Errors-To: admin at elephant-talk dot com Reply-To: newsletter at elephant-talk dot com Sender: moderator at elephant-talk dot com Precedence: bulk From: moderator at elephant-talk dot com To: newsletter at elephant-talk dot com Subject: Elephant Talk #1110 E L E P H A N T T A L K The Internet newsletter for Robert Fripp and King Crimson enthusiasts Number 1110 Sunday, 23 March 2003 Today's Topics: Gig reviews Level Five In response to Jordan's #1107 post I'm a doctor, not a dinosaur Re: Doors in 'perception' only Adrian Belew profile Re: A tour expense "break-down" and justification of ticket price New KC Material The Power to Believe lyrics Ticket Prices Re: i'm going to bring a laser pointer too ET: ticket prices, venues and such (long) Re: Tour Expenses toronto review clarification request? Fripp: "I have now lived longer than Nietzsche. " Recycled (?) guitar riff in TPtB II kids say the darndest things song comparisons replying to myself KC tradition of Schizoid dusting off the oldies GIG REVIEW: 21CSB in Moscow ------------------ A D M I N I S T R I V I A --------------------- POSTS: Please send all posts to newsletter at elephant-talk dot com To UNSUBSCRIBE, or to CHANGE ADDRESS: Send a message with a body of HELP to admin at elephant-talk dot com or use the DIY list machine at http://www.elephant-talk.com/list/ To ASK FOR HELP about your ET subscription: Send a message to: help at elephant-talk dot com ET Web: http://www.elephant-talk.com/ Read the ET FAQ before you post a question at http://www.elephant-talk.com/faq.htm Current TOUR DATES info can always be found at http://www.elephant-talk.com/gigs/tourdates.shtml You can read the most recent ten editions of ET at http://www.elephant-talk.com/newsletter.htm THE ET TEAM: Toby Howard (Moderator), Dan Kirkdorffer (Webmaster) Mike Dickson (List Admin), and a cast of thousands. The views expressed herein are those of the individual authors. ET is produced using John Relph's Digest system v3.7b (relph at sgi dot com). ------------------ A I V I R T S I N I M D A --------------------- Date: Fri, 21 Mar 2003 21:04:13 -0000 From: "Manek Dubash" Subject: Gig reviews Will you guys STOP this gig reviewing business, already? It's clear Fripp & co have no intention of coming back to the UK, sadly, and you're just making me jealous... Manek ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2003 17:10:51 EST From: AB72376 at aol dot com Subject: Level Five I've been attempting to transcribe parts of the new album, for my own purposes, but a few places have been giving me trouble. I'm becoming frustrated with one of my favorite parts of the album: the section of Level Five that begins about three minutes into the song. I can play this fairly well by ear (Trey's part - I pretend to be a bass player), but every time I try to put it all down onto paper (the two guitars and bass) it just doesn't work out - I can't get the changes right. I think I need some time signature information - guess I'm just not counting it right. Anyone who's more musically inclined than I that might be able to help, I would be extremely grateful! Thanks - Syd ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2003 04:25:07 -0500 From: Deadbirdy5 at aol dot com Subject: In response to Jordan's #1107 post Keep in mind that since King Crimson isn't all that popular and their shows don't house huge amounts of people, the tours generate much less raw income than Phish or Britney. Another filled seat means more money, not less, as would be the case with ten times as many filled seats. While generosity is integral for cheap tickets and simple sets can help, huge amounts of cash and selling power tend to allow for more band elbow space. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2003 05:07:21 EST From: GORTAY at aol dot com Subject: I'm a doctor, not a dinosaur John Trevethan writes in ET 1106 " My only criticism is with the inflatable Rhino horns. Wouldn't it make more sense to inflate them during Dinosaur? Then they could be passed off as Mastodon tusks." I realise that standards of education the the US are poor but even Americans must know that Mastodons weren't dinosaurs. Gordy. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2003 05:48:18 -0600 From: Craig Subject: Re: Doors in 'perception' only >Subject: Re: Doors Question >>There new bassist for the reunion is Angelo Barbera. Yet another example of (how does Gracie Slick put it....?), about how old people should desert the rock & roll stage. There are exceptions, of course,...........................(Shri. Fripp amongst them. Perhaps this is why he is compelled to lurk in the shadows of the peformance stage?) .........BUT THIS ISN`T ONE OF THEM. I caught the so-called "DOORS" recently on late nite show & it was just sad. ~C ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2003 09:12:31 -0800 (PST) From: stperry at inetworld dot net Subject: Adrian Belew profile Hello Elephant Talkers: I just wanted to let you all know that an interview I conducted with Adrian Belew in January is alive and kickin' at: http://classicrock.about.com There's a direct link at: http://classicrock.about.com/library/weekly/aa031903a.htm Thanks, Shawn Perry ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2003 14:32:53 -0500 From: Josh Emery Subject: Re: A tour expense "break-down" and justification of ticket price > If all that stuff that you listed in your post makes the ticket price 50 > dollars, then explain to me why other bands who have MUCH bigger fan bases, > who play MUCH bigger venues, who have much bigger crews and many more people > to pay and also COULD charge a lot because they are MUCH more popular than > King Crimson, like say PHISH, only charge 30-35 dollars for their tickets? > Explain to me, by your break down of all the expenses on a tour, why a tour > that is Much more complicated, longer, and bigger and in bigger venues than > KC's tour costs considerably less? It's simple, economies of scale. In other words ticket volume. If KC sells out Town Hall at $50 a seat, and Town Hall holds what, say 3000, that's gross sales of $150,000. If Phish sells out > Phish's shows are held in some of the bigger arenas around the coutnry such > as the Continental Airlines Arena. This venue hold MANY MANY MANY more > people than the Town Hall in NYC a huge arena at $37, say it holds 25,000, that's gross sales of $925,000. That is a huge differance in gross sales and that's just for one show. I would bet Phish's tour was longer, which means more dollers. Phish should be able to pay a much larger crew and make more money off their tour than KC. Josh ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2003 15:17:28 -0500 From: "Sullivan, Mark" Subject: New KC Material Several folks have expressed a desire for more completely new material on TPTB. I'm with you; I'd love to have a brand-new KC album once or twice a year. But the mass of DGM material (and Fripp's commentary on KC's working process) make one thing crystal clear: King Crimson has never had an overabundance of new material. It's no accident that Fripp compares the KC creative process to reinventing the wheel. The reason there are so few unrecorded songs and out-takes is because the band had to release everything they had! Mark Sullivan Charlotte, NC http://www.mp3.com/Guitarist_Mark_Sullivan http://home.att.net/~Mark_Sullivan ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2003 18:2:6 -0500 From: "Roy Strattman" Subject: The Power to Believe lyrics In "Fact of Life" it's "6 BILLION ants", not "6 MILLION ants". I assume it symbolizes people on earth...of course. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2003 18:11:17 -0500 From: "Roy Strattman" Subject: Ticket Prices >If all that stuff that you listed in your post makes the ticket price 50 >dollars, then explain to me why other bands who have MUCH bigger fan bases, >who play MUCH bigger venues, who have much bigger crews and many more people >to pay and also COULD charge a lot because they are MUCH more popular than >King Crimson, like say PHISH, only charge 30-35 dollars for their tickets? I mostly agree with you, and I think that Phish is a pretty good comparison (I like Phish too), but you have it backwards on one of your points. The more popular or famous that a band is, the more they can AFFORD to lower the ticket prices. Phish sells a hellova lot more tickets than KC at each show, so if they reduce their ticket prices, they make up the loss in higher sales. It's not like they have to add more sound or lighting equipment if 5000 extra people buy tickets. The stage setup is suited for the venue anyway. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2003 20:22:49 -0800 From: "CWilson" Subject: Re: i'm going to bring a laser pointer too >>>Subject: Re: i'm going to bring a laser pointer too >>>I plan to bring a laser pointer to shine >>>into Fripp's eyes all night, when I'm not >>>fumbling with my DAT recorder and flash >>>camera, smoking cigarettes and weed the >>>whole time and blowing it at Adrian while my >>>cell phone rings during soundscapes. And I >>>plan to yell out for Cat Food and maybe >>>Freebird. I'm no faithful audient, I'm a >>>True Fan!! >>If you are serious, I hope you get kicked >>out of the theater quickly. If you are >>joking, it's not a funny joke. >You obviously don't have much of a sense of humor. I thought it was >obviously a joke, and I thought it was damn funny. but that's just me. LOL!!!!! As we Americans (& Brits) proceed to piss the best of our young into desert sands, let us all LIGHTEN UP. You betcha, I have issues with Bobby's utterly anal retentive attitude. Me, Myself, Rock'N'Roll is just that. 99% of Bobby's attitude belongs in a classical music venue, not in an R&R setting. But those of us who go to the live performances will continue to kowtow to his childish demands in order to absorb The Sound. So be it. (and, yeppers, I'm the sod who whined about KC climbing so closely into bed with TicketMaster & ClearChannel (does the Anti-Christ have a Holy Ghost??? Put those 2 corporate entities together, you are getting close)) On a final note, I will say this: if some goon hassles me about some camera/recorder I don't have at my upcoming attendance venue, I will NOT take it the issue to the lobby, I will carry it up to the Stage and Bobby will have to, personally, address his TaKctics: whereupon that will, forever and a day, complete my involvement with everyone involved with the band, live or recorded. First & Foremost amongst all issues: Bobby, take a valium & play yer damn guitar. