King Crimson: Live in Chicago 28 June 2017

Rating: ★★★

Record and Artist Details

Musicians:

Tony Levin (b, stick)
Mel Collins
Jeremy Stacey (d, ky)
Robert Fripp (g)
Pat Mastelotto (poetry reading)
Jakko Jakszyk
Bill Rieflin (d, ky)
Gavin Harrison (d)

Label:

The King Crimson Collector's Club Special Edition/Panegyric

Dec/Jan/2017/2018

RecordDate:

28 June 2017

Fripp once proudly defined late Crimson incarnations as the band that didn’t do ‘21st Century Schizoid Man’. But this reconstituted double-quartet version of the band (Stacey nailed down as third drummer, Rieflin back on board on needed keys) shamelessly climaxes this double live album with that iconic tune. It would, of course, be unfair to label the current group as it’s own tribute band, but at times, strongly influenced by Jakszyk, this fiercely loud ‘official’ bootleg feels like it’s a re-tread of past material, with little that’s fresh brought to the arrangements. There are huge chunks from Lizard, not exactly the band’s finest hour, while Belewera material, including a heavy legged ‘Neurotica’, is largely played down. There’s some new material: Harrison and Jakszyk collaborate with Fripp on a drum dominated ‘The Errors’, but the gut impression is of a band happy to please audiences, (and what’s wrong with that I hear you cry!) especially when the octet roar into ‘Heroes’, an almost note perfect review of Bowie, but now appropriated as regular live fan fare.

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