Since Crimso last played the States they’d not only parted company with Peter Sinfield but had managed to break-up during their first writing/rehearsal session in January.[endtease] Despite this setback the band fulfilled what it believed to be their contractual obligation opening here in Wilmington. The eagle-eyed visitor will look at the date and think this is the gig from which Earthbound was partially culled. Indeed, the team at DGM HQ initially thought so. However, closer inspection of the tapes revealed that there were two performances that night at the Armoury, of which this is the first - therefore the very opening notes of that tour. We shall have to wait for the second set, which featured the celebrated version of Schizoid Man or the storming Groon which closed the live King Crimson album that refused to die (although RF does try out the same opening phrase on this Schizoid solo). Mel Collins is as raucous as ever on Pictures and pay close attention to Ian Wallace’s moving of the rhythm during the improvised section. On the handover between Formentera and Sailor’s Tale things become abstract and there’s a sense of the freedoms which might have been open to the group had it been able to escape the reigns of the KC repertoire. Overall, Fripp seems subdued particularly on Groon where he fails to pick up the gauntlet thrown down by Mel Collins’ bruising solo. Consequently there’s a certain degree of drift though this is rectified by an energetic Schizoid Man for which the crowd are especially appreciative.
