Yes, they were.Originally Posted by JKL2000
Yes, they were.
In Philly it was done the same as on the Chicago album. Jakko sang only the verse, repeated twice, omitting the closing bridge (the "I have no fin, no wing" part). None of the sampled stream-of-consciousness rambling. It was awesome--made me wish even more that they'd taken the same approach with "Indiscipline."
Cleveland show
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Laura
Just got home from the Cleveland show a little while ago. Great concert! Hda a great time, saw a bunch of friends, and thoroughly enjoyed seeing them bring the old music to life as they did. Especially nice ot hear Fripp playing more of those "laser beam" fuzz guitar solos.
A few thoughts about last night's show:
1. As others have stated, I'm not sure opening with Hell Hounds Of Crim is a good idea. I much preferred the way they started when I saw them in Albany in 2014 (first or second night of that tour, as I recall), where they started off with an improv that segued into Larks Tongues I.
2. Larks Tongues I was fantastic. Love what Mel Collins does with the flute toward the end of the piece.
3. I know there's been discussion here abou tthem doing Neurotica, but I'm sure I also heard a couple things from The Power To Believe? I thought I heard an instrumental version of Be Happy To Be Happy With What You Have To Be Happy With, or whatever it's called, during the first set. Then during the second set, I know I heard...I can never remember the titles of the instrumentals from that era, but they played the one with the sort of mutated Smoke On The Water motif...I think that's Level 5?
4. Was that Islands itself I heard at the end of the first set? It's the one sort of ballad piece where Mel played an alto flute (concert program says alto flute, though I initially thought it was a bass flute) before handing it to a backline tech (I was gonna say roadie, but I guess we're not supposed to call them anymore). I have to admit, Islands is one of those albums I don't listen to as often as some of the others, so other than Fromentera Lady and The Sailor's Tale (and Ladies Of THe Road, yes that one too), I have a hard time thinking of the names attached to the other tracks.
5. Despite the massive rig that Fripp uses (according to teh tour program, two Axe Fx units, four Harmonizers, a Roland GR-1 guitar synth, and I forget what else) Fripp seemed to be using a lot of less obvious use of such...technology. A lot of times it sound like he was just using a distortion pedal, or a clean tone.
6. The Lizard excerpt was quite exquisite. Fripp's laser beam fuzz solo at the end was to die for, totally sent shivers down my spine (something that was happening for much of the show.
7. Likewise, hearing the fuzz guitar playing the recurring melody at the end of Starless (versus the studio version where it was played by brass and woodwinds) was awesome. This was one of the reasons why I always preferred the live versions from 74 over the studio version, so it was nice they didn't really try to replicate the studio version there (though, if I'm not mistaken, Mel joined in with Chuckles and Jakko on that one).
8. Apparently, at the end of Indiscipline, Jakko slipped in a Spinal Tap allusion by shouting out, "HELLO CLEVELAND!", which I missed, I think because I was dealing with a situation that's too long to explain, but it belongs in the "Clueless Audience Members" thread.
9. I loved Chuckle's pre concert announcement, particularly the bit about when it was ok to take a photo or video of the stage. "The signal will be when Tony picks up his camera", I think was the comment. I could have sworn I saw a couple flashes at a few points in the show, but they didn't stop playing, and I didn't see Fripp pointing at anyone. I could have just imagined the flashes.
10. More elaborate lighting effects, say, blacking out the entire stage and illuminating Jakko with just a spotlight during the ballads, would have been nice, not necessarily necessary. They could have played with the house lights on and I would have been fine with it.
11. Love the "dueling Fripps" thing that Jakko and Chuckles got into during the solo section of 21st Century Schizoid Man.
That would be one of the "Radical Action"s. I suppose there's a similarity in the rhythm between them, though I'd never noted it before.
So that's something new, then? I know there were a couple new things in 2014, but I was never sure where they came from or if they ever appeared on any albums.
BTW, one thing I forgot to mention was how perfect the sound was. Everything was crystal clear, no distortion (or at least that I could detect through my earplugs), and perfectly balanced. You never felt like you couldn't hear something that you were supposed to be. After the house lights went up, I went over to the soundboard and thanked the soundman for doing such a great job.
Well done, Chris, he doesn't have an easy job, I'm sure. I wish I had thought to do so after the show I saw.
There were several other people I saw speaking to the soundman, and they all seemed to have the same sentiments I had. Clearly, I wasn't the only one who felt compelled to let him know the good job he had done.
Random thoughts/observatons from last night's King Crimson concert in Cleveland...
1) Of the 3 times I've seen Crimson (double trio '95, TCoL '02?, and last night,) this was by far my favorite. However, the double trio at Nautica in '95 was also terrific. The TCoL tour, not so much.
2) The 3 drums did not overpower the overall sound, and as an experiment, I'd say it worked. It was obvious that parts had been worked out beforehand, but the concept provided an added creative edge, and the 3 did not step on each other, as might have been expected.
3) Thrilled to get several of the ItCotCK songs. Was 'Moonchild" abbreviated at all dates, as it was in Cleveland?
4) I bought the Chicago live bootleg CD, and gave it a listen tonight. I don't think it was better by any measure than what we got last night, and as an ItCotCK fan, for me less. But the performances were similar, and I'd guess that they were for every date of the tour. So, I guess what I'm saying is that the blurbs on the posters stating that Chicago was the hot gig should be taken as advertising hype and nothing more.
5) Mel Collins was a busy man, but there were times I thought I heard a sax while he was playing a different wind instrument, which was also heard.
6) A lot more women at the show than I would have expected. Not all hostages with their hubbies/boyfriends either. I saw a lot of female heads boppin' during the show.
7) Didn't see anyone in the audience violating the camera/photography ban. Fripp wasn't busy pointing out offenders either. On the PE etiquette scale, last night's show was a 10.
8) For those in the area, apparently there's a Prog cover band called ProgNation (yeah, I know) that does covers of Prog-Rock bands and plays out, and they'll be appearing at the Beachland Ballroom Saturday January 13th, at 8:00 PM. Weather permitting, I'll likely be there to check them out.
9) "There's the man with the silver shoes. How ya doin', Chris?"
I had a really clear view of Collins for the whole show, and I don't think this was the case, but maybe someone else can provide a more concrete answer. To me Mel seemed completely on top of all things wind powered.
I would have happily stopped and talked, but it was just minutes before curtain time, and I had to go use the john. Also, the quantity of bodies in the lobby at the time made it not a good place/time for talking.
Believe me, I wasn't looking for a conversation, just being cordial. Someone here had posted earlier that they started promptly at 8:00 PM, and I knew we were cutting it fine, at best. I made it to my seat in time, so that I didn't miss anything. Hopefully so did you.
10) An addition to my earlier post...I had never heard Jakko sing, so I had no opinion regarding him singing Adrian's parts, which created some minor disputation here earlier. Anyway, as someone not a fan of Adrian's vocals, Jakko sounds light years better to me, on all songs, whether originally sung by Adrian or not. In fact, I think he's on a level close to Lake and Wetton. Really enjoyed it.
Watching and listening to Collins in Raleigh was a treat. Re: two wind instruments, I was listening to parts of Live in Chicago last night, and at one point there were clearly two flutes playing. Jakko does play flute, and he's credited with flute in the liner notes.
I think the subtext is rapidly becoming text.
Jakko does have a long history with early Crim material, going back to 21st Century Schizoid Band. He has certainly assimilated Lake and Wetton's style, without trying to become them. Well done! He has a ways to go in covering Belew, though. Also, if you haven't heard it yet, Jakko's solo album, The Bruised Romantic Glee Club, is well worth checking out.
I think the subtext is rapidly becoming text.
Yes. The only new things in 2014 were the percussion interludes and a lightweight flute-based improv spot. In '15 they started adding the "Radical" pieces. Most likely, the one you heard was RA1 if it was used a lead-in to "Meltdown," RA2 if it came after or stood alone.
It was the full song in Philly (and probably everywhere, since there's no point in abridging something already so short). Or did you mean the improv that follows? They've been adding solos from Tony and Jeremy in that spot, and it does thankfully come out shorter than the meandering section on the original album.
I'd guess it was one of the keyboards.5) Mel Collins was a busy man, but there were times I thought I heard a sax while he was playing a different wind instrument, which was also heard.
There are two new songs that haven't been on any studio album (including Scarcity of Miracles and Jakko's solo album): "The Errors" and "Meltdown." Both are melancholy and introspective, with lyrics very much in Jakko's style. The Errors is new this year.
I think the subtext is rapidly becoming text.
Collins has some effects pedals for his sax. Makes it sounds doubled and sort of electronic-y.
I want to dynamite your mind with love tonight.
The Cleveland show was stellar!!! A few thoughts...
1. Jakko has the unenviable task of performing songs originally sung by Greg Lake, John Wetton, Adrien Belew, etc. and he shined. He also played a lot of the trickier guitar parts, parts that I thought (for sure) Fripp would do. Very impressed.
2. Collins was prepared and delivered.
3. The three drummer thing worked. Peroid.
4. Tony is a star.
5. The sound at the Hard Rock was very good. Good for you people who thanked the sound guy. He was great.
6. King Crimson rules.
The Prog Corner
I totally agree!
And thus endeth the 2017 King Crimson tour of these United States Of America. And we've been made a better place because of it.
Thank you!
"Henry Cow always wanted to push itself, so sometimes we would write music that we couldn't actually play – I found that very encouraging." - Lindsay Cooper, 1998
"I have nothing to do with Endless River. Phew! This is not rocket science people, get a grip." - Roger Waters, 2014
"I'm a collector. And I've always just seemed to collect personalities." - David Bowie, 1973
King Crimson - MAGA!
I finally had the chance to jot down some thoughts about the King Crimson show in Ann Arbor Michigan last Wednesday night. The one and only time I had ever seen Crimson before, was the double trio lineup on the “Thrak” tour back in the mid-90’s, so this was a completely different experience. Much has already been written about this tour, so I don’t have a lot to add, but for the most part I found the show outstanding. The 3 drummers up front format is certainly unique and I think it worked quite well. We were on the Pat Mastelloto side of the stage so had a fantastic view of him all night. Gavin Harrison was over on the right with the other drummer in the middle (his name is escaping me at the moment). Robert Fripp was in the back corner as usual, but unlike last time could clearly be seen all evening. As others have mentioned I was a bit surprised with Fripp seeming to let Jacko take many of the guitar leads. Fripp certainly had his moments during the show, but considering this is his band, he seemed to be providing more atmosphere than scorching guitar through the course of the night, which of course he does extremely well. Having Mel Collins back in the lineup was certainly a treat and the guy was simply masterful on all of his assorted instruments all evening long. Vocals were provided by Jacko Jaksyk. He did a nice job on the Wetton / Lake stuff, but did not fit quite as well for the Adrian Belew material IMO. Tony Levin was great as always. The keyboard player was also good, but was not featured all that much. Overall it was quite a different experience from the last time I saw them. This was more like a classical / orchestral concert in some ways. Not having an actual front man (i.e. Adrian Belew), made for a bit of detached performance. The audience was never addressed from the stage, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but just different I guess. The use of practically no concert lighting was also something unique. It was kind of like going to see a band in your old high school or something. The one time they did use lighting in the 2nd half I thought it was quite effective, but then they went back to straight white lite afterwards. You could certainly see everyone clearly all night, but it was odd for a rock n roll show. The sound was good for the most part, but I thought the vocals could have been brought up in the mix a bit, especially at the beginning. With all that percussion on stage, it must be a nightly challenge for the sound guys, and for the most part I thought is sounded amazingly good. The band covered material from their entire career, which was very cool. Getting to hear such a large chunk of the “In The Court Of The Crimson King” album live was a special treat to my ears. The only older song that did not really work for me was “Indiscipline” from the “Discipline” album. The band did a very different version of it, and I was a bit underwhelmed. Other than that I thought it was a masterful performance. The level of musicianship on that stage was mind blowing, and somehow they were able to pull off a set of very difficult music. If you are at all a King Crimson fan this lineup is not to be missed. Here is the set list:
DRUMSON WERNING
LARK’S TOUGNES IN ASPIC PART ONE
PICTERS OF A CITY
LIZARD
NEUROTICA
EPITATH
THE CONSTRUKTION OF LIGHT
RAIDCAL ACTION
MELTDOWN
LARK’S TOUNGES IN ASPIC PART 2
ISLANDS
INTERMISSION
INDISCIPLINE
STARLESS
MOONCHILD
IN THE COURT OF THE KRIMSON KING
DRUMSONS
EASY MONEY
RADICAL ACTION II
LEVEL FIVE
ENCORE
21ST CENTURY SCHIZOID MAN
Just a quick response to your very thorough Ann Arbor review, Steve.
Fripp has passed many guitar parts that you might have expected him to play over to Jakko (while still also giving him much deserved spotlight time) because, with the tuning he adopted more than two decades ago, there are parts from older material that are simply impossible for him to now play. The tuning has been part of his developed sound/harmonic approach, but it just makes some standard guitar parts real finger busters with his newer tuning.
Oh, and the drummer/keyboardist in the muddle is Jeremy Stacey, brother of guitarist/To the Bone co-producer Paul Stacey.
Oh, and as for no front man and all? This is a band where nobody shines AND everybody shines. If you read my reviews over at All About Jazz, you can read about how the lack of visuals (bar one), the concept of no front man and, indeed, Fripp now as lit as is band mates are, in a nutshell, about this not meant to be a ‘show,’ rather a musical performance - your classical recital is a good analogy except you rarely hear this much improv in a classical recital. But it’s all about the music....and also, that Frippnis truly having FUN with Crimson for the first time in decades.
Cheers!
John
Last edited by jkelman; 11-27-2017 at 08:43 PM.
Funny, it seemed to me that Fripp was playing a lot of the flashy guitar stuff. He was soloing at the end of Lizard, he played the guitar lines at the beginning and end of Starless (actually, I think the latter was him and Jakko together), and he soloed during 21st Century Schizoid Man and Easy Money. I'm not sure who was doing one during Level Five, but it seemed to me like Fripp was doing most of the stuff I wanted to hear him do.
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