Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason to Play Pre-‘Dark Side of the Moon’ Songs on U.S. Tour

Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets is crossing the Atlantic early next year for their first North American tour. The group – which features the Pink Floyd drummer alongside longtime Floyd touring bassist Guy Pratt, Spandau Ballet guitarist Gary Kemp, guitarist Lee Harris and keyboardist Dom Beken –  launched their inaugural tour in Europe earlier this year to play shows devoted entirely to Floyd’s pre-Dark Side of the Moon catalog. The tour begins March 12th in Vancouver, BC and wraps up April 22nd in Washington, D.C. Tickets go on sale early next month.

“With the help of some like-minded friends, I have embarked on a voyage of discovery of the music that was the launchpad of Pink Floyd and my working life,” Mason said in a statement. “It seems too early to retire, and I missed the interaction with other musicians.”

Speaking to Rolling Stone‘s David Fricke earlier this year, Mason explained that he got the blessing of David Gilmour and Roger Waters before launching the project. “I thought it would be good manners, and they were both supportive,” he said. “Roger even said he would come down and sing one of the songs one night … And playing the early Pink Floyd stuff doesn’t impinge on what Roger or David do or what [the tribute band] the Australian Pink Floyd do. I could find myself a comfortable niche and do it for the sheer joy.”

Mason was inspired to form the band after working on the Pink Floyd museum exhibit Pink Floyd: Their Mortal Remains. “I really enjoyed working on it,” he said. “But at the end, I felt like a national monument, that it was all about ancient history. I thought, ‘I like this, but not as much as what I remember,’ which was playing drums with like-minded people on stage.”

Many of the songs in the group’s repertoire come from the Syd Barrett-era of the band, and several haven’t been played live by a member of Pink Floyd in decades. Just about the only song in their set that gets regular airplay on classic rock radio is “One of These Days” from 1971’s Meddle, though it is full of beloved classics like “Arnold Layne,” “See Emily Play, “Bike” and “Atom Heart Mother.”

Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets U.S. Tour Dates

March 12, 2019 – Vancouver, BC @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre
March 13 – Seattle, WA @ The Paramount
March 15 – San Francisco, CA @ The Masonic
March 16 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
March 19 – Phoenix, AZ @ Comerica Theatre
March 21 – Denver, CO @ Paramount Theatre
March 24 – Dallas, TX @ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
March 25 – Houston, TX @ Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
March 27 – Miami Beach, FL @ Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater
March 29 – Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
March 31 – St. Louis, MO @ Stifel Theatre
April 1 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Riverside Theater
April 3 – Minneapolis, MS @ Orpheum Theatre
April 4 – Chicago, IL @ The Chicago Theatre
April 5 – Indianapolis, IN @ The Old National Centre
April 7 – Columbus, OH @ Palace Theatre
April 8 – Akron, OH @ Akron Civic Theatre
April 9 -Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore Detroit
April 11 – Buffalo, NY @ Shea’s Performing Arts Center
April 12 – Wallingford, CT @ Oakdale Theatre
April 13 – Boston, MA @ Orpheum Theatre
April 15 – Montreal, QC @ Place des Arts
April 16 – Toronto, ON @ Sony Centre for the Performing Arts
April 18 – New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre
April 22 – Washington, DC @ DAR Constitution Hall

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