Amid the cheers from the good people of San Diego as the Crims take to the stage, the tones of a Frippertronics loop spread out in an eerie, gaseous manner, vaguely reminiscent of those transitory sections of Fripp’s Exposure album of 1979. From this audience recording it’s evident that the crowd is ebullient and up for it. The same might be said of the band, who despite having been on the road in North America for 23 days so far, are sounding very much on the ball, all things considered.
The version of Discipline, sounding a little remote due to the nature of the recording, is especially hot. Hearing all those interlocking lines cascade from the stage, it’s easy to understand why jaws dropped and for many people, the 1981 incarnation of King Crimson was the absolute bee's knees.
As your ears acclimatise, it doesn’t take too long to figure that this is a remarkable gig with fiery renditions of Red, a soaring Matte Kudasai, and an interesting Frame By Frame receiving some alternative picking from Fripp. Added to all of this are the work-in-progress versions of Neal And Jack And Me and Manhattan which demonstrate the virtues of using time on the road productively to hone and sculpt future material. A pretty indispensable show that your collection needs.
