Just toward the end of the gig Ade engages in a little market research. “How many of you have never seen King Crimson until now?”[endtease] A show of hands reveals that a lot of folks out there in the elegant splendour of the Palace Theatre were new to the group that night, brought in by the fact that KC were sharing the bill (and this leg of the tour with John Paul Jones’ band. They didn’t know it but their first taste of Crimson was at a transitional point as the boys were breaking in new material that would feature on 2003’s The Power To Believe.
Starting out with a version of Dangerous Curves that sounds like it was directed by David Lynch (that is weird, dreamy and disturbing), Crimson take us on a guided tour of some familiar sights and one or two that were off the map at the time. One of the fall-outs of soundboard recordings is the way the mix can be slightly out of kilter: Frying Pan has a demented sounding Belew living it large a touch too-close for comfort. Then again, who wants comfort at a Crimson gig?
A rock solid version of Vrooom has the chandeliers shaking with Pat in particular crunching, stomping and swinging out on the coda. However the main highlight here is the sequence that begins with Virtuous Circle (The Power To Believe Part II as it would later be titled), dances a while with the angels during Thrush, and ends with a brutally rousing Level 5. After all that Red almost sounds like an anti-climax!
Just toward the end of the gig Ade engages in a little market research. “How many of you have never seen King Crimson until now?”[endtease] A show of hands reveals that a lot of folks out there in the elegant splendour of the Palace Theatre were new to the group that night, brought in by the fact that KC were sharing the bill (and this leg of the...
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 polite. crimson raged!!!! I remember levelfive and red really great. pat was a beast!!! this was one of the best crimson shows i had seen. craigsteven
Written by Gary Weisel
On par with KC's best shows
I’ve attended quite a few KC shows over the years (starting in 1972). Many of these shows were terrifically exciting. A few seemed stale perhaps by comparison. I went to this Greensburg gig and agree that it was one of the exciting ones. Conditions were favorable: the venue was lovely, the JPJ crowd was receptive, and the KC boys were in good spirits, including the lonely Fripper, who applauded the crowd after the show (which, as readers of this board will immediately recogni...
I’ve attended quite a few KC shows over the years (starting in 1972). Many of these shows were terrifically exciting. A few seemed stale perhaps by comparison. I went to this Greensburg gig and agree that it was one of the exciting ones. Conditions were favorable: the venue was lovely, the JPJ crowd was receptive, and the KC boys were in good spirits, including the lonely Fripper, who applauded the crowd after the show (which, as readers of this board will immediately recognize, is a favorable sign). This show sits well with the KC Collector’s Club 19 "Live in Nashville, TN," which is one of my favorite KC releases. The Greensburg show seems equally "on" to me. Instead of ProzaKc Blues (on Club 19), the band plays Frying Pan here; and instead of Thela (on Club 19), the band plays VROOOM (and its coda). One particularly great moment: Trey Gunn’s solo bit at the end of Thrush really floored the crowd. He definitely captured something beyond mere notes -- as I hope evident in this recording to those who were not at the gig.
Written by Kirk Salopek
Hair Raiser!!!
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. ...
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
