KCVII Radical Action

In September 2013, Fripp announced King Crimson's return to activity with a "very different reformation to what has gone before: seven players, four English and three American, with three drummers": Fripp, Collins, Jakszyk, Levin, Mastelotto, Rieflin and Harrison. Fripp cited several reasons to make a comeback, varying from the practical to the whimsical: "I was becoming too happy. Time for a pointed stick.” Noting that the final shows in 2008 were not how he wished to let go of King Crimson, he also wrote that his two prime aims for the reformation of were “Redemption and Completion”.

Unlike previous incarnations, which had invariably created their own new music catalogue, and vocabulary, the final incarnation re-invented the existing catalogue. “We were instructed/advised by Robert Fripp,” Tony Levin observed, “to look at the older classic King Crimson material as if we had written it. And so we did that with a lot of older material that the band had done before…” “What I like about this band is, that what it is actually doing is not what it appears to be doing...This is King Crimson re-imagined”  as Fripp put it.

As befits a band focused on live performances, this incarnation never recorded a studio album, but released a regular series of live albums. The first was “Live at the Orpheum” from 2014 touring, followed by the ever-popular official bootleg “Live in Toronto” and the DVD and live album “Radical Action to Unseat the Hold of Monkey Mind” drawn from their 2015 tour of Japan.

In 2016, Bill Rieflin had to step aside for health reasons, and Jeremy Stacey, who coincidentally knew Fripp from his time in Bournemouth, stepped in as the third drummer and keyboard player for their extensive European tour. In 2017, Bill was able to return, as a full-time keyboard player, and the band were captured on more live releases – Live in Chicago, Live in Vienna and the BluRay release “Meltdown”, capturing the band’s triumphant shows in Mexico.

In 2019, it was announced that Bill Rieflin would again need to leave the band, which played exactly 50 live shows In Europe, USA, Central and South America on the 50th anniversary of the band. These shows included the band’s first ever performances in Brazil, with an appearance at Rock in Rio, the footage of which was included in the physical release of the “In the Court of the Crimson King” documentary.

In 2021, the band finished their touring cycle with shows in the USA and Japan. “Music is our Friend”, a recording of their final US show in Washington, was released in 2022 and after seven years, the longest of any incarnation of King Crimson, the band moved “from sound to silence”.
“Hopefully, this KC will increasingly be heard and seen for what it is. And it is remarkable. The best band I’ve been in, musically, personally, professionally.” – Fripp’s notes to Live in Mexico.

Just For You
ARTICLES

Son Of Glen the new album by Jakko Jakszyk

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11m & counting

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10 million and counting

KC's Starless

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King Crimson's Starless

9million views & counting

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50 of the best bassists

Tony Levin in Rolling Stone list

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KC - The best of British?

Crimson commentary chronicles band history

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Happy birthday Jakko

KC guitarist/singer 62

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The roar of 74

Happy birthday Tony

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Goodbye, Bill Rieflin

Bill Rieflin 1960 - 2020

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Gavin down the line

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8 million & counting

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Cadence And Cascade special mix

Cadence with 4 vocalists

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Update on 2019 Tour Dates

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6 million & counting

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Happy Birthday Pat

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5 million and counting

Starless numbers keep clocking up

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More pix from Poznan

Tony Levin's gallery

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DIARIES

Studio Jakko Berkhamsted Rising at

13.45
Studio Jakko, Berkhamsted.

Rising at P...

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Breakfasting Trough, Hotel It Is Posh, Vienna.

11.05.

Rising 08.00 and down to the posh-trough f...

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Past, Present & Future

Following the recent trend of these diaries, I shall...

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The Moore, Seattle

Family &am...

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The Moore, Seattle

First Public Pe...

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The Moore, Seattle

Second Public Perform...

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The Artist's Way

We fast-forward a few days to the ProduKction Office back...

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Art or Politics

Idle thoughts that fill your head, as the coach takes you...

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The Promised Land

What an unexpectedly wonderful start to my day!  I h...

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Red Bank

Monday morning, so it must be Red Bank. We finally have t...

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Mexico City

The final notes from the first show in Mexico City still...

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Breakfasting Trough, Hotel Sufficiently Acceptable, Mexico City.

08.58

David Singleton, Mini...

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Time to go home

I am writing this sitting by the pool at our hotel in Mex...

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We begin again. Again.

“Davy’s on the road again

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Washington

And so to Washington.

To these European eyes, man...

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The Beacon

It is reassuring to know that so many New Yorkers are fol...

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Free The Music

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European Southern Observatory

A day to revel in our insignificance: one of “six b...

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Live in Pompeii

It's 1.50 am. Time for bed - but I have a camera full of...

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A new tour?! It can’t be! I AM NOT READY!! 

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DOWNLOADS

Bunkamura Orchard Hall

King Crimson
Bunkamura Orchard Hall
17 Dec 2015

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KC 50 1 21st Century Schizoid Man

King Crimson
DGMHQ Soundworld 1
13 Jan 2019

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Fox Theatre 2

King Crimson
Fox Theater
17 Jun 2017

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Live In Vienna

King Crimson
Museumsquartier
6 Apr 2018

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Edinburgh Playhouse

King Crimson
Edinburgh Playhouse
13 Nov 2018

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Amphitheatre

King Crimson
Amphitheatre
20 Jul 2018

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KC50 50 Radical Action / Meltdown (Advance Mix)

King Crimson
DGMHQ Soundworld 1
20 Dec 2019

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KC 50 27 Level Five

King Crimson
DGMHQ Soundworld 1
12 Jul 2019

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Vienna Museumsquartier

King Crimson
Museumsquartier
30 Nov 2016

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Arena De Verona

King Crimson
Arena di Verona
8 Jul 2019

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Symphony Hall

King Crimson
Symphony Hall
6 Nov 2018

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Piazza Grande

King Crimson
Piazza Grande
6 Jul 2019

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Symphony Hall

King Crimson
Symphony Hall
15 Sep 2015

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Hard Rock Rocksino Cleveland

King Crimson
Hard Rock Rocksino
24 Nov 2017

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Teatr Roma

King Crimson
Teatr Roma
26 Jun 2019

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Rochester Jazz Festival

King Crimson
Rochester Jazz Fest - Kodak Hall
30 Jun 2017

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Grand Cube

King Crimson
Grand Cube
9 Dec 2018

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Falkoner Copenhagen, Denmark

King Crimson
Falkoner
24 Sep 2016

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Romisches Theater Augusta Raurica

King Crimson
Romisches Theater Augusta Raurica
4 Jul 2019

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Queen Elizabeth Theatre

King Crimson
Queen Elizabeth Theatre
21 Nov 2015

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ARTISTS

Jakko Jakszyk

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Robert Fripp

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Mel Collins

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Tony Levin

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Pat Mastelotto

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Bill Rieflin

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Gavin Harrison

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Jeremy Stacey

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PHOTO GALLERY