Instead of the tentative Discipline which opened the gig in Austria, Milan is greeted with a full-on Vrooom. It’s a better decision because right off the bat, the group sound assertive and in control of their surroundings. Even the slight stumble early in Frame By Frame can’t unseat this ferocious beast of a rendition - no wonder Belew can be heard exclaiming “Alright!” off mic at its conclusion.
The gigs came at a time when many commentators would ask what Trey Gunn was playing, as often his contributions couldn’t be heard or discerned. Well, take a listen to One Time where his tender lines waft across the music from the very beginning, surreptitiously weaving in and out of the track to subtle but gorgeous effect. After attacking Red with gusto (and a dropped octave on the lead line), Fripp’s radiophonics interlude, and a racing B’Boom, once again it’s Gunn who acts as principal colourist on this clatteringly energetic version of Thrak. Ditto the smouldering limbering-up of Talking Drum later in the evening.
After dialing down the energy with a languid Matte Kudasai, and gathering their collective breath with SSEDD, the explosive funk opening of People draws shouts of approval from Fripp as the band revs up the pace to stomp this sucker flat. A second performance of Dinosaur in the encore section of the show has more vim and vigour than the one from earlier in the set. This might be the second date on the tour but its the first one where King Crimson really take to the stage.
