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 #766 E L E P H A N T T A L K The Internet newsletter for Robert Fripp and King Crimson enthusiasts Number 766 Thursday, 16 November 2000 Today's Topics: GIG BIZ: Tkts to 11/16 Philly Show GIG BIZ: extra tickets for Toronto show available bubbles and thanks Please Inform me H.V. ConstruKction Premature EjaKculation "The Sheltering Sky" in recent years, etc.? Shocker on VH-1 KC @ tower records A HaershLesson at the NYC Town Hall Show Re: Really Pissed At Fripp Butterfingers, a Milky way, and a Kit Kat. Bruford in Genesis Peach Tony & Bill's Contribution to KC2000 Re: Heavy Construction GIG REVIEW: Supper Club, New York, NY 11/13/00 GIG REVIEW: Town Hall 14XI2000 GIG REVIEW: - 11/12 and 11/14 NYC ------------------ 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.htm You can read the most recent seven 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: Tue, 14 Nov 2000 16:00:07 -0500 From: Duncan Subject: GIG BIZ: Tkts to 11/16 Philly Show I have two tickets to the 11/16 show in Philly that I would like to find a home for. I am located at Jersey Shore or I can meet you at the theatre the night of the show. Contact me at ifix at infi dot net Thanks, Duncan Peterson ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2000 08:47:32 -0600 From: "Snyder" Subject: GIG BIZ: extra tickets for Toronto show available I have two extra tix for the Toronto show (11/24/00) I am really sad but it is not possible for me to go. I will sell them at face value. If anybody is interested, please reply to snyder7 at onebox dot com Thanks -- H. Snyder snyder7 at onebox dot com - email (773) 377-5000 x6496 - voicemail/fax ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 14 Nov 2000 21:23:12 -0500 From: "T.J. Mathews" Subject: bubbles and thanks Dan Cooper wrote in part: > 3. Reading... I was afraid .... the fellow in the front row center who >blew bubbles towards the stage throughout the set would annoy Mr. Fripp >and send him off the stage prematurely. Said fellow would be me T.J. Mathews (hi there). That particular bottle of bubbles was initiated in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness area in Idaho this summer. It was one of those trips of a lifetime (perhaps you heard of the fires.) The three times I blew them were as brief as possible and intended as joyful. The third and last time Adrian acknowledged them with positive visual cues. Those dc-etRs close by, which was well over a farmer's dozen, know such silliness is typical for me. I also wore a hand painted sweatshirt with written and symbolic cues suggesting no cameras and no taping. Find me in Philly with the same. One taper did get busted on 11/8. Perhaps he's amongst us now. With me around this IS a dangerous place for his ilk. >From: KingChazs >Subject: GIG REVIEW: Cleveland 11/4 and DC 11/8 >I hope Thursday was as much fun! >Your faithful correspondent, ===== Rochelle Although I was just coming under a developing fever, Thursday was just as much fun. There were fewer people and thus much more room to move hips about. A wonderful review Rochelle. My compliments. Sorry you thought that part of dc to be dangerous. I considered it to be near harmless. tj, dc-et2 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2000 13:27:48 EST From: "shane reynolds" Subject: Please Inform me Could someone out in the world help me?.Are the LTIA, SABB.....and red rereleases available in that cool packaging that the first four came in?????Do they have that neat scapbook thing as well.......any info would help because I loved how the packages were bigger than normal cds......thanks shane the aussy ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 14 Nov 2000 21:37:06 EST From: Hocow at aol dot com Subject: H.V. ConstruKction Premature EjaKculation Just a quick Wow! I just got it and haven't had time to check it all out but so far it is amazing. The computer video footage works great and sounds terrific. The improv cd is stunning. As one who has not been totally convinced by any of the ProjeKcts (including X) I am pleasantly surprised. Most recent improv work, while having great moments, has not had an identifiable Crimson vibe to my ears. Even when the jams really cook they don't sound like Crim to me. This batch of improvs is simultaneously new and yet retains the identity of Crimson reaching back to the earliest improv material. I can't define it but I know it when I hear it. Maybe it's the mournful guitar sound over the pumping rythm section. Perhaps it is the juxtaposition of very soft quiet movements with total frenzy. This is definately classic Crim. I am greatly impressed and on the strengh of cd 3 alone highly recommend Heavy ConstruKction. I haven't listened to the song cds