistles, just then, became simply an audience-contribution to the cacophony; Spectator silence returned immediately, the second-half of Secrets jam. I believe the audience rose for standing ovations at least twice, over the course of the evening; And then sat right back down again, to continue listening. ... The planets aligned over Phoenix, on October 22.

 

 

 

 

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!