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Mar 2003 11:39:01 -0500 From: "Thompson T. Terry Jr." Subject: ET: ticket prices, venues and such (long) Hi Talkers, There are many variables to the discussion of ticket pricing. Jordan's argument that Phish charges less, but plays larger arenas, could be turned around to justify Phish charging _even less_ than they do, or logically our favorite band charging more. KC: 3000 seats @ $50 is $150000 Phish: 15000 seats @$30 is $450000 Why aren't Phish only charging $10 per ticket? They must be gouging their fans! Should King Crimson charge $150 per ticket? Why should KC get screwed? I don't think Phish are gouging their fans. I don't think King Crimson are gouging their fans. See below why. The performance venue market is not the same as the music retail market (meaning mega-retailers such as Tower, Virgin, or tiny outfits such as Renegade Discs (a one man shop)) where all CDs are $17.98. The product (CDs) is sold as a homogenous good, while the artistic content of these CDs varies considerably. An opera or orchestral performance may cost more or less than a rock concert. That opera or orchestral performance may cost more or less depending on the location. It all comes down to what you feel is the value you get for the amount you pay. Thoreau is valid here: "The cost of a thing is the amount of what I call life which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run." Henry David Thoreau, Walden This can apply to the moaning over the price of the Level 5 EP, a 45-minute disc which is longer than some so-called full length releases, or the "gouging" we took when my partner and I went to see The Who in 2000 (where the event cost us $200 to fulfill her decades-long wish to see them play). Some things in life are worth it, some are not. Sometimes it is worth repairing your 15 year old car, other times ditching the junker car in favor of a bicycle is the better option for you. I can't help that you can't afford all you want; I just hope you can afford all you really need. The rest is icing on the cake. be well, TTT Thompson T. Terry Jr. mailto:tterry at palisade dot com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Mar 2003 12:58:08 -0500 From: "Mike Campiglio" Subject: Re: Tour Expenses The argument about Phish vs. KC is not a valid one: Phish are playing venues in the 15 to 30 thousand people range (all sell outs), KC are playing venues 2 to 3 thousand people and the venue I saw them; Orpheum, in Boston was 3/4 full (2700 capacity)...do the math 20,000 tickets X $35= 700,000....$40 (average ticket price) X 2,000=80,000. In either case I don't have a problem with the prices...it's the bands like McCartney, The Stones, The Who, The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, etc...who are padding their 401K's at our expense. $40 by todays standards is a reasonable ticket price; I was paying $15 to $20 twenty years ago and just about everything has doubled in price since. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Mar 2003 21:32:05 -0800 (PST) From: hugh manatee Subject: toronto review clarification request? > From: "Northey, Scott" > > sat in front of Trey in the first row... so, Trey was in the second row then? (the elevator boy, he is in your family?) ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Mar 2003 22:27:53 -0800 (PST) From: david kirkdorffer Subject: Fripp: "I have now lived longer than Nietzsche. " I must be a geek -- 'cos a quote from the recent UPLOAD of Fripp diary entries at www.disciplineglobalmobile.com had me cracking up with laughter: "Saturday 15th. March, 2003... I have now lived longer than Nietzsche. " How super -- out-living the first "Overman!" -- May he live much longer still, our soft-spoken Crimson Superman!!! Superman, according to Nietzsche has reached a state of being where he is no longer affected by "pity, suffering, tolerence of the weak, the power of the soul over the body, the belief in an afterlife, the corruption of modern values (Nietzsche's Overman: Blueprint for the Antichrist Superstar)." Superman is constantly changing and in a state of rebirth and growth. He determines what is good and what is evil, not allowing religion or society to determine these things for him. The Superman finds his happiness in this way. He uses a reason that is independent of the modern values of society or religion. He determines his