yet but I will treasure this set even if they suKc (and I know they won't). Brad Wilmot ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 14 Nov 2000 21:37:58 -0500 From: Ryan D Tassone Subject: "The Sheltering Sky" in recent years, etc.? In the Cirkus booklet, across the middle pages is a photograph of what looks like a setlist. It has THRAK and the like on it, so it has to be from that period, at the earliest...however, just before "Sex, Sleep, Eat, Drink, Dream" is "The Sheltering Sky." Now, I had no idea that this piece was ever performed live after the 80's Crimson. It's been a longtime fantasy of mine, to hear what the Double Trio (or better yet, the Double Duo) would sound like playing this most profound KC work. Has anyone seen this played live recently? On that subject, I would like to comment on the tradition of King Crimson "moving on" from showpieces of an earlier era. Robert and perhaps others (well, the only other veteran member is Belew) have commented that songs like "Fracture," "Starless," and currently - much to my dismay - "Lark's Tongues in Aspic Part II" were elements of a different time, with a different audience and different conditions. Thus, the logical move would be to resort to making updated versions of them, hence "FraKctured" and "Lark's Tongues in Aspic Part n." To me, this is a step in the wrong direction. King Crimson is a great band, so they pulled it off without being corny. But I'm reminded of Sting's pathetic "Roxanne '97," almost a lurking, subtle violation of an already perfect entity. Well, that's an exaggeration, but you all understand me thus far, right? If those songs are to be remembered only, but not re-enacted, why does the current band insist on reminding us of them? This is all missing the point entirely, because music is not of time. Each instance I hear "Starless," it's a completely new song. The processes and emotions that it evokes are universal. I realize this is not fitting with Fripp's linear conception of time, but it's how I feel. On top of that, the band has said that a song like "Fracture" belongs to a set of fans that has already passed on (figuratively), a generation that no longer has an influence. "Fracture" is my favorite King Crimson song, and I'm 17 years old! No; this music is not bound by time, does not need revisions, remixes. At least not in my eyes. Third point: the cycle of KC albums. I've found a pattern. In each decade, the first album released has multiple songs on it with similar titles. 70's: Lark's 1 and 2, duh. 80's: Indiscipline, Discipline. 90's: VROOOM, VROOOM VROOOM, others. The second album is totally unique, and has no references within itself, or to other albums. SaBB, Beat, and the overall nature of the ProjeKcts are like this, although song titles in the latter have links among them. ThraKaTTak upsets the balance in this context. The third album within each incarnation's life refers to a previous work, and sometimes to itself. 70's: "Starless." And "One More Red Nightmare" refers to the title track. 80's: Lark's 3. 90's/00: what I mentioned before, with FraKctured and such. I have not yet considered pre-Lark's Crimson. Final question! On several of Fripp's solos, there seems to be tremendous sustain, long before the Fernandes company began manufacturing their pickup system. "Requiem" comes to mind, and some parts in "Providence" seem interesting in that regard. Has Fripp ever used an E-Bow? I think maybe he has. In "Requiem," I can hear the string buzzing against the drive channel (the part where the E-Bow vibrates the string), and there isn't a strong pick noise until later in the piece...anybody have a clue what I'm talking about? Ryan ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 14 Nov 2000 20:58:38 -0600 From: "Justin A. Kolodziej" Subject: Shocker on VH-1 THIS JUST IN: King Crimson 87th best hard rock band ever according to VH-1! The piece included plenty of band shots, too much focus on "21st Century Schizoid Man", and a suitable out-of-context quote by Boppin' Bobby himself! For added insult, Foreigner is number 86! ;-) Seriously, though, for once the Rodney Dangerfield of rock gets a little respect. At least musicians get it... And the "hard rock" categorization is a sweet victory for those who think King Crimson is a snooty prog band like Yes. And I was just listening to the 21st Century Schizoid Man album. mmmm... synchronicity... ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2000 00:56:38 EST From: Davidcharles1 at aol dot com Subject: KC @ tower records Roosterbrawl at aol dot com said: <> You aren't really boasting. Anyone can meet the members in the band and get autographs. All you have to do is hang around a little after the shows and they are more then happy to sign items and chat. You don't need a special invite to a soundcheck. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2000 02:21:54 -0500 From: "Josh Chasin" Subject: A HaershLesson at the NYC Town Hall Show Well there we were, sitting up in the balcony, first row center, and right away I knew things were going to be dicy. Five seats to my left, I spied a sketch artist. Now, I don't know that Fripp could see the guy, but I am absolutely certain that he did distinctly feel his presence. Then to make matters worse, five songs into the set, during a real quiet heavenly passage, some guy behind me farts. Just like that! So of course the band stops dead, Fripp looks up, shakes his head, gestures to the ushers to remove the offending person. Then, that's right, no Red, no FraKctured, no Heroes-- just 50 minutes of soundscapes and Frippertronics, with the occasional Belew drum solo. The lesson here should be clear. If you must attend one of the Crimson shows this tour, DO NOT go out for Mexican food beforehand! OK then. I've said my piece. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2000 08:35:42 -0500 From: "Andrew Fignar Jr." Subject: Re: Really Pissed At Fripp >To end, Fripp has the smallest ego I have ever encountered in a musician. >His glittering praise of (in my mind) very very dull guitarists like Steve >Vai & Joe Satriani You negate your own argument about Fripp bashing by dissing Vai and Satriani. You stooped to the level of the post you criticized. I think Fripp could never do what Steve does, no question in my mind at all about that. I love his playing, but not what he plays. Fripp has said about three times he also respects Mike Keneally. After doing his first tour with Steve Vai. Mike said "I didn't think Vai had anything to teach me, boy was I wrong!" I suspect Fripp had a similar revelation during the G3 shows. When you rehearse with Vai. Dissect his playing behind the scenes, your only conclusion is he is a guitar God. He did replace Adrian Belew in Zappa's band after all. And to diss him, is to diss Zappa, and Belew himself. Mike Keneally replaced Steve Vai in Zappa's band, and if you want to hear rock, (not progressive), the way it should be played pick up Keneally new CD "Dancing", wow awesome rock. Odd time sigs, funny, his guitar playing is at Fripp/Belew/Vai/Satriani level. Some instrumentals on this CD are fantastic. I think it's Mike's best effort to date. Very hard to put a style on Mike. Rock/Progressive/fusion/jazz/pop influences throughout the CD. Rock is a fall back as I don't know what else to call it? Check it out. Look for Henry Kaiser's tribute CD to Miles Davis to come out soon with Mike Keneally on guitar. Henry already has released one CD "Yo Miles!". Which is great, looking forward to this now one. This stuff is very good. Trading of the live Yo Miles! shows is allowed, I have them if anybody is interested. But buy the commercial CD before you ask me for anything. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2000 12:25:28 -0400 From: "Pablo Velasco" Subject: Butterfingers, a Milky way, and a Kit Kat. KC next tour postings: -No cameras -No smoking -Don't feed the musicians Pablo V. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2000 11:58:30 -0500 From: Glenn F Leonard Subject: Bruford in Genesis BB played on the '76 tour with Genesis. Seconds Out featured mostly '77 trax with Chester. A couple more trax were available on the import version of 3 Sides Live when originally released as LP. Don't know the case with CD. Glenn ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2000 11:18:48 -0800 From: "John M" Subject: Peach for those of you who havnt yet heard of "Peach" i highly recomend you give them ear. specifically because on their album "giving birth to a stone" there is a groovy version of "cat food". and when shall we ever see a king crimson tribute album (maybe there is one and i don't know it). if there is i wonder.......hmmmmm. anyways, my band is in the process of covering "fallen angel". we are an original band, but i couldnt pass the opportunity to cover this when the chance was there. wish me luck, im not only the singer ,but sole guitarist too. big duty my friends. oh and here's a rhetorical one: say theres a KC tribute album in 5 years, how many bands would be pushing and shoving to cover something off "TCOL"? my guess is in the lower percentile. im seeing many vieing for tracks from "ITCOTCK" to "THRACK" but thats my opinion. no seedy rebuttles please, its just my opinion. seems every opinion i post gets a nasty rebuttle. it makes me start feeling that negatory opinions arent very welcome. but i digress. well see ya peeps and be sure and give peach a listen. bye! ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2000 13:28:53 EST From: MongoBoy at aol dot com Subject: Tony & Bill's Contribution to KC2000 In ET #764 Laurent MASSE (masse at geocean dot u-bordeaux dot fr) writes in reference to his impressions of listening to HC over the weekend: > As much as I like them, never with Bill and Tony still in the group would > KC have come up with something remotely like this. For the record, I have not yet acquired Heavy ConstruKction so can't comment upon it's merits or otherwise. But, I think we should use caution when making comments about what KC is NOT capable of as a double trio or otherwise. KC continues to reinvent its own wheel. This listener finds something interesting in every incarnation. Granted, Tony & Bill's addition to the mix would produce a different beast. But ProkeKct 1's contribution to what became COL & HC should be recognized. Tony & Bill contributed hugely to that effort. Perhaps Laurent's comment may/may not have more relevance after we've all had a chance to digest KCCC #13 which as we know was the double trio pre-defraKctalizing into ProjeKcts. I think we may all be surprised as to what's on offer with KCCC 13. Mongo off ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2000 12:57:54 -0700 From: "Moshier, John T" Subject: Re: Heavy Construction Have just finished playing through Heavy Construction for the first time on my car CD (my wife says unpleasant things when I try to play K.C. at home...sound familiar?) Haven't had a full opportunity to digest the Heavy Construction material, but on first listen liked it much more than TCOL. The totally fresh versions of 3OPP (Ade on acoustic with remarkable playing) and Cage (slower, longer and more developed-- didn't recognize it at first) were very engaging. Ade's growling vocal on Prozakc Blues came off very well. I thought it was something that maybe required studio enhancement. The improvised outtakes on disc 3 came off much better than Thrakattack. But what really dropped my jaw was the cover version of David Bowie's Heroes. It is by no means the best music on the album, but it is amazing what happens when these four talented musicians grab onto a good tune and just play the hell out of it. Phish and the Grateful Dead, two of the best improvisational bands out there, made blowing the covers off "cover" songs a huge part of their reperatory. I hope K.C. favors us with their take of a well-selected cover tune from time to time. Heroes really whetted my appetite. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 14 Nov 2000 22:58:59 -0500 From: Steve Smith Subject: GIG REVIEW: Supper Club, New York, NY 11/13/00 I make my living, such as it is, as a music journalist and critic (albeit in the world of jazz), and as such, I usually try to document the events I "officially" cover by taking notes during the performance, so as not to miss any cogent details. That said, I've been a Crimson fan far longer than I've been a professional critic, and tonight was an opportunity for me to leave the notebook at home and just enjoy being a fan. I also recognize that if I had brought the notebook, I'd have been remiss in my status as an attentive and involved audient, as per Fripp's wishes (and ideally the way any audient at a given concert should absorb its content). In stating this, I mean to inform anyone reading that there are likely minutia that I'll not be able to fully reproduce in the following, but frankly, just this once, I don't much care. I took my chosen role seriously, arriving at the Supper Club just before 6 p.m. to assure a good position in this general admission venue. I was pretty damned startled while flipping through a local city magazine to see an ad for a 'Heavy ConstruKction' autograph party that had been held at a Tower Records location last Saturday night - where was the advance announcement of this? Nobody around me in line had known about this - wonder if anyone showed up? I, for one, *very much appreciated* the opportunity to catch a Crimson show at a general admission show in a smaller venue, and standing the whole time didn't bother me a damn bit. It's democracy in action, really; if you want a premium position in the audience, all you have to do is show up early enough. And I knew exactly what I wanted - a place close to the stage, positioned in front of Trey, close to Adrian, and with a good view of Pat; I've seen Fripp up close numerous times in the past, and didn't really feel a need to suck a piece of his space tonight. I'm happy to say that I got exactly what I wanted... I was hugging the front of the stage directly in front of Trey's monitors all night long, fannishly adorned in my newly purchased 'Beat' T-shirt. My professional detachment fled fully as the lights went down... The band came to center stage and performed