Performing two sets in one night, you might think Crimson would conserve their energies in the opening part of the evening but they decide to go for it. “I’m awfully sorry that shouldn’t have happened” says an off-mic Fripp after starting FraKcture a touch too early. “That’s OK Robert, we forgive you. Now play it right!” laughs Belew as the team go into the piece properly. In fact it’s the best rendition of this notoriously finicky piece in the run of warm-up gigs at the 12th & Porter to date. The band have a greater confidence as this material gets under the fingertips right across the board. Dinosaur possessing some of the stomp and swagger it had when played by the Double Trio formation while Cage unexpectedly benefits from its loungecore-style treatment providing some levity within the set. Another beneficiary of this more assertive mood is Vrooom and like other tunes, is easily the best performance in the run so far despite a brown moment where some fingers can be heard lying to their owner. Heaven And Earth tonight is worth the price of admission alone, despite the absence of the main riff from Trey, coalescing around sumptuous Soundscapes, rhapsodic runs from Belew and a yearning solo in the coda from Fripp.
