It had been 43 years since this song had been played on stage in the UK by King Crimson. Given its near-legendary status amongst Crimheads it was perhaps understandable that audience reactions to hearing its anthem chorus for the first time in decades often bordered on the ecstatic.
It had been 43 years since this song had been played on stage in the UK by King Crimson. Given its near-legendary status amongst Crimheads it was perhaps understandable that audience reactions to hearing its anthem chorus for the first time in decades often bordered on the ecstatic.
This happens to be the oldest modern performance of "Court" available; and of all the released, it is the one I often revisit, because the harmonies in the chorus are slightly different (Specifically, deeper) than elsewhere. A nice variation which didn't last long - for instance, by the time they recorded the Radical Action set they were already singing them similar to the album. Good to have!
Written by Barry Briscoe
First Time In Person
The pair of concerts at this fine venue were a memorable experience as they were the first opportunity I'd ever had to witness KC in person. This night, I had a fine birds eye view from high in the rafters which was an ideal place from which to view this seven headed beast in action. Having only had the Orpheum album to go by, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect as I felt the triple drummer idea was a bit over the top but once they kicked into action, it was a wondrous sight to behold... very ...
The pair of concerts at this fine venue were a memorable experience as they were the first opportunity I'd ever had to witness KC in person. This night, I had a fine birds eye view from high in the rafters which was an ideal place from which to view this seven headed beast in action. Having only had the Orpheum album to go by, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect as I felt the triple drummer idea was a bit over the top but once they kicked into action, it was a wondrous sight to behold... very playful and sometimes amusing. The sound balance was good though Tony sometimes got lost in the mix, but sitting there and experiencing this music afresh in a live environment, expertly re-imagined by this line up was thrilling. I'd always admired Mel Collins and hearing him let rip and adding new sounds and textures to this material gave it a real freshness. I was hugely impressed by Jakko as he seemed to sing and play this music as if he was born to do so.
Highlights for me included the double whammy of The Letters and Sailor's Tale. I'd never liked the former but experiencing this line up perform it was utterly mindblowing as the song finally came to life... when the whole band kicked in, there was a strange change of atmosphere in the venue. It felt edgy and scary. Sailor's then came along and actually witnessing Robert play that crazy part had me wondering if I was dreaming or not. They had also resurrected Easy Money and that was a glorious moment. What was interesting was experiencing familiar music being given new twists and leases of life - timeless music played by a superb band of exceptional talents who appeared to be enjoying themselves. The audience were very attentive and well behaved... no phones or cameras to be seen until after the band left the stage which enabled one to let the music and occasion wash over me. Starless and the gradual light change to red was a spine tingling moment. An excellent gig. As I was leaving the venue I overheard quite a few people talking about the drum trio positively and I felt pretty pleased I would be returning the next night which would prove to be a completely different experience altogether...
