Poplar Creek Music Theatre

King Crimson
Hoffman Estates
22 Jun 1984

Here’s King Crimson in fine fettle near the half-way point of what would be their last American tour for eleven years.

Entry of the Crims is a particular robust affair. The sonic brutality perpetrated in this track evokes memories of Beat’s Requiem. Uncompromisingly fierce, it segues into a better than usual LTIA Pt III (full of vim and vigour) which in turn gives way to a thrashingly savage Thela, with Tony Levin providing VFM entertainment. Fifteen minutes of pure Crim mayhem and an astonishingly bold start to a gig.

Other aural highlights include a progtastic-sounding Industry (courtesy of a way-cool Bruford backbeat) and a frenzied Indiscipline wherein Adrian, even more gregarious than ever, demonstrates his command of his instrument (including its attendant hands-free technology) and crowd control.

The set here is broadly the same as Absent Lovers although this show boasts a really belting version of The Sheltering Sky, with Fripp hitting all kinds of sky-high inspirational octaves and whatnot.

One possible reason for the lack of variation in the running order might be due to the fact that KC were by this stage in their career using a click track in order to keep strict tempo on several numbers.

The concert presented here has been taken from two separate but incomplete bootlegs and nicely stitched together by DGM engineer, Alex “Stormy” Mundy, in order to recreate what the punters would have heard that night. What it lacks in sonic fidelity, it more than makes up for with its tremendous atmosphere.

Truly, this is one of the great KC take-no-prisoners shows.


A hot date indeed!
Written by John Pellerito
This show is the bomb. One of my favorite all time KC shows. I did see the band play the Pier in N...
Written by John Pellerito
Fantastic Show, worth the one year wait!
Written by Bari Tarmon
I had been looking forward to the concert in 1983 and purchased tickets to attend the show with a fr...
Written by Bari Tarmon
Reference 1984
Written by Frank Hadlich
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All of the available shows of 1984 (2 officials: Japan DVD, and Montreal gig) and the handful o...
Written by Frank Hadlich
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RIP Paul Sacks
Written by Kevin Gautier
I very recently lost my best friend in the world, Paul Sacks, who accompanied me on this night. I re...
Written by Kevin Gautier
Just For You
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