12 Responses

walrii

August 13th, 2008 at 2:33 am

1

elephant talk is off of discipline

David

August 13th, 2008 at 7:58 am

2

elephant talk is off of discipline

Sure is. I got ahead of myself. I corrected it. Thanks

Joel

August 13th, 2008 at 9:30 am

3

I keep seeing people post Coda:Marine 475. I could swear when I saw them at the Nashville warmups, the ‘coda’ theme was the “I have a dream” part at the end of Lark’s Tongues Pt. 4, sans vocals. Is this the same music as the coda on Thrak. I’ve yet to see anyone mention this “I have a dream” music…

David

August 13th, 2008 at 9:33 am

4

Great question. I thought the same thing during the show. I pulled this list from someone I know who was writing it down, so ultimately it is his thoughts. He is a freak when it comes to recording this info, so I presumed he was correct and I was incorrect.

Joel

August 13th, 2008 at 9:44 am

5

After the show I asked Adrian about this. He said the music was off Thrak and I said….”Wait, I could swear it was the coda at the end of LT Pt. 4 and then he agreed and said “What do I know?”..jokingly. He affirmed my observation. He also said to me that Robert didn’t want him to sing the vocals to this, so they did the instrumental. It WAS the music from TCOL….at least here in Nashville.

Joel

August 13th, 2008 at 9:46 am

6

Oh…also, hope you don’t mind, I haven’t seen a listing for Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream for any setlist other than the first night in Nashville. My favorite ‘more recent’ tune of KC’s.

Steve

August 13th, 2008 at 10:28 am

7

Last’s night’s show (the 12th) was OK, but Monday’s was stunning. One of the best rock shows I’ve ever seen & I’ve been going to concerts since 1968.

Ritchie

August 13th, 2008 at 11:55 am

8

Keswick Set list on Tuesday 8/12/08:
1) Drummers duet, un-named
2) ConstruKtion of Light
3) Neurotica
4) RED
5) Three of a Perfect Pair
6) Dinosaur
7) The Talking Drum
Larks’ Tongues in Aspic, Part 2
9) Walking On Air
10) B’boom
11) Frame By Frame
12) Level Five
13) Indiscipline
Encores:
14) Drum duet
15) Thela Hun Ginjeet
——————————-
16) Elephant Talk

17) Vroom
18) Coda: Marine 475

Robert

August 13th, 2008 at 12:48 pm

9

Don’t hate me because I disagree. Of the dozen or so King Crimson concerts I have seen since 1974 this (8/12/08) was the most disappointing and lackluster by far. The addition of Gavin Harrison injected some sparkle and life and indeed, the percussionists were the absolute highlight for me. I will admit, the Red, Blue and Yellow albums are my least favorite in the KC canon and a concert devoted to them (years after the fact) felt uninspired and mechanical. Fripp, in his headphones, cocooned on stage by gobos, monitors and equipment racks was totally obscured from my 4th row seat. Whatever philosophically driven mania compels this Fripp to remove himself from his self chosen place in the rock and roll limelight, I can only hope it serves him better than it serves me in the audience for it has now reached the point of being a distraction rather than his presumed opposite intention. You really are loved Fripp, so just get over it already, I promise not to take a snapshot.

For my money ($57 USD) he relinquished the stage and artistic responsibilities to designated driver Belew, who as always, is the consummate artist and craftsman. Even Adrian seemed a bit distracted by this tired material, once losing his place for a second at the beginning of Red (you can never fall of the train though, when Tony Levin is bass player) and having little if anything to say to the audience the entire evening. Elephant talk guitar sounds were fascinating in 1983, they are cliched in 2008 and every new kid with a strat and a pedal board is wanking his whammy bar in their parents basement with glee getting the same sounds. With all the sample and midi technology available (not least of all to King Crimson) there isn’t much you can’t do with a guitar nowadays. The pre-recorded voice overs were almost wincingly embarrasing given the level of technological complexity of the stage and sound set up. I found the house sound to be quite acceptable, though predictably two notches too loud, especially the subwoofers which throttled my chest with bass drums all night. Oh yea I know, the kids love that and want there money back if they can’t “feel” the damn music.

Once innovators and at the forefront of what “rock” music was and can be, this King Crimson conveniently recycled old (and to my taste, lesser) material that easily accommodated Tony Levin with presumably a minimum of rehearsal time, leaving it to Pat and Gavin to do all the heavy lifting.

And finally, when the band takes their well deserved bows (yes, they are still King Crimson after all, how bad can they ever really be) there stands the avuncular Fripp in the wings applauding them as if he had nothing to do with it all. Perhaps that is/was his goal after in the end.

David

August 13th, 2008 at 2:49 pm

10

Robert,

I think you make a point. As we were leaving, I mentioned that to the best of my knowledge this was the first KC show that was ever a retro show. They always come with new material, and almost always play it with the older material getting ignored/forgotten, etc.

This is also the first time in KC history that a member has left, more material (2 albums plus numerous projekcts) was produced, and that member returned.

I enjoyed the show and had a blast. I think the Fripp wall-of-protection is a bit weird.

@Joel : I haven’t seen a listing for Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream for any setlist other than the first night in Nashville.

Yeah - I would have like that too, but One Time from Thrak was a groovy.

Steve B.

August 14th, 2008 at 4:43 pm

11

While I think that Robert had some valid criticism, I really enjoyed the show. Keep in mind that this tour IS being presented as commemorating their 40th Anniversary, hence the favoring of old material. Plus with Levin back in the line-up, how could they NOT play that stuff?
Thought Gavin was great, and the Harrison/Mastelotto team was easily the best drum duo I’ve ever witnessed.
Did anyone else sense that Belew was saving his voice? Was he sick? I thought that may explain the lack of between-song banter and his sticking to the lower register on the chorus of “Dinosaur.”
My only complaint (agreeing somewhat with Robert here) was the sound quality, though more with the mix than just the overall volume. As fate would have it, we saw Radiohead the very next night at the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden- from the LAWN, no less - and ironically heard a vastly superior sound mix!
[Can we somehow lobby to get the band to play the Electric Factory? In recent memory, some of the best mixes I've experienced were heard there.]
As a nice aside, I’ll note that we brought a Crim virgin to the show with us Monday, and she was completely blown away. Quite an accomplishment, considering what a punk-rock chick she used to be!
Cheers!

Chris

August 15th, 2008 at 12:26 am

12

I was there Monday and am quite certain that they played Coda Marine 475. It was pretty close to the way the Double Trio used to perform the 2 songs.

I was a little annoyed by the obvious clipping going on in the PA. Several times Tony’s bass or stick volume had to be cut, during One Time no less ;(. When I saw the Porcupine Tree merchandise team traveling with KC I was hoping that perhaps they would bring PT’s soundman. To date, every time I’ve seen Tree, the sound has been spectacular. If it was the same guy, he had an off night at the Keswick.

I enjoyed myself immensely, but was a little troubled by the first evidence of KC going backwards for older material. Fripp had an attitude like Miles Davis in that regard, and I always respected him for it.

Since Fripp has a stated a preference in the past for road testing songs before recording, this doesn’t bode well for a new album.

One last thing, leaving that show, I couldn’t help but think that Robert may be trying to prep us for a King Crimson, without Fripp.