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December 02, 2001  |
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Palace Theater Greensburg, Pennsylvania |
 Hair Raiser!!! March 26, 2007
Written by mandrake
My initial feeling of excitement was met with confusion upon finding out that I’d finally get to see the genuine article that is King Crimson... Live...In Greensburg, Pennsylvania?! What? Years prior, I witnessed a ProjecKt II show in Pittsburgh at the old I.C. Light Ampitheatre with equal amounts of enthusiasm and ignorance. The show’s lasting impression was enjoyable, but not one of overwhelming importance in my "shows to remember" list. (If I remember correctly, that show was improperly billed as a King Crimson show which left an inordinate amount of room for middle-aged men in "schizoid-man" shirts to scream out requests for classic Crimson numbers all night. To their dismay, not at all what they were about to see.) However, THIS SHOW, ON THIS NIGHT, IN GREENSBURG was truly ELECTRIC...A real hair raiser!!! I remember a lot of folks puzzled by the exception of Pittburgh and beeline to the eastern suburb city of Greensburg for the show. My skepticism was quickly stifled by the superb interior space and ambience of the Palace Theatre. Lots of marble, black and white checkered floors, and ornate wooden trim in the lobby. The theatre space and stage was by no means massive but had ample space and a nice balcony area above. The acoustics seemed to be pretty sweet. My seats were about 6 or 7 rows from the stage directly in front of the old Fripper. Growing up nearby, I always recognized the old (built in the 1920’s) theatre more for hosting acts like the local Westmoreland Symphony, touring comedians, plays, or performers like Kenny Rogers or Lou Rawls. But now here’s King Crimson with a legendary opening act like JOHN PAUL JONES! The JPJ opening set was very entertaining with some great renditions of classic Zeppelin tunes (aka That’s the Way, When the Levee Breaks, etc) featuring JPJ playing various stringed instruments. The imposing Crimson set to ensue started very atmospheric, blanketed in dim blue light with the rising staccato of "Dangerous Curves". The tune continued to rise to great crescendo despite one early and noticeable guitar flub by Fripp. He shook it off admirably and continued on with a crushing set that continued to gain momentum. Most of this material was quite new at the time and unknown to 90% of the ears in the room, so realize that hearing "Elektric" for the very first time in a live setting was mind blowing. "Level Five" was another number that sort of had you holding on to your seat handles. The mix of electronic percussion and acoustic drums was a delight and surprise compared to the previously nasal, non-dynamic sound from "The Construction of Light" material. The highlight of the show for me was certainly the dreamy, arabic sounds of "Power to Believe" in the middle of the set. It worked amazingly with the serene lighting to create an otherworldly atmosphere. The real capper to a fantastic evening that shook the ground in Greensburg was the encore of "Red". The crowd was floored, just as they wanted to be. Way to go gentlemen. You’ve done it again in style. This region awaits your return. -Kirk Salopek, Mandrake Project
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Your search found 3 items (Viewing 1 to 3 of 3)
| Fan Review |
greensburg,pa Tue., Oct 28, 2008
Posted by: craigsteven
I bought my tickets like 20min before the show,to my surprise they were in the front row. I was in front of adrian and john paul jones...what a nite. the crowd, was very Read more
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| Fan Review |
Hair Raiser!!! Mon., Mar 26, 2007
Posted by: mandrake
My initial feeling of excitement was met with confusion upon finding out that I’d finally get to see the genuine article that is King Crimson... Live...In Greensburg, Pennsylvania?! What? Years prior, I witnessed a ProjecKt II show in Pittsburgh Read more
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