“If we are looking for a KC live (show); Chicago was exceptional” – Robert Fripp
“One of our best” – Tony Levin
King Crimson evolves, changes, morphs as relentlessly as the Soundscapes which open each concert. Since the 2016 tour of Europe, the band has become a double quartet line-up with Bill Rieflin’s return from sabbatical as keyboard player & Jeremy Stacey’s confirmation as a permanent member/third drummer. This allows for the inclusion of an ever more complex & compelling array of material, far more than can be contained in a single concert. With options for up to three keyboard players in the current line-up – Fripp & Stacey both have setups alongside their respective guitar/drum rigs - the majority of Lizard is performed live for the first time ever, likewise Fallen Angel from Red is making its first ever concert appearance/live recording, Cirkus envelops the listener in sound, the beautiful title track from Islands closes the first set, while staples from the 1980s line-up Indiscipline and Neurotica appear in very different arrangements. New piece, The Errors makes its recorded debut & current audience favourite Heroes appears in the encores at the end of Disc Two. Add to this list of concert newcomers & returnees, live staples of the recent tours such as Starless, Easy Money, a recording of Level Five described as the “best ever single performance” of the piece by King Crimson biographer Sid Smith & a storming ending provided by the evergreen 21st Century Schizoid Man & it’s easy to see why the band was so pleased with this gig & the audience went home happy.
King Crimson continues to re-invent & re-imagine both itself & its music; the kind of thing that once would have been called a “progressive” approach. It’s an approach that has benefited band members and listeners alike from January 1969 to the present – September 2017.
