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  MagiKc in New Haven September 30, 2006
Written by prozakcbluesman
I was a member of the audience at this mind bending gig in New Haven, one of the four that I witnessed on this leg of the Double Duo (the others were the Orpheum in Boston, Tower Thtr in Upper Darby PA and the Listener Aud in WDC - a rare disjointed and poor performance to my ears). While the above mentioned gigs were very good, other than noted, this show in New Haven was MagiKc! The crowd in New Haven was fairly small relative to the other shows, but the powerful performance the band put on was remarkable, memorable, may I dare say devastating! Many of the faces surrounding me were literally stunned, unbelieving of what they were witness to this night. Especially outstanding in this performance is the powerfull version of "Red" and a frenetic version of "Thela Hun Ginjeet", and "LTIA4". It is difficult to convey the magiKc and strength of this performance through the high quality sound of a board recording, being a memeber of the audience, it sounded quite different than this. There was a certain air or energy about the Palace Theatre that made KC sound other wordly, particularly their performance from several years ealier on Nov 18, 1995 - probably the greatest performance I had even seen by KC as the Double Trio or otherwise (please note that I too young to have seen them in the 70’s or 80’s). This is also true of other bands I had seen at the Palace Theatre as well, including Pat Metheny Group, Laurie Anderson, Tangerine Dream, Todd Rundgren, Jethro Tull and countless others through the 80’s, 90’s and 00’s. Sadly the Palace Theatre stands empty now, a testimony to how even Yale University can not sustain everything in its "safe harbor of light" that is surrounded by the deteriorating darkness of old New Haven. Any chance we will get to see the Nov 18, 1995 show from the Palace offered as a DGM Live download, or throught the KC Collector’s Club? What about the fabulous John Paul Jones band who opened for KC on this evening in Dec 9, 2001? That would be a treat as well! Thank you DGM, for understanding the wants and desires of your fan base. It is a pleasure to see and hear the results of your efforts to keep your fans happy and turning out quality products even when the band is in hibernation. This download is well worth it, and for fans who witnessed it, it is a treaured reminder of that event. Thank You! Rob
Unremitting September 2, 2006
Written by timohara
This performance, and the Level Five tour in general, was characterized by its relentless bleakness. I was at the show in Boston the night before and this fine recording reinforces my memories of that event. This was difficult music, and even a piece like Construction of Light which in 2000 and 2003 was almost sprightly, had a decidedly darker cast to my ear. I had seen the warm-up show for the Tool tour in Boulder earlier in the year (which was tremendous, and hopefully a candidate for future download), and somehowKC by the end of 2001 was a different beast. It has occurred to me that my reaction to the music, and my recollections of it, are/were in part colored by the mood of U.S. society in late 2001. Certainly the images of gas-masked soldiers which accompanied the tour had a powerful resonance at the time. I felt then, and now, that King Crimson music at the end of 2001 was reflecting something deep and dark in the zeitgeist. But in Virtuous Circle, and in Trey Gunn’s magnificent Thrush solos, there was a glimmer of something resembling hope. Very powerful stuff, highly recommended...though the edge will go to Kingston 2003 from this reviewer. Keep it up folks!
I was there too! August 27, 2006
Written by wvroland
This was an amazing performance. Others who have submitted reviews and were there describe the show accurately. I am so pleased that we now have a permanent record of this show. I do wish that the 1995 and 2003 New Haven shows would be made available, as they were also awesomely inspired performances. As for this show, KC once again defied audience expectations as they re-defined our ideas about the performers and the material. Moments of sublime illumination reveal artistry of the highest order at work.
Different August 20, 2006
Written by rhammill
What I mean by different is: I was there. The sound and feel is much different in the recording than the live performance. This was a very heavy performance (following a heavy performance by the John Paul Jones band). In fact, having not heard the then new material (I picked up the Level 5 CD there), it was almost too heavy, it just never let up. This seems to be typical of the New Haven shows for some reason, perhaps they’ll release the Palace Theater from November 1995 in the future). I did love the new material, and in particular I think Dangerous Curves is a perfect opener, and I also prefer the earlier versions like this without the final chord. Anyway, the mix sounds strange to me on this one because the channels are so well separated and clear. The sound that night was clear (for Crimson, JPJ was too loud and muddy), but it was more of a cohesive whole. Then again, I’m listening to this on headphones... It’s great to be able to re-experience a show I attended though, Keep ’em coming! Oh, and I think the improvs on the CoL tour were the result of necessity - they didn’t want to play too many of the older tunes, and they opted to continue the improvs a la the ProjeKcts. With this tour they had a good portion of the next CD together, although in a very loose manner. There’s a lot of exploration - especially in Virtuous Circle.