a wacky little ritual in which fists were extended and waggled, and our dour icon Fripp actually lept off the floor in his invocation of positive juju for the impending conjuration of the good fairy. The set began with "Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part IV," one of the tracks on TCoL that initially gave me pause. My first thought about this album was that virtually everything on it was overly referential to something in the previous KC oeuvre. But I reminded myself that "Larks' Tongues" is now well established as a continuum of compositions, set my qualms aside, and simply enjoyed the delicate interplay between Fripp and Belew's intertwined guitar lines. Who else but Crim could pull off something this intricate and still keep my little head a-boppin' in odd time signatures? The coda, regardless of Adrian's "controversial" lyrics, more and more evokes a valedictory emotional rush after the heady abstraction of the preceeding sections. And Adrian's congenial stage manner once again confirmed his role as Crimson frontman of choice. "The ConstruKction of Light," replete with its instrumental nods to "Discipline," remains my favorite tune on the new album. This, too, was performed with energy and precision, its disparate parts seemlessly welded together into a thrilling, organic whole. "Into the Frying Pan" followed, and again, despite initial misgivings, I nevertheless found myself singing along, head a-bobbing. Wouldn't you know, I somehow remembered all of the lyrics. The first of the evening's several improvs (or "vectors," as they were denoted on the setlist clearly visible from my vantage point) was a growling industrial soundscape, far too short. It set the stage for "FraKctured," the track on TCoL that originally caused me more consternation than any other. I'd fervently hoped for a few years that a current Crimson would revisist "Fracture," and the update on TCoL originally struck me as an unwelcome stepchild of the majestic original. But rather than "move on," I tried repeatedly to find a way into the new piece. Hearing it live - and, more to the point, seeing the musicians going through the rigors of executing it live onstage before an audience - proved decisive. Yes, as I'm sure everyone present will point out, Fripp couldn't quite meet the inhuman challenges of his own composition's spidery solo lines more than once. But his recoveries were swift, the overall performance quite overwhelming. The dynamic changes he and Pat brought to certain phrases went a long way towards rendering this piece distinctive from its well-lovedpredecesor. "ProzaKc Blues" proved an audience-friendly followup to the extended abstraction. "ProjeKct" was next - a blow, in the parlance of the '73-'74 band, and the first chance for Trey and Pat to stand wholly apart from their predecessors. Stand apart they did, and then some. The rhythm section of KC2000 (as the keychains and fleece jackets would have it) is a different beast than Levin/Bruford, Wetton/Bruford, or anyone else you might care to name, but on tonight's evidence it's every bit as worthy of the Crimson mantle as any other team that's borne that yoke and its attendant expectations. In other words, yo, they rocked, dude, and had a fine line in finesse besides. Several times during the course of the evening, Gunn wandered back to Mastelotto's side and called out or hand-signalled monkey wrenches the two would proceed to insert into the music. And Pat was happy to break from playing straight meter to go against the flow every now and then, much in the manner of Bruford. Pat repossessed and reconstructed "Thela Hun Ginjeet" according to his own devices, inserting elements of dub reggae and punk slam as he saw fit. "Dinosaur" was mostly differentiated from its double trio incarnation by virtue of accident; Adrian broke a string, leaving a willing audience to fill in the vocal lines on a chorus to which he couldn't attend due to technical difficulties. (I submit my own lack of voice at the moment as evidence of my willingness to help out in a pinch.) The homely contribution of the audience apparently served to energize Adrian; on evidence of watching him over the course of the evening, I'd have to guess that he had a pretty great night, and this was certainly echoed in both his unbridled playing - as fine as ever I've heard from an artist who ranks high in my all-time pantheon - and the more immediate banter between him and the audients close enough to hear the little remarks he made in reference to sounds and prods thrown his way by the crowd. Another "vector" followed, highlighting the contributions of Gunn and Mastellotto as well as showcasing Fripp's most extreme pyrotechnics of the evening. It might well have been the