own values. This creation of his own values gives him joy, and in order for the Superman to cope with a changing world, the Superman must constantly change. This constant state of change is a constant source of joy, leaving little or no room for suffering. The Superman does not believe in an afterlife or the power of the soul over the body because he does not be! lieve in religion and has no proof of an afterlife or a God. Therefore, he makes the most out of this life, not depending on a reward in Heaven or a punishment in Hell for what he has done on Earth. In Thus Spake Zarathustra, Nietzsche, through Zarathustra, says "I teach you the overman. Man is something that shall be overcome [surpassed]. What have you done to overcome [surpass] him? All beings so far have created something beyond themselves; and do you want to be the ebb of this great flood and even go back to the beasts rather than overcome man? What is the ape to man? A laughingstock or a painful embarrassment. And man shall be just that for the overman: a laughingstock or a painful embarrassment... (Towards the Ubermensch, also Course Reading: Overman)" http://personal.ecu.edu/mccartyr/great/projects/Knowles.htm Which way to the first floor, please? David Kirkdorffer ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2003 21:36:25 +0000 From: "Michel Champagne" Subject: Recycled (?) guitar riff in TPtB II Perhaps this has been addressed already and I am unaware of it, as I am a few digests behind in my reading. But, the first time I listened to TPtB, a melody line jumped out at me as though I had heard it before. OK, now that you've stopped laughing, that's not what I'm talking about. This was a riff, somewhere, that reminded me of something LONG ago. As most of my listening is done in the car these days, sadly, I wasn't well equipped to stop and take notes, but I just sat down and did so. Listen to TPtB II: Robert plays a line from 6:16 to 6:25, again from 6:39 to 6:47, and a third time one octave higher from 6:48 to 7:00. I'd swear this is a riff, with a slight variation, taken from the track 'Evening Star' from the second Fripp & Eno LP of the same name (1975). This of course also underscores what 'a LONG time ago' means today. When I was a kid, it meant the 1940's. Yikes! Now, with all the talk about Ade recycling lyrics and there not being much new music on TPtB, etc. etc. etc. ad nauseum, I'm not faulting Robert for recycling the riff, even if he did so intentionally. It's a good riff. And, in the final scheme of things, it's only ten notes (in its current form). The problem is, I just sat down and listened to 'Evening Star' and I can't find the damn thing there! I'd like to think I'm not losing my mind, as I can sonically visualize the differences between the original riff and the way it appears on the new CD - in the original there are a few additinal notes sandwiched in at the end, but the specifics of that are somewhat difficult to communicate without musical notation of some sort. It may be that it's from a solo from elsewhere in the Fripp & Eno oeuvre or perhaps from one of Eno's solo LPs (or any of a bazillion other places) but, the way I hear it in my head, I'd swear it's from 'Evening Star'. Provided this is not just a bad case of deja vu and the riff actually exists in some piece from the past, I'm sure I'd figure this out and find it eventually on my own but I figured it would be better to throw it out to the E-T community at large. What do you hear? I will abide by your decision (i.e. is it recycled or am I losing my mind, and all points in between). Happy listening! Mike ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2003 13:53:45 -0500 From: "Jordan Clifford" Subject: kids say the darndest things >>7.- Trey playing 2 guitars was cool and he was dressed al in white and we wish he would smile more. We only need one Robert Fripp in the band. that could be the best thing I've ever read in this newsletter... ever. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2003 14:01:51 -0500 From: "Jordan Clifford" Subject: song comparisons >>Schizoid Man (Facts of Life) and Cat Food/Elephant Talk/Dinosaur (Happy With) Can you really compare these new songs with those old ones? You picked my 2 least favorite songs on the new album and compared them with some of my favorite songs ever. First of all, Facts Of Life is NOTHING like Schiziod Man. I don't mean to sound angry or degrading, its just that Schizoid Man was a landmark song, while Facts Of Life is not only not like it in structure or sound, but is no where near as goo d. and Happy With.. is good, I liked it when I first heard it and for KC doing what seems to be a satire on the formulas of modern rock songs, it's a very good modern rock song and is both funny and catchy. I could see you comparing it to Cat Food, as they are both "That song" on an album otherwise comprised of mostly classic KC type material.. the pop type song, or whatever. But both Discipline and Thrak are filled with other songs like Elephant Talk and Dinosaur (more so with Discipline), so I've never thought of those as "that song". I think TPTB and its contents are easily similar to other KC works, but I just can't accept that Facts of Life is compared with something like 21CSM and Happy with Elephant Talk. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2003 14:54:55 -0500 From: "Jordan Clifford" Subject: replying to myself In the last edition of ET i said that KC charges what someone like Britney Spears might charge for her elaborate tour... that is true and not true. As ONE of my friends (a girl, unfortunately that might seem obvious) is a big Justin Timberlake fan, I found out that the JT/Christina Aguilera tour tickets cost between 50- 85 dollars. perhaps it's even more than 50 for the lower quality seats. But my point still remains, and I think that because its JT AND Christina the tickets are more expensive, because this friend has seen Britney and the tickets were not as high as 85. Minor detail though, I stand by my last post. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2003 14:06:10 -0500 From: "Jordan Clifford" Subject: KC tradition of Schizoid >>Also, we haven't had a Schizoid Man since the double trio... it would be nice if they updated the piece once again, >possibly with Belew using MIDI sax. Correct me if I'm wrong, but hasn't every incarnation done their version of 21CSM? It's like the ultimate way to show what the new band can do with the original KC vision. Can this new line up REALLY go on breaking that tradition? Forget the bands (or maybe just Fripp's) reservations about playing nostalgia hits, eventually we are going to need a new version of the 21CSM Disc in which every incarnation plays the song their way. I just want to get to hear it live.. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2003 14:30:50 -0500 From: "Jordan Clifford" Subject: dusting off the oldies in my classic and probably much-appreciated-by-Toby style of responding to one section of the newsletter (or even the entire newsletter) in several emails rather than thoughtfully including all my thoughts in one or two emails (I respond as I read, not after I read the whole thing)... >possibly bringing back Frame by Frame and Thela Hun Ginjeet... the pieces are pretty much ageless, and they played them as recently as the Level Five >tour. I'd say chances are good they'll resurface later, and they're only on temporary leave. Unless Crim's pretty set on not bringing back the old >stuff, regardless of how recently they've played it. I'd have to agree with you, I've been waiting to hear Frame By Frame forever ( or really 2 years). When you think about it, Fripp released the Nashville disc with at least 3 old songs, including Red, indicating to me that he must not have as much reluctance to performing 'old' material as we may think. The Double Trio (while consisting of Tony, Ade, Fripp and Bill, i.e. the Discipline Line up and writers of all the 80's material) had a whole album of new material to play and yet all their live releases consist of many songs from the 80's period. And then before that, the 80's line up played Red, LTIA 2, Talking Drum and 21CSM(rarely, if at all?) among maybe a some rare ones. Before them of course the 70's band(s) played other versions of the other line ups songs (21scm,Cat Food, etc)... so KC, as much as Fripp might not like to portray them this way, has always payed tribute to the line up before each current one. I think the Double Trio could have played a lot more songs from the 80's, and also could have played a lot more from THRAK, and now I especially think that KC should play any and all material from ANY KC period now. If they are going to play 'old' songs, why stick with songs they've already played. Why not change it up. Why can't the new band play Night Watch or Starless? or Exiles? (I left out Easy Money becaue there were rumors of that being an option)Hell, throw Book of Saturday in the middle for Kicks between Level 5 and TCOL. It has crossed my mind they the only songs from the pre-80s period (pre-Adrian) (other than a rare version of 21CSM) are instumental (LTIA2, Talking Drum, Red) might be because Belew's vocals don't match or work with the ones from the first incarnations. Perhaps hearing him sing Easy Money or the Night Watch would ruin it, and it wouldnt sound good. so, how about the other instrumental work, and the 80s and up stuff... Why can't they play Mars? a new rendition of that (aside from their already new renditions of it...) would be STUNNING, and even more frightening than the original. I'm having trouble recalling the track lists from the early 70s albums.. but I'd love to hear them play Three of a Perfect Pair, or Nuages, or Industy/Dig Me, or even Sleepless, SHELTERING SKY, Neurotica, Discipline, Indiscipline, B'Boom, Sex Sleep.., ... I'll stop before I name every song from 72-74 and every 80's song.. but their possiblities are endless. I Love the songs they play, but speaking personally I've heard Red, Thela, and Dinosaur Live. Everyone else has heard THRAK and VROOOM before. I'd settle for a return of Talking Drum and LTIA2, but aren't they interested in dusting off some of the stuff that didnt get much play time during the last 4 tours? One last addition for the hell of it.. Trio, Sailors Tale, Sartori in Tangier, Matte Kudasai, Mantra, and I've never heard Elephant Talk live.. but anyway Think Trey could pull of the Two Sticks improv by himself?? ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2003 21:03:53 +0300 From: "Sergei" Subject: GIG REVIEW: 21CSB in Moscow I'm surprised no one have posted reviews of 21CSB gigs in Russia. Those gigs made a lot of fuss in certain circles, especially in view of pending KC gigs in June and all the controversy about 21CSB promotion abusing the name King Crimson in posters etc... Speaking of which, I must admit that Russian press overall was very supportive to KC and critical of 21CSM promoters on this subject, so I think they sort of shot themselves in the foot by employing this trick... The venue is the big concert hall located in a huge hotel complex overlooking the Moscow river. Incidentally, it's the same venue KC will play in June. So - sorry to say - no mixed standing/sitting configuration. Everyone will be seated either in parterre, amphitheatre, or one of the balconies :) Clearly this venue is not particularly suited for rock concerts, but somehow it works. It's much quieter in comparison to typical club setting, ventilation works fine, no smoke, tobacco or other, you get a clear view of the stage from most points - this compensates certain lack of ambiance, but even this gets better when the house lights go out. The first impression - the opening act. I was intrigued to see a totally unknown name on the posters, and usually it's a bad sign. But no one was prepared to see something so hopelessly, so tragically miserable. I'm curious if any of the Schizoids was given any kind of demo of this band beforehand. Were they asked for approval? The only explanation that came to mind is that one of the concert sponsors have dictated the terms... Most stupid of them, if it's true. After what felt like half an hour, the support act has disappeared. There were a few shouts from the back demanding "Fripp" and "Belew". Then the main show has begun. What can I say? It certainly had its moments. Ladies of the Road went down reasonably well. 21CSM as an encore almost worked. There were a few instants when I had a feeling that KC spirit is flying quite near, about to emerge; but it never did. I'll make an up-front reservation about my comments now: they are not educated judgements, but private opinions and feelings. I feel that this band is not up to material it tries to perform. It scares them, and eventually, it defeats them. They are not one organism as this material seem to require, they look like 5 individuals not quite sure about what are they doing and why do they need to do it. The only player who has reliably shone throughout the show was Mel Collins. Rhythm section particularly failed to impress. I highly esteem Ian Wallace contribution to KC, but Michael Giles is a very special favorite of mine, so I was disappointed when I learnt of a change in the lineup (why did Michael have to leave, anyway?). What I didn't realise is that the Moscow gig was only Ian's second gig with 21CSB! Well, this may explain something. At any rate, his drumming was interesting but sounded rather heavy-handed to me and didn't quite lock with Peter Giles' rather basic bass playing. Ian McDonald was unconvincing as a woodwind player, while he was much better on the keyboards. Jakko did a great job of announcing pieces and delivering jokes in Russian! His vocal performance ranged from embarassing to excellent. Guitar playing was adequate. He seemed nice and likeable guy, but somehow I didn't like him, and as it often happens, the "confirmation" came in a few days. Here's the comment from someone called penston that appears in Ian Wallace's online diary: "Just before the St. Petersburg gig, I told the band they should play something off the new King Crimson album just to mess with the fans. Jakko looked at me and said, "We don't play that chit, dude!"". Sure you don't. _This_ "chit" is difficult enough, and sorry but I feel how it doesn't want to be played by you. The public was generous. Most songs were immediately recognised, lots of applause and hooting, an encore. However, I think a considerable proportion of people was disappointed. Many friends of mine attended the show, we all sat in different places, but our impressions were strikingly similar. On a positive note, the gig has induced a great urge to re-listen to old KC catalogue, which I'm slowly satisfying since. And I look forward to attend a real KC show in June ever so much! Best to all, Sergei ------------------------------ End of Elephant Talk Digest #1110 *********************************