Instead of the tentative Discipline which opened the gig in Austria, Milan is greeted with a full-on Vrooom. It’s a better decision because right off the bat, the group sound assertive and in control of their surroundings. Even the slight stumble early in Frame By Frame can’t unseat this ferocious beast of a rendition - no wonder Belew can be heard exclaiming “Alright!” off mic at its conclusion.
The gigs came at a time when many commentators would ask what Trey Gunn was playing, as often his contributions couldn’t be heard or discerned. Well, take a listen to One Time where his tender lines waft across the music from the very beginning, surreptitiously weaving in and out of the track to subtle but gorgeous effect. After attacking Red with gusto (and a dropped octave on the lead line), Fripp’s radiophonics interlude, and a racing B’Boom, once again it’s Gunn who acts as principal colourist on this clatteringly energetic version of Thrak. Ditto the smouldering limbering-up of Talking Drum later in the evening.
After dialing down the energy with a languid Matte Kudasai, and gathering their collective breath with SSEDD, the explosive funk opening of People draws shouts of approval from Fripp as the band revs up the pace to stomp this sucker flat. A second performance of Dinosaur in the encore section of the show has more vim and vigour than the one from earlier in the set. This might be the second date on the tour but its the first one where King Crimson really take to the stage.
Instead of the tentative Discipline which opened the gig in Austria, Milan is greeted with a full-on Vrooom. It’s a better decision because right off the bat, the group sound assertive and in control of their surroundings. Even the slight stumble early in Frame By Frame can’t unseat this ferocious beast of a rendition - no wonder Belew can be heard...
Really together performance right from the top, just as the description says. Mix begins heavier on guitars than drums, which makes Tony & Trey’s parts especially audible -- just the sort of emphasis appreciated when hearing a string of dates from one tour. The percussion mix improves to good effect by "One Time" and "Red". Special notice for Tony’s upfront bass throughout. Overall not an overwhelming show, but certainly a satisfying one, with tasty bits sprinkled throughout. For all the...
Really together performance right from the top, just as the description says. Mix begins heavier on guitars than drums, which makes Tony & Trey’s parts especially audible -- just the sort of emphasis appreciated when hearing a string of dates from one tour. The percussion mix improves to good effect by "One Time" and "Red". Special notice for Tony’s upfront bass throughout. Overall not an overwhelming show, but certainly a satisfying one, with tasty bits sprinkled throughout. For all the talk of ’excessive politeness’, let us keep in mind the blatant impoliteness of some of the material; I don’t think my grandma will be listening to "Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream" anytime soon :)
Written by Roland Scriver
Robot Scriver
I spent a few hours checking the audio examples from the various shows on this tour before downloading this one. Well worth the money in terms of content and sound quality. The final decision I had to make was between this show and the Den Haag show. Both sound great but to my ill educated ears this show has more of a vibe. The playing is not as perfect as later shows but that is what makes it, it is exciting to listen to because you have that tension where for a second you anticipate that it mi...
I spent a few hours checking the audio examples from the various shows on this tour before downloading this one. Well worth the money in terms of content and sound quality. The final decision I had to make was between this show and the Den Haag show. Both sound great but to my ill educated ears this show has more of a vibe. The playing is not as perfect as later shows but that is what makes it, it is exciting to listen to because you have that tension where for a second you anticipate that it might all go wrong. Of course it doesn’t, but you can hear the energy and everyone seems to be hitting their instruments a little harder than they should at times. Awesome!
