It’s fair to say that after a shaky start back in Nashville this last show in New York finds the band on confident form and with hindsight is probably the best overall performance. The band and in particular Levin have finally conquered the daunting edifice of The ConstruKction of Light. Belew’s sparkle is evident on ebullient readings of Frame By Frame, Neurotica, Sleepless and a scorching solo on Thela, with his tender side displayed in Walking On Air. Level Five is delivered with the expected degree of savagery and precision that made it one of the highlights of the tour. The placing of Talking Drum and LTIA Pt II as a feature later in the set feels better here with a surge power that delivers a fitting climax to the end of the set before a brace of highly animated encores. If you only want to buy one gig from this tour then this might well be the one to grab.
Listening to a David Singleton edit of the last night in September 2008 for what had been floated as a possible release Robert noted “the magic was in the air, in the space, in the moment. The recordings are interesting, variable in accuracy & performance & intensity, and the back line a treat; and these are not definitive renderings. And there was magic in the air.” Though four of the five playing here would go on to the next incarnation of King Crimson six years later this show marks Adrian Belew’s final date with the band and the end of a particular era.
