For Tony Levin, writing in his online diary at the time, the show in the Fenix “was the best yet - things just gelled well for us.” He’s not wrong. In front of a packed-to-the-gills, enthusiastic house, P4 deliver a set that simmers the whole night through.
Highlights and highpoints abound. Seizure, emerging from a viscous goop of bass-end bubbling, rumbles rather than roars but is nevertheless extremely powerful. Sizzling silvery lines of sustain from Fripp and Gunn during Ghost Part I manage to be both threatening and blissful at the same time, with Gunn going on to spray some of his most incendiary runs over an especially heavy Heavy ConstruKction.
The second half of the gig is just as entertaining, and it should be said that the team appeared extremely relaxed and happy during the gig. The most obvious point (from an audio point of view) is on Ghost II when Fripp’s space-bass setting trades licks (or perhaps that should be scrapes) with Tony Levin’s bowed upright bass. At the gig the pair were laughing a lot and you can hear that sense of fun in these exchanges.
The wriggling, writhing beats of X Chanyn jiZ throws up some interesting moments as Gunn delivers chopped chords (including a fleeting blink-and-you-miss it reference to LTIA pt2), atmospheric washes and later, some fiery, spiky soloing.
Mastelotto busily and tirelessly experiments throughout the gig, pushing and nudging the players along, providing them with critical beats which they’re compelled to tackle in different ways. Perhaps his most radical offering of the evening is found on ProjeKction; the normally fast-moving pace he’s utilised on previous outings is replaced tonight by an off-kilter march which the entire team get behind. Vrooom is much stronger on this outing than it has been on other occasions on this tour.
Please Note:
In a few weeks time, we will be completing the P4 collection by adding P4 1st Nov show (Club 7) - at which time, we will make all seven P4 shows into a “tour”, available for $44.95 (FLAC) and $34.95 (MP3).
Sadly, due to the costs of preparing these shows, in this instance we are not able to offer any special offers/discounts for those who have already purchased some of these shows.
So - for those discerning souls who already own all the existing P4 shows, it will actually be cheapest to buy the new show now - while for others it may make financial sense to deny themselves the pleasure of instant gratification in favour of waiting a fortnight until the tour is made available.
For Tony Levin, writing in his online diary at the time, the show in the Fenix “was the best yet - things just gelled well for us.” He’s not wrong. In front of a packed-to-the-gills, enthusiastic house, P4 deliver a set that simmers the whole night through.
Highlights and highpoints abound. Seizure, emerging from a viscous goop of bass-end bubbl...
4th night, and with only 3 left to go, ProjeKct Four turns in a solid set that never quite reaches the highs of the previous two. Deception Of The Thrush, whilst not quite as transcendent as the previous night's version, can be relied on at this point to be at the very least enjoyable. An unrecognisable and mildly parodical Ghost Part II provides levity prior to the live debut of ProjeKction which, while just the ConstruKction theme again at it's heart, now starts to take shape as the major them...
4th night, and with only 3 left to go, ProjeKct Four turns in a solid set that never quite reaches the highs of the previous two. Deception Of The Thrush, whilst not quite as transcendent as the previous night's version, can be relied on at this point to be at the very least enjoyable. An unrecognisable and mildly parodical Ghost Part II provides levity prior to the live debut of ProjeKction which, while just the ConstruKction theme again at it's heart, now starts to take shape as the major theme for P3 and King Crimson proper it becomes. As a track here it never quite finds its purpose though, despite 9 minutes of attempting to do so. Overall nothing sticks out as a particularly special moment in the same way as the previous two shows have but it's an enjoyable 78 minutes and well worth the listen. If you only want a couple of P4 gigs in your collection, this is not the one to choose.
Written by Brian Wilson
Buy The Tour!
It is my pleasure to review this show, 13 years after the fact. With all that has passed in that time, it is difficult to recall when these sounds were brand new. This was before The Power To Believe or ConstruKction Of Light. Many of the formative motifs of these future KC albums were being bounced around in the ProjeKcts. It was an exciting time to be a fan. I was nursing a bad head cold that night, but nothing was going to prevent me from witnessing this event....
It is my pleasure to review this show, 13 years after the fact. With all that has passed in that time, it is difficult to recall when these sounds were brand new. This was before The Power To Believe or ConstruKction Of Light. Many of the formative motifs of these future KC albums were being bounced around in the ProjeKcts. It was an exciting time to be a fan. I was nursing a bad head cold that night, but nothing was going to prevent me from witnessing this event. The venue was all decked out for Halloween with mock headstones all around the surrounding balcony. The room at the Fenix was much more used to the resonance of blues or reggae; I don’t think the foundation had ever been shaken quite like this. How to describe this music? Whacked! What kind of mind comes up with these compositions? Of course, they are not tunes so much as launching points. I was very excited to see these top-shelf musicians improvise. Despite loving the Double Trio, they didn’t often just lift off (except during Thrak). Having first come on board with the 80’s KC, I had gradually reached back and grown a serious appreciation for the 73-74 band. So the prospect of having multiple improv-ready Crim units touring frequently had me drooling. This performance did not disappoint. I was about 2-3 bodies from the stage (standing all night). It was LOUD. This was my first real chance to see what Trey & Pat were really up to outside of KC. Pat was making all kinds of crazy noise and loops and beats and stuff. The string players would lay out, and it would reveal the coolest groove you can imagine just spinning and morphing and percolating. Trey was brilliant; some of his lines could have easily sounded like Robert’s if you weren’t paying attention to who was playing what. (Witness his always glorious "angel music" at the end of Deception of the Thrush.) Of course, we all are familiar with the abilities of T-Lev and Mr. Fripp. But the sheer pleasure to see them up close and personal, obviously having some serious fun while totally shredding was extraordinary. The smirks and smiles, the telepathic interplay, the gleam in the eyes. This is still in my top 10 list of shows I’ve seen in the last 35 years (and I’ve seen a lot of different shows...) So, what to be said about P4? It was a moment. A flame that burned up quickly for it’s 10 or 12 days of existence. But oh how brightly. The Fenix sadly is no more. The foundation (obviously weakened by the power of P4) could not take being shaken by the Nisqually Earthquake of 2001. (At 6.8, Seattle’s last big one.) I can’t wait to indulge in the rest of this great 1998 tour... and then delve into 20 shows of P2! Regards, BT Wilson
