The good people of Warsaw are in fine voice tonight when they supply the customary, though it must be said, not always entirely on-point whoops which now traditionally run through the pin-drop silences intended to punctate the latter section of 21st Century Schizoid Man. It’s a tradition that goes back to the dawn of time (Er, wasn’t it 1971? - Ed).
The good people of Warsaw are in fine voice tonight when they supply the customary, though it must be said, not always entirely on-point whoops which now traditionally run through the pin-drop silences intended to punctate the latter section of 21st Century Schizoid Man. It’s a tradition that goes back to the dawn of time (Er, wasn’t it 1971? - Ed)...
[disclaimer: more of a personal note than a review]
After the devastating, life-changing concert at Warsaw's Congress Hall in 1996 and the somewhat dissapointing show in 2000 (also in the Roma theatre), here I was again, looking at the austere backdrop and frugal lighting of the celebration stage. After the obligatory photo warnings, the band jingle-jangled its way into LTiA I. This was only fitting - the '96 show started with the Talking Drum and took off from there. This show seemed bent on "...
[disclaimer: more of a personal note than a review]
After the devastating, life-changing concert at Warsaw's Congress Hall in 1996 and the somewhat dissapointing show in 2000 (also in the Roma theatre), here I was again, looking at the austere backdrop and frugal lighting of the celebration stage. After the obligatory photo warnings, the band jingle-jangled its way into LTiA I. This was only fitting - the '96 show started with the Talking Drum and took off from there. This show seemed bent on "concert etude" pieces - EleKtriK, The ConstruKction of Light, Level Five (and the new (?) Frame by Frame arrangement).
A touching Epitaph, a somewhat inconclusive Tony Levin solo on the upright bass at the end of Moonchild (did Tony have a cold? - he used quite a few kleenexes during the show), a mind-blowing Gavin Harrison solo during Schizoid - the man easily gives Neil Peart a run for his money.
So, most of Larks, most of Court, a groovy Red Nightmare. Starless was a given....
Jakko Jakszyk does amazingly well, considering he needs to be three totally different singers.
There were some moments where the show as a whole lacked drive - the music didn't exactly falter, but it felt as if someone took their foot off the gas. The heat probably didn't help, although at least there was a bit of a breeze in Warsaw that day. The hall was reasonably well air-conditioned - it started getting soggy only into the second half of the show.
So the circle has (most likely) closed for me. I don't know if the band will tour again, so I had to close the 19 year gap. Memorable certainly.
post scriptum
To the two idiots who insisted on running their phones immediately after Starless - one in the 9th row on the left and another in the 1st balcony in the Centre (Robert noticed that one): I hope you drop your phones in the toilet. How difficult is it to understand a simple request?
Written by Kajetan Mojsak
Still, after 50 years, this IS the best band on the planet. I'm happy to hear about the Crimson's policy of trying to get to "innocent ears". Hope there will be a lot of such ears in Rio (however strange it is to imagine KC in such a venue). About the concert. Surprises: great "renditions" (as Boz would call it) of "Cat Food", "Frakctured" and, especially, "Frame by frame" with its fantastic intro. Beatiful "Moonchild" and the following cadenzas. Fantastic, subtle piano and 'mellotron' playing....
Still, after 50 years, this IS the best band on the planet. I'm happy to hear about the Crimson's policy of trying to get to "innocent ears". Hope there will be a lot of such ears in Rio (however strange it is to imagine KC in such a venue). About the concert. Surprises: great "renditions" (as Boz would call it) of "Cat Food", "Frakctured" and, especially, "Frame by frame" with its fantastic intro. Beatiful "Moonchild" and the following cadenzas. Fantastic, subtle piano and 'mellotron' playing. For my ears, tooooo much drums, grounding some of the music to the ground, and too litlle of master Mel. Still, drum work was - no surprise - astonishing (Pat's percussives!) and Gavin's drum solo in "Schizoid Man"... oh well, did I really see only 'two' hands? ... Best moments? ...Final part of "Court", "Frame by Frame", "Moonchild", "Level Five", "Easy Money", "LTA I". There were few moments... - Robert's interventions in "LTA I", "Easy Money" and "Moonchild" - that rose above all this unbearable perfection and for few seconds there was a glimpse into Somewhere Else.
