A bitter-sweet day for fans of the original KC line-up. On this date back in 1969, Crimso took to the
stage for the very last time at the Filmore West.
Fuelled in part by homesickness and the
frantic pace of the previous nine months, McDonald and Giles announced their
intention to quit the band at the end of American tour.
poster designed by Barry Godber screenprinted onto reflective foil paper
Their final gig was recorded by road manager Richard (Vick) Vickers and the tapes were forgotten until 1995 when Ian McDonald forwarded them to the DGM archive via Vick. After being coaxed back to sonic life by David Singleton the gig was presented as part of the Epitaph box set in 1997.
The legacy of that original band continues to be celebrated not least of all by some of the people who made it possible. On his recent UK tour, Greg Lake, sang Schizoid Man and the title track and of course, McDonald and Giles were briefly reunited in the 21st Century Schizoid Band.
Writing about Mars, in his notes about the gig in the
Epitaph set, David observes ‘This piece is the last one ever performed by this
line up of King Crimson, and Ian McDonald can be heard saying “goodbye” at the
end.’ Poignant stuff indeed.
