“Buonasera” says a grinning adrian Belew at the start of Crimson’s third gig in Italy. Indiscipline crops up earlier than usual in the set, changing the shape of things and summoning up an early frenzied attack that’s often set aside for the end of performance. Fripp’s frantic chordal work-out on the last section shreds big-time. No wonder we hear Bruford exclaiming “Wa-hey!” and “good one!” at the end of it.
With One Time providing a brief pause, Vrooom Vrooom knocks the ball out of the park; this is KC rocking out and really going for it. And again, we hear Bruford say “Wow what a set!”.
A barn-storming Neurotica throws us directly into the bubbling strangeness of electronica-crossed double-drumming of B’ Boom and into Thrak. Just when you think you’ve heard all the variations there are to hear with the improv section, up comes a section that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand to attention.
On this occasion there’s a steady back beat with Robert dropping huge piano-FX doom chords on the rhythm making it sound like very much like a new composition in the making. It catches the group in a spot of intense, but surprisingly melodic improvisation, that's definitely a bit out of the ordinary.