world debut of a new five-piece Crimson lineup, as an audience member insisted on supplying bird whistling at high volume. Adrian, seemingly amused, quietly whispered to the front row that he, too, could make odd noises. "Frame by Frame," where's Tony's backing vocal part was missed, gave way to "Red," which was another gentle reminder of our heroes' fallibility, Adrian coming in half a bar ahead of the rest of the band but recovering immediately. The first encore began with "The Deception of the Thrush," a showcase for Gunn. Whether playing vocal lines with his talker or molten leads with e-bow (held behind the guitar's neck, surprisingly enough), he stepped out of roles normally ascribed to Fripp, Belew or Levin and had a turn as simply Trey Gunn. The man's simply an exceptional musician. A pity that Jean the Birdman felt once more inclined to add his warbles to the performance, but eventually even he fell silent in rapt attention to Gunn's performance. "Elephant Talk" threw the delighted crowd into a frenzy once more. The second encore was a heated rendition of "VROOOM." Sadly, though the crowd would happily have stood for more (and in fact "Heroes" and "Cage" were scribbled at the bottom of Gunn's setlist), this was the end. I've talked at great length about the other three band members, but what of Fripp? His performance was monstrous and musical, but more to the point, way up close I could also get a better sense than ever of the pleasure he derives from playing in this band with these musicians. The funny little leap at the beginning of the evening was only one example of the droll wit he brings to bear. At the end of one particularly torrid solo, he blew on his talcum-covered fingers, creating a pretty good illusion of blowing smoke off his heated digits. During an improv between Belew, Gunn, and Mastelotto, Fripp patiently bided his time by filing his nails off to the side. And the look on his face during the most felicitous moments of music, as well as immediately following some of the more egregious mishaps (the opening of "Red," his own missed bars in "FraKctured," the broken string and audience participation in "Dinosaur"), spoke volumes. I don't think I've ever seen Fripp enjoy himself and the process of music making, with all of its potential for miracle and disaster, quite so visibly. All told, this was the finest Crimson performance I've yet attended. There was more of the daring improvisatory mode I so relish in evidence here than had been present in the 1982 quartet performance and the two Double Trio performances I've seen. And the material from TCoL came to life in a way that the record simply hadn't conveyed to me personally, proving once more Fripp's contention that this is a band to catch live. Returning to the chilly November air outside the club, I couldn't get to a store to buy 'Heavy ConstruKction' fast enough... SET LIST: Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part IV The ConstruKction of Light Into the Frying Pan >>>Vector<<< FraKctured ProzaKc Blues ProjeKct Thela Hun Ginjeet Dinosaur >>>Vector<<< Frame by Frame Red ====================== The Deception of the Thrush Elephant Talk ====================== VROOOM Steve Smith ssmith36 at sprynet dot com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2000 10:23:15 -0500 From: Michael dot Russell at mercerdelta dot com Subject: GIG REVIEW: Town Hall 14XI2000 In 1974, King Crimson stood at the gateway leading to a new music unlike any heard before. Unfortunately, the arena rock environment of the time proved too hostile and debilitating for Crimson to continue. Twenty-six years later, Crimson has approached that same gateway again, stepped inside, and begun the exploration of the garden that lies on the other side. Perhaps the strongest impression I got listening to King Crimson at Town Hall last night was the degree to which this Crimson is a direct continuation of the 1972-1974 group, picking up where the earlier formation left off and continuing forward on the same trajectory. The oldest piece in the current repertoire, (1974's Red), is joined by newer elaborate extensions of prior pieces, either conceptually (Vrooom), or literally (Lark's Tongues in Aspic, Part IV; FraKctured). The newer pieces stretch meter, harmony, and form well beyond the older ones, making demands on both technology and the players that the 70's could not hope to satisfy. The improvisations followed suit, stretching the membrane between music and noise so thin as to make it barely visible, then resolving, leaving one relieved that the performer made it across the hire wire alive. The level of musicianship in this band is stunning. I found that I did not miss any of the half dozen past heroes of this band who have moved on, and