King Crimson blasts back into the spotlight with drums, drums