“‘Good evening. Almost Happy Halloween” says Adrian a few numbers into the band’s first night in Chicago. Thankfully there are no horror stories to speak of at this gig - at least none on stage. Offstage however, ET eyewitness Micahel Flaherty reported that “The band was extremly tight ... perhaps too tight. The P3 set was ruined by a drunk yelling for "Starless" during Fripp's Soundscape ... Fripp stopped playing and they moved to Trey's set piece, which was a highlight. During the improv, there was nearly a fight by Trey's side of the stage ... someone threatening a woman with a cane because she had asked him to be quiet so she could hear the band. In both cases, other members of the audience shut up the drunks, who were not representative of Monday's audience, but damage was done.” Mercifully none of this is apparent on the recording and, for the record, the version of Thrush here is a beauty that slips free of its all-too earthly surroundings.