Randy
In short, great. August 8, 2006
Written by jacethecrowl
Since I was one of those clamoring for a show from this year, I thought I should at least offer a reaction. This show f*@%n’ cooks. For me, the biggest improvement from the prior tour is the addition of real drums and cymbals in Pat’s kit, but really it’s the energy from the entire band that makes this an essential release. Agreed, this is the best “Frying Pan” to surface so far, but I still hope to hear a thick T. Lev groove carrying it someday. I won’t address all the tunes, but “TCOL” is the only thing here that leaves me cold. As always, it’s tricky but soulless, at least other strictly-construKcted numbers like “EleKtrik” have the benefit of rocking. There’s no room for any surprises (though forgetting the words humanizes it a bit), so I’d be happy if this one finally slipped away from the repertoire. On the opposite end of the spectrum, “Red” is all over the place. It seems like an attempt to turn it into a vehicle for individual flourishes (like “Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream” as played in 2000) and careens a bit too far. Look to Nashville a month prior for the best live version of “Red,” perhaps “Thela” and “Lark’s IV”, though the latter on this set is still mindblowing. I’d still like an “Oyster Soup” from this tour, and though offering whole shows seems to be the DGM policy, a collection (a la Heavy ConstruKction) of what seems to have been an intriguing array of improvs is overdue. (Any thoughts out there on why the 2003 KC entirely abandoned live improvisation?) In short, great. And now I hold my breath for something new in 2007.
Another Great DL July 17, 2006
Written by acampo
This may be the best sound quality/show quality download yet! Excellent evolving versions of the new tunes. A great version of Virtuous-Power Circle with its’ Mid Eastern demtia vibe intro. Everyone’s in fine form with Pat up in the mix tossing about electronic percusives, samples and the like.
I’d love to hear more shows from 2001, 11-19 @ Denver in particular. A complete show in support of TOOL would be a nice compliment to the Level Five disk.
Yet another Crimson put to bed too soon!
Finally! July 9, 2006
Written by AcousticPhenomena
I cannot believe the tenacity and veracity of this show. Adrian is a wildman itching to make more music. Robert seems in as good a form as anything. Elektrik, Dangerous Curves, Virtuous Circle and Level 5 are finding their way towardws final composition, the latter 3 moving away from a more metal sound to a more Crim sound. These performances are much more confident and energy filled than the ones on Nashville, even though those give a very different taste of the band as well. I cannot say enough about the amazingness of this recording. Probably my favorite virtuous circle to date. Definitely my fav incarnation of crim, i hope they keep these coming! Thank you Robert for another amazing show
Thanx for the July 8, 2006
Written by mudfish55
I had been one of those asking and hoping for more of a taste of the 2001 touring band. I agree with the other reviewer that the ’01 shows had a certain "something" about them that even ’03, in all it’s raging glory, did not. Not to say better or worse, just different. You can feel the energy of playing new material and it infects the "oldies" as well. This unit could play "Thela" and make it their own. This show is a fine example. Ade’s out there and driving everyone along. Excellent incarnation of the King.
A genuine performance from a genuine band July 8, 2006
Written by millingt
After giving the new 2001 gig a ride, I have come to the conclusion that this download is one of DGM’s most genuine. I mean, the 2003 performance is killer, but the 2001 performance has something that the 2003 version lacks. Perhaps it is the fact that they are playing brand new exciting music before it was recorded. It sounds like they are having more fun here. The gig starts of with an erie Soundscape/Dangerous Curve intro that leads into the best version of Frying Pan to date. ELEKTRIK is amazing. Although not very polished, and there are some blunders, to me this version is way better than the 2003 version in Kingston. ConstruKction of Light is up there as one of the best versions ive heard, it puts you in kind of a trance. Ade screws up the vocals, but somehow the song doesnt lose any force. Dinosaur is a hard rocker as always. Thela loses its oomph without Tony Levin, and personally for me, is kind of goofy sounding. But the band comes right back around with a very pretty Power II and a raging Larks’ IV. Thrush is fantastic, Level five is interesting compared to what it would become I think. Red is Red. Bottom line: buy it, and the 2003 performance to, for the best versions of Larks’ and Level Five.
Thank you! July 7, 2006
Written by JGroFZ
This was my first live Crimson experience, having gotten into the band in early 2001. I was floored. I’m thrilled that this is up here, and the sound quality is very good. Dangerous Curves was always best as an opener, in my opinion. It’s madness at the end really sets up for the things to come. LTIA IV is fantastic here. This is an all around great show, and was a great way for me to first see the band. Now, if we can only convince the good folks at DGM Live that Toad’s Place 2003 is worthy of the site....
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