In its past Leipzig has been no stranger to battles of one kind or another and the night when Crimson came to play was no exception. Firstly, the venue presented the band with some difficulties, and secondly Adrian Belew was coming down with a bug which would see the band having to cancel the next two gigs in their schedule. Not that you’d be able to tell from this performance such is Belew’s super-trouper tendencies when it comes to delivering songs such TCOL and Oyster Soup. The first improv of the evening follows the same format as the previous night; uber-phat Fripp basslines and Gunn going for the jugular with some especially jagged shredding, Essentially recounting some of the ground covered by the ProjeKcts. The explosive gear-shift as Belew solos is both exciting and powerful, leading as it does into a furious and savage run up the fretboard by Fripp. After One Time (where the hall’s mains hum becomes the fifth onstage presence) they return to the improv, perhaps while Belew attends to some of the equipment trouble he’s having. Though short, it’s a fast moving, highly energetic P3-style excursion with Fripp taking the lead. The second section of Vrooom is a real highlight of the concert with the band sounding wonderfully loose and ferocious. As with Dinosaur tonight, the parts only sound like guidelines rather than something to be slavishly copied. Wonderful stuff!
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