It’s fascinating how a band simply gets on with the business of getting up on stage and playing regardless of their internal politics. A little after 7.00 p.m. Fripp informed Wetton and Bruford that he wanted to knock the band on the head. As might be imagined, this was unsettling though not exactly unexpected, as Fripp had previously expressed his disenchantment on other occasions earlier in the tour. A lively three-way discussion then took place about the pros and cons of keeping the band going to give them a chance to become successful. Later joined by David Cross and with nothing resolved, the band then go on to the gig venue, a college gymnasium. In his diary Fripp describes the band mood as “v.heavy from BB.”
Can any of this internal turmoil be felt within the music? As tempting as it may be to try and ascribe the ways in which the musicians approach their instrument this night, the truth is the group are professionals who deliver a very good gig. After a blasting LTIA Pt II and Lament, an improv that begins with a bass line that could almost be One More Red Nightmare, leads into a terse soundscape that is quickly abandoned and subsumed into the opening strains of Exiles.
A truncated Easy Money is compensated by the band going straight into an improvisation lead by Fripp’s arcing feedback, which then cools down into something of a soothing mood. Cross’s violin steps forward with Wetton maintaining the momentum as Bruford bides his time and exercises his well-known admirable restraint. There’s a point during Fracture when the guitar drops out of the moto perpetuo section as the band races through the piece but the ending has no such missteps with the Mellotron providing an extra chill. It’s strong stuff being served here by Crimson.
Next stop - Massey Hall in Toronto!
This concert was first released as part of The Road To Red boxed set in 2013
