I wrote this on a separate message board--trying to avoid spoilers--but figured it was worth re-posting here as there are no other comments. It was excellent. First off, the set list is extremely well-chosen. Deep cuts, arrangements that are both inspired but also faithful somehow. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, unlike what I heard about the "double trio" of the 90s group, this lineup totally jelled. A few Scarcity-esque moments on the soprano aside, Collins is a bit of a revelation -...
I wrote this on a separate message board--trying to avoid spoilers--but figured it was worth re-posting here as there are no other comments. It was excellent. First off, the set list is extremely well-chosen. Deep cuts, arrangements that are both inspired but also faithful somehow. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, unlike what I heard about the "double trio" of the 90s group, this lineup totally jelled. A few Scarcity-esque moments on the soprano aside, Collins is a bit of a revelation -- so great on those early records, blowing pretty full on throughout. Levin is a fucking anchor, bowed bass, stick, and some fine stage presence. Jakko fit in pretty well. His voice was versatile enough to handle Lake and Wetton material with no problem. Fripp took some ripping solos and looked like he was enjoying himself. But the triple drum thing took the cake – both as theater and musically (Mastolonetto looked uncomfortably like a trim Michael Moore BTW). They never filled too much space and balanced out the heavy riffage nicely. It was a lot like having Giles, Bruford and Muir on stage together but with them constantly switching roles. They also managed to make the whole thing really fun. Lastly, after the show, a sixty-ish year-old guy in the bathroom looked around at the other guys, turned to me with a smile and said, "King Crimson. Brought to you by Flomax."
