“Live in Pompeii was a concert between the ghosts. I frequent more waters than Gilmour”. Nick Mason's revelations in an interview with RS

In 1972, the Pink Floyd wrote a unique page in the history of rock: playing live, but without audience, among the millennial ruins of the Roman amphitheater of Pompeii. An anomalous concert, “with the ghosts”, as Nick Mason, drummer of the band, defines it today, who is preparing to see that film returning to theaters from 24 to 30 April in a restored and remastered version in 4K and Dolby Atmos, with the title “Pink Floyd at Pompeii McMLXXII”.
“It is funny as we immediately got used to the idea of ​​replacing the audience with an extraordinary place,” Mason says in an interview with Rolling Stone, with affection that experience that he defines at the same time alienating and stimulating. On that occasion, the group was going through a decisive creative phase: they had just finished recording “Meddle”, with songs such as “Echoes” and “Of These Days”, which anticipated the golden age of masterpieces such as “The Dark Side of the Moon” and “Wish You Were here”.
“At the beginning it was rather strange to play without audience, then we took taste of it,” explains Mason, who returned to play in Pompeii a few years ago with his current band, Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets. The environment itself became an integral part of the performancein a dusty and archaic atmosphere. “I remember the powder, grainy and warm. It was a perfect alternative to the absence of the public”.
In the film, Roger Waters Martella a gigantic gong, David Gilmour is crouched in dust with his guitar, Rick Wright on the piano and Mason dominates the scene behind the battery. Filming took place in a few days, almost suddenly, so much so that the band was forced to erase some concerts in the United Kingdom.

Speaking of the relationships with the other members of the group, Roger Waters and David Gilmour, for some time on them, Mason has revealed: “I have not been talking to David for a while. I was in Barbados and there I saw much more Roger than David”.
Regarding the controversial “The Dark Side of the Moon Redx” by Roger Waters, Mason says in Rolling Stone interview that he appreciated it (“I liked it a lot. It was like watching the album from a different perspective”) and to find surprising that texts like those of “Time”, written by Waters at 23 years old, seem instead the result of a mature reflection: ” Eighty, not by a young man. “There was a lot of talk that he wanted to ruin him for the anniversary and things like that, but it wasn't so at all – Mason underlines – it was rather a 'look at a different perspective'”. They are both interesting enough because people say: 'I want them both' “. Previously, Mason had already expressed themselves in very positive terms on the project:” In reality Roger sent me a copy of what he was working on and I wrote to him and I told him: 'annoyed, he is absolutely brilliant!' It was and is. It is not at all a spoiler for the original, it is an interesting addition “

Today Mason says he is proud of the bequest of Pink Floyd, even if he admits that in hindsight there would have been things to do better. In particular, as regards the management of “The Dark Side of the Moon” at the time, Mason states that one of his greatest regrets is that Pink Floyd have not spent more time bringing the album on tour and that they did not get filmed as they performed it live. “If you could go back in time and redo everything from the end, we would probably have had to take more time, play 'Dark Side' live longer and don't worry about returning to the studio to make 'Wish You Were here',” he says. “We spent some time in the studio without having a lot of fun, when instead we could take it more calmly, make more concerts live and film them”.
And on the acquisition of the catalog by Sony he comments: “It was a good idea. They will manage it better than us, that we would spend time discussing”.

Recently the Pink Floyd have shared the new trailer of “Live at Pompeii” remastered, which will arrive in cinemas and IMAX on April 24, while the first vinyl publication of the live album is scheduled for May 2.
The one -minute movie of “Pink Floyd at Pompeii – McMLXXII”, defined by the drummer Nick Mason as “a rare and unique document of the band who performs live in the period before 'The Dark Side of the Moon'”, shows more clear images and audio of the 1972 film, thanks to the recent discovery of an original negative. “Since 1994 I have looked for the original filming of 'Pink Floyd at Pompeii', so the recent discovery of the original negative 35mm of 1972 was a very special moment,” said Lana Topham, director of the restoration project of the film. “The new restored version has the first complete assembly of 90 minutes, combining the original 60 -minute editing of the concert with additional documentary segments shot in the Abbey Road Studios shortly after”.
Look below the trailer of “Pink Floyd at Pompeii – McMLXXII”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ol7e6yuagdy

The film shows the Pink Floyd performing in some classics of the pre-“Dark Side”, such as “Echoes”, “One of these days” and “Careful With That Axe, Eugene”, inside the Roman amphitheater of Pompeii, near the website of the famous volcanic eruption, as well as shooting in the studio while the band recorded its legendary album “The Dark Side of the Moon “.
The composer Steven Wilson, in charge of the audio remix, added: “Since my father has made me washing the brain as a child making me listen to 'The Dark Side of the Moon' in Loop, the Pink Floyd have become my favorite band. They are my Beatles', deeply rooted in my musical DNA. The first time I saw Pompeii was in a blunt press in a local cinema. He made an incredible impression: a free and experimental rock music, played by four musicians who embody the essence of intellectual coolness.
“Pink Floyd at Pompeii” precedes the release of the Floydian Kolossal “The Dark Side of the Moon”. The film documents the state of the English band just before becoming an icon of the international charts. Filmed in October 1971, he was the first live concert never made in Pompeii and includes essential songs such as “Echoes”, “A Saucerful of Secrets” and “One of These Days”. The extraordinary shots of the amphitheater, during the day and night, amplify the magic of the event.
The film also includes rare images behind the scenes of Pink Floyd while they started working on “The Dark Side of the Moon” in the Abbey Road Studios.
Speaking of the docu-film, Nick Mason said: “'Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii' is a rare and unique document of our band”.

The film was meticulously restored, a frame by frame, starting from the original negative in 35mm, found in five coils in the band's archives. This discovery brought to light the original images shot during those torrid days among the ruins of Pompeii, more than 50 years ago.
Guided by Lana Topham, director of the restoration for Pink Floyd, the team worked to preserve the integrity and beauty of the original film. The film has been digitized in 4K using advanced techniques to obtain maximum image quality. The colors have been improved and each frame has been meticulously revised and sheltered, maintaining a natural and vivid appearance with minimal interventions on the original parmesan.
The audio quality has also been extraordinarily improved with a new theatrical mix e Home Entertainment Made by Steven Wilson in 5.1 and Dolby Atmos, which enhances the depth and clarity of sound, respecting the authenticity and spirit of the original version of 1972. The goal of Wilson was to faithfully recreate the band's sound in those fiery days of 1971.
The album “Pink Floyd at Pompeii – McMLXXII” will be published for the first time as a complete live. The 2025 remix by Steven Wilson will be available from May 2 in CD formats, Blu-ray, DVD, Digital Audio and Dolby Atmos.
Pink Floyd at Pompeii – McMLXXII is presented by RM Productions and directed by Adrian Maben. Executive producers: Reiner Moritz and Michelle Arnaud. Distributed by Sony Music Vision.