“Here he is. Ladies and gentlemen, the man, Mr. Robert Fripp, ALRIGHT!” says an especially enthusiastic announcer at the Tribal Stomp Festival in Monterey where he shared a bill with Joe Ely, Peter Tosh, The Clash and others.
It’s probably fair to say that the appearance of a very different guitarist at a very different event in Monterey some twelve years earlier had a wider impact at a global level than Fripp’s appearance here.
That said though very different in scale and nature, Fripp’s ongoing experimentation with the nature of the instrument and modifications to its sound, have in their own modest way, has touched many lives and influenced many players as a result of radiating outwards from the Les Paul, pedalboard and twin Revox tape machines.
This being a festival, the build-up of the loops is done in short order and Fripp dives in with some visceral soloing. The elephantine roaring against the ebb and flow of the two-note bass loop certainly makes punters sit up and take note. There’s no lighter fuel involved in this performance but the guitar is most definitely on fire! Listen out for a crafty snatch of the British national anthem tucked away inside the rhapsodic soloing that opens the second number.
