For Tony Levin, writing in his online diary at the time, the show in the Fenix “was the best yet - things just gelled well for us.” He’s not wrong. In front of a packed-to-the-gills, enthusiastic house, P4 deliver a set that simmers the whole night through.
Highlights and highpoints abound. Seizure, emerging from a viscous goop of bass-end bubbling, rumbles rather than roars but is nevertheless extremely powerful. Sizzling silvery lines of sustain from Fripp and Gunn during Ghost Part I manage to be both threatening and blissful at the same time, with Gunn going on to spray some of his most incendiary runs over an especially heavy Heavy ConstruKction.
The second half of the gig is just as entertaining, and it should be said that the team appeared extremely relaxed and happy during the gig. The most obvious point (from an audio point of view) is on Ghost II when Fripp’s space-bass setting trades licks (or perhaps that should be scrapes) with Tony Levin’s bowed upright bass. At the gig the pair were laughing a lot and you can hear that sense of fun in these exchanges.
The wriggling, writhing beats of X Chanyn jiZ throws up some interesting moments as Gunn delivers chopped chords (including a fleeting blink-and-you-miss it reference to LTIA pt2), atmospheric washes and later, some fiery, spiky soloing.
Mastelotto busily and tirelessly experiments throughout the gig, pushing and nudging the players along, providing them with critical beats which they’re compelled to tackle in different ways. Perhaps his most radical offering of the evening is found on ProjeKction; the normally fast-moving pace he’s utilised on previous outings is replaced tonight by an off-kilter march which the entire team get behind. Vrooom is much stronger on this outing than it has been on other occasions on this tour.
Please Note:
In a few weeks time, we will be completing the P4 collection by adding P4 1st Nov show (Club 7) - at which time, we will make all seven P4 shows into a “tour”, available for $44.95 (FLAC) and $34.95 (MP3).
Sadly, due to the costs of preparing these shows, in this instance we are not able to offer any special offers/discounts for those who have already purchased some of these shows.
So - for those discerning souls who already own all the existing P4 shows, it will actually be cheapest to buy the new show now - while for others it may make financial sense to deny themselves the pleasure of instant gratification in favour of waiting a fortnight until the tour is made available.
