King Crimson - A train trip to Philadelphia is a small price to pay to see a full-band (and then some) King Crimson performance. The striking sound is evident before they hit a note as there are three full drum kits downstage to be manned by longtime Crimsonite Pat Matstelotto, Bill Rieflin (REM, NIN), and Gavin Harrison (Porcupine Tree). Rieflin has some electronics.synthesizer he works at various times while the other two engage in percussion beyond their kits. They vary the sound from a three-part barrage to intricate weavings of individual drum patterns. It all works even better than I expected, especially since this is a heavy set. The four players upstage are Robert Fripp of course, joined by Jakko Jakszyk on guitar and vocals and flute, veteran cohort Tony Levin on basses, and classic era band member, Mel Collins on saxophones and flutes. The players were all brilliant and even with all the heavy percussion and strong songs, there was clarity throughout. Collins and Fripp were on opposite sides of the stage each blasting away and tonally meeting to the point that their instruments sounded nearly identical at times. There were older cuts as well as new, instrumentals as well as vocal workouts, all of which worked in balance. Jacszyk's vocals were powerful and Levin offered some effective harmony in a few of the cuts. This was a majestic hall with four levels of seating (reminding me of the Strathmore) and showcased the band perfectly. The crowd around me was fully engaged throughout, some traveling much further than I to attend. Considering Robert Fripp was quoted in 2012 with "my life as a professional musician is a joyless exercise in futility", there are a whole lot of people thankful that he has soldiered on and surrounded himself with people who obviously took great joy in playing tonight. Mel Collins not only sounded brilliant, but was all smiles acknowledging the crowd afterward. It would be easy for Robert Fripp to pack it in, but thankfully he assembled this great crew to put out a powerful 2-hour set that just about everyone will remember for a long time.
Set List (from www.setlist.fm as I didn't take notes, but it seems correct)...
Lark's Tongue in Aspic, Pt 1, Level Five, A Scarcity of Miracles, Pictures of a City, One More Red Nightmare, Hells Bells, The Letters, Sailor's Tale, Hell-Hounds of Krim, VROOOM, Coda: Marine 475, The Light of Day, The Talking Drum, Lark's Tongue in Aspic, Pt2, Red, Starless, Encore: HooDoo, 21st Century Schizoid Man
Quote of the Night: from the usher in my front section... "What is it with all the men here, I've never seen so few women!"
We chatted a bit more as I chuckled and looked around and noticed he was correct (making me feel like I was in a high school science club reunion). Although the numbers did improve as the final seats were filled, I was thinking that although some forms of music started male-heavy but adapted over the years (punk, metal), progressive music may still a domain mostly for the guys. And perhaps the heavier rocking prog bands are even more the model, as I believe Rush may have ratios like this. Thankfully more women drifted in with some taking seats near me and were digging everything every bit as much as the guys. There were even some younger fans as well, so all is well in the end.
4 comments:
I loved hearing Mel Collins and the sound of his saxophones are still in my brain, but he seemed a bit loud in the mix. Disappointed with Starless, but otherwise, what a show, they killed the Larks' Tongues in Aspic tracks. Seemed the lineup was invited around being able to pull this off. And what a delight to hear the Islands era tracks! Worth the trip from Pittsburgh.
You might be right about the sax at times and the bass was a tad light in a couple songs, but as you say most of these songs were so bright and powerfully, the sound came together quite well for the most part. Glad it was worth the trip for you, as well as for me and for the guy from North Carolina next to me...
Sorry to hear the 9/13 sax sound wasn't right and especially that Starless was disappointing. On the second night the blend was just about perfect (I was seated directly behind the soundboard) and Starless gave me the emotional trifecta of goose bumps, hair standing up on the back of my neck and chills down the spine. Thank you, David, for a fine review of the previous night's show. I found this to be an interesting experiment (the 3-drummer set-up) but, though I was satisfied with the performance, I clearly recall being much more impressed with the overall package at the 1996 tour's final show (also in Philly).
I doubt Fripp will bring them back in a future incarnation. Am so glad I made it to this (possibly) last Philadelphia appearance of King Crimson.
Hi Brad -- I thought Starless was fine, but I'm a big fan and found it chilling as you say. I wish I had seen the '96 show as yes, this will likely be the last and there won't be another to compare it to. Glad they went out with a bang and glad the second show went well, too. I read some of the other reviews on tour stops and everyone seemed pretty happy to some extent.
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