King Crimson's 2021 MUSIC IS OUR FRIEND tour of USA, with special guest THE ZAPPA BAND
This particular performance embodies the ‘new whenever it was written’ ethos that has fuelled this incarnation of King Crimson. A stunning interpretation that makes it sound as if it had just been unveiled for the first time.
This particular performance embodies the ‘new whenever it was written’ ethos that has fuelled this incarnation of King Crimson. A stunning interpretation that makes it sound as if it had just been unveiled for the first time.
This is not so much a review, but more of a remembrance.
This show was originally scheduled for 24-June-20, but the pandemic saw to it being rescheduled. Luckily, my friends and I were able to retain our sixth row seats, which were straight out from Robert. This was only my fourth Crim show (over four decades) and sadly, it seems it will have been the last. Nonetheless, it was a grand evening!
The Zappa Band kicked things off with a stellar set. I’ve seen Mike Keneally numerous times and...
This is not so much a review, but more of a remembrance.
This show was originally scheduled for 24-June-20, but the pandemic saw to it being rescheduled. Luckily, my friends and I were able to retain our sixth row seats, which were straight out from Robert. This was only my fourth Crim show (over four decades) and sadly, it seems it will have been the last. Nonetheless, it was a grand evening!
The Zappa Band kicked things off with a stellar set. I’ve seen Mike Keneally numerous times and his joy in playing always moves me. Everyone in the band killed it.
Thinking back on this 2+ years later, the Crim set seems a dreamlike memory. I was hearing songs for the first time that I never thought I would ever get to experience and because of this, there was more than one occasion where I was repeatedly wiping away tears. There had to be others that were affected the same way, but perhaps it was me that the earlier reviewer witnessed. On top of that, a drummer friend was sitting next to me, and while I occasionally joined him (to a lesser degree), his enthusiastic wig-outs were something to behold. Between the tears and the wigging, I can’t imagine that Robert didn’t notice us.
The band was simply amazing and didn’t let up for the whole show. If, in fact, this was my last time seeing them, then I really couldn’t have asked for more… ‘cept maybe another hour or two : c }
Scott Nuckles
Dayton, Ohoho
Written by Aleksandra Craine
Just Crimson and you
Possibly my last Crimson show, Rose Music Center, nowhere in particular. What a strange venue that suddenly arises like an island out of the sea of Ohio suburbs. As I arrived to the hotel, I heard KC rehearsing. I crossed the enormous empty parking lot to sneak a listen (sorry, couldn't help it!) and soaked in the beloved sounds,until a security guard suggested that I can "walk and listen" at the same time. It was a surreal moment that made me forget about the whole world outside that parking lo...
Possibly my last Crimson show, Rose Music Center, nowhere in particular. What a strange venue that suddenly arises like an island out of the sea of Ohio suburbs. As I arrived to the hotel, I heard KC rehearsing. I crossed the enormous empty parking lot to sneak a listen (sorry, couldn't help it!) and soaked in the beloved sounds,until a security guard suggested that I can "walk and listen" at the same time. It was a surreal moment that made me forget about the whole world outside that parking lot. The entire evening had the same aura of surrealism and magic as if some greater forces conspired to make this the most special night of music - but such things are commonplace when Crimson is in the house. The emotional Royal Package, the setlist, the smiles on the faces of musicians, hearing Schizoid Man (finally!), it was perfect in each moment. As the show neared its thundering conclusion I felt a great wave of love for each band member. I realized that out of all the Crim iterations, with so many greats passing through, this band, the first and last I've ever seen, is the one I will always treasure as my Crimson. I understood what Robert always said, about this being the only band that could be King Crimson in this moment in this circular time. If this was indeed my last KC show ever, it couldn't have possibly been more perfect.
Written by Walter Dabney Tunis
"I Wonder If That's Really It"
King Crimson
Rose Music Center in Huber Heights, Ohio
September 2, 2021
As the last reverberations of “21st Century Schizoid Man” settled, triggering a merry, mutual photo session between King Crimson and its audience at the Rose Music Center, a bittersweet sentiment sifted through the crowd. It was reflected very matter-of-factly by a patron sitting next to me.
“I wonder if that’s really it.”
The remark reflected widely circulated (meaning rumored) scuttlebutt that the mi...
King Crimson
Rose Music Center in Huber Heights, Ohio
September 2, 2021
As the last reverberations of “21st Century Schizoid Man” settled, triggering a merry, mutual photo session between King Crimson and its audience at the Rose Music Center, a bittersweet sentiment sifted through the crowd. It was reflected very matter-of-factly by a patron sitting next to me.
“I wonder if that’s really it.”
The remark reflected widely circulated (meaning rumored) scuttlebutt that the mighty Crimson’s current North American tour will be its last. Of course, the band has issued no official statement on the subject. It’s a good bet, in fact, the musicians themselves don’t definitively know what the future holds. But if this was indeed part of the last-go-round for Robert Fripp and company, then they are going out on a jubilant note – well, a whole lot of jubilant notes.
Like the near annual treks Crimson has undertaken since reinventing itself in 2013/14 as a seven (and sometimes eight) headed beast fronted by three drummers - Gavin Harrison, Jeremy Stacey (who doubled on keyboards) and longtime Crimsonite Pat Mastelotto - this performance was a stunning presentation of living history.
The 15 tunes making up the concert covered eight different albums spanning five decades. But the specific “whens” didn’t really matter. All of the material was presented with an almost symphonic electricity.
The drums didn’t just establish grooves, they played off them, orchestrated them and at times even harmonized with each other during specific passages. Mel Collins’ turns on flutes and various saxophones enhanced the color of more pastoral moments while turning more open-ended passages into jazz joyrides. Guitarists Fripp and Jakko Jakszyk proved a daredevil tag team, especially when their dizzying runs locked horns with the drums. And then there was Tony Levin, who navigated the same treacherous rhythmic waters as his cohorts on bass and stick while also providing each workout with subtle, flexible but substantial foundations.
In other words, the technical command of Crimson remained stunning with a repertoire covering a half-century that in no way resembled a collective museum piece. Whether it was through works from the 1969 debut album, “In the Court of the Crimson King” (in particular, the still-elegantly ruminative “Epitaph) or comparatively newer instrumentals composed by the current Crimson lineup (the roaring percussion/guitar workout “Radical Action II”), this is a modern thinking unit.
For instance, the pastoral sweep of “Islands” remained rich and warm, reflecting the concert’s quietest set of dynamics. Credit Jakszyk’s vocal lead and Collins’ saxophone flights for making the piece sound fresher than any supposed “prog” song from 1971 has a right to. Similarly, a comparatively recent (if you want to call 2001 recent) excursion like “Level Five” remained a stirring blend of electro/acoustic percussive ingenuity and warp-speed guitar fire. If there is a single piece that best reflected the sound and strength of this current Crimson incarnation, “Level Five” gets the prize.
Also, for an ensemble with so many moving parts, this seven-member crew performed expertly as an actual band. A drum break from Garrison during “21st Century Schizoid Man” and an earlier serenade by Levin on electric upright bass were among the only unaccompanied solos performed during the show. But the members all soloed generously through the evening within a band context.
Everything coalesced with the set-closing “Starless,” a still-stirring 1974 composition that swept in like an evening fog before a middle section broke away for an ominous ensemble groove that slowly gathered intensity and dimension with guitars and drums both anchoring and playing against the groove. The tune also allowed for the show’s only visual indulgence, one that gradually bathed the band in blood red lighting.
So if this performance was, in fact, “it” – meaning, the show was part of the concluding Stateside chapter in the 50-plus year saga of King Crimson – then the band is leaving with more than a mere bang. It is exiting by illuminating nearly all its creative history with the vitality and invention of the here and now.
Written by Paul Graham
It was indeed epic!
I traveled about 70 miles for this show (I really like this venue anyway). I had seen two earlier versions of KC (Larks/Starless Band and the Discipline Band) - both of which were amazing shows. The musicianship in those bands was incredible. But this band now, this show was stunning to me. I have never seen a band do anything like what this band does. I really hope this wasn't my last KC show - but it it was - it was stellar! Thanks lads!