who still remain dear in their own right. Instead, I was stuck at the degree to which the current unit functions as a whole. At this level of technical skill, it isn't Bill Bruford or Pat Mastelotto or John Wetton or Tony Levin or Trey Gunn playing a particular line in a particular piece, it is a collective person named King Crimson, whose appearances, sometimes a full decade apart, can be electrifying. In this sense, the continuity between where Crimson has been and where Crimson is going seems as natural as breathing. Robert Fripp who enjoys the blessing and suffers the curse of serving as Crimson's facilitator, is as extraordinary a fellow to watch as he is to hear. The austerity of movement in face and body, complimented by the angle of the guitar, arms and hands is in itself rare in non-classical performance, but when countered by the grace and fluid motion of the fingers on the neck and the right hand over the strings, the visual image is akin to dance, and elicits the same response. At times, I found my attention divided between King Crimson the Group Person as an aural experience and Robert Fripp the Dancer in Restricted Compass as a visual experience. Far from being distracting, these experiences were complimentary. The audience, with a few Visigothic exceptions, were attentive, respectful, and supportive. Adrian Belew's acoustic rendition of Three of A Perfect Pair turned into a sing along (!!!), and the final encore, Heroes, seemed as fun for Crimson to play as it was for the audience to listen to: smiles all around. Directly in front of me, a stunning young woman was bopping cheerfully during the whole gig, with especial enthusiasm during Prozac Blues. In the seat to her left was a fellow who fell asleep twice during the show, snoring audibly the second time. The presence of both females and narcoleptics at a Crimson show was frankly unexpected, but added a unique flavor to the evening. Set list: Vrooom Thela Hun Ginjeet Lark's Tongues in Aspic, Part IV I Had A Dream Prozac Blues The ConstruKction of Light Improv directly into Fairy Fingers section of FraKctured Frying Pan Improv featuring the most location specific guitarist Dinosaur Frame By Frame Red Encore I: Belew and Audience: Three of a Perfect Pair followed by Improv featuring the guitarist with the most strings Encore II: Elephant Talk Encore III: Heroes ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2000 15:55:20 EST From: ChalkPie88 at aol dot com Subject: GIG REVIEW: - 11/12 and 11/14 NYC Hello fellow ET'ers: Wow. Now that I have a few moments to recuperate, I would like to comment on two KC shows that I was lucky enough to witness. First of all, I would like to say the shows were BOTH amazing, and BOTH completely different. The general vibes at the shows were even different. The Supper Club was a standing only concert, which is sort of annoying after about 90 minutes. The Town Hall show on Tuesday was a seated theater, and much more enjoyable on the body and lower back!! Some general comments and opinions I would like to offer about both shows: 1) The Town Hall show in my opinion was superior in the fact that the band was DEAD-ON tight and played with vast amounts of soulful energy. Really unbelievable. 2) The Supper Club show was really tremendous, warts and all. Some sound problems in TCOL, and some blunders on (no joking) Fripp's impossible guitar part in the middle of FraCktured (the part that sounds like the apocalypse). But hey, 99.9% of the guitar players reading this could never play it anyway. 3) As much as I agree that Bruford and Levin are incredible musicians, Trey and Pat are definitely on par with and even surpassing the old blokes in some respects. Pat's playing at The Town Hall show was just mind-blowing!! Absolutely stellar playing. Totally musical. And Trey just as incredible, a pleasure to watch. He NAILED the middle impossible section of FraCktured, doubling Fripp's guitar part. Unreal. I would like to see these two guys stick around in this band for a while as the ONLY rhythm section. 4) Adrian is an amazing musician. Anybody that disagrees with me is an fool and doesn't have a clue about music. Period. Keep him in the band forever!!!!!!! Thank god Zappa found this guy. 5) Fripp is an absolute master on the guitar. I don't think some people know how good he really is. He is a total virtuoso, and has my utmost respect and admiration. 6) If you have a chance to see this group, DO IT. If you don't, you will be missing one of the greatest shows you might ever see in your entire lifetime by some of the greatest musicians. Thank you Robert, Adrian, Trey, and Pat for an amazing experience. Frank C. ------------------------------ End of Elephant Talk Digest #766 ********************************