First, for those who don't know who King Crimson is, they are a British progressive rock band formed in 1968. Over the years they have had 23 different members, with only one original, Robert Fripp, remaining. Here's a handy chart. They exploded on the scene in 1969 with the album In The Court of the Crimson King which is credited with launching the progressive rock movement. We arrived at the beautiful Place theater, which I have been going to since childhood, to an excited crowd. I was really surprised at the wide rang of ages in the audience. I can't figure out how young people heard of this group. First I'll give you my wife's analysis of the concert, "It sounds like blah, blah, blah, to me." If you've never heard KC you may be excused for not knowing why she said this. KC is known for extremely strange time signatures instead of the old stand by 4/4 time, like row, row, row your boat. Here are the time signatures used in just one song, Discipline: Meanwhile the drum is playing in 17/16 time. So it gets a little chaotic. But...by the end of the concert my wife said she couldn't believe how good the drummers were, she was fascinated. There were three drummers, with full drum kits. In a stage arrangement I've never seen before the three drummers were in front and the rest of the band, five others, were on a riser behind them. The concert started with a synchronized, three drummer "solo" that lasted for over 5 minutes before the rest of the band joined in. The set up was something like this except there was another keyboard in back and the center drummer and horn player were different guys. I have to say I have never seen a drummer play what I assume was a Moog synthesizer with his drumsticks at the same time he was playing the drums. Like a frigging xylophone. What more can I say?
Here's the set list: Drumson Werning (Robert Fripp announcement) Walk On: Monk Morph Music of the Chamber (Islands coda) Set 1: Devil Dogs of Tessellation Row Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part One Pictures of a City Cirkus Lizard ((c) The Battle of Glass Tears… more ) Epitaph Radical Action (To Unseat the Hold of Monkey Mind) Meltdown Fallen Angel Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part Two Islands Indiscipline Set 2: Drumson Werning (Robert Fripp announcement) Hell Hounds of Krim Neurotica Moonchild ('The Dream' part only;… more ) The Court of the Crimson King Radical Action II Level Five Starless 21st Century Schizoid Man (with Gavin Harrison drum solo)
Ugh, there were about half a dozen acts that played in Sydney this year that I would have otherwise gone to Except it always seems to be this thing now, there is only one actual original member, so what am I paying for, one original member who is too old to sing anyway, and a bunch of session musicians??
By those standards I never would have seen Paul McCartney, Joe Walsh, George Harrison, Eric Burdon, John Forgerty, Dave Mason, etc. The original group only lasted for one album, there aren't too many groups from my era that are still intact. Fripp is one of the greatest guitarists of all time. Here's what he has to say:
