“Hello Houston!” bellows Belew in the middle of a rousing version of Thela prior to the final chorus. The crowd go wild and then Belew continues, “I think we’re safe in here...unless you have a tape recorder...” Well, of course they did thus preserving the event for eventual redemption and presentation here. A slightly boomy audience recording captures a Crimson that seems to take a little while to get into its stride.
That stride appears to arrive in the middle section of Red; you can almost smell the fire and brimstone emanating from this infernal lumbering beast. That it’s followed by what might be termed the beauty, Matte Kudasai makes for an interesting contrast. Belew’s vocal is perfectly delivered as is the song itself.
As Bruford wanders around the stage tapping the slit drum that begins The Sheltering Sky, sections of the audience clap along. It’s probably the single most inappropriate clap along song on the planet and thankfully the punters quickly desist and allow the magic of this piece to gradually unfurl. The version here is slightly restrained in comparison to some of the other concerts but there’s still a tangible thrill as those clusters of notes from Fripp swirl about the place.
Frame By Frame is stunning; after the first time around, the two guitarist depart from the usual script and channel the intro of Neil and Jack And Me - or at least a close cousin of those guys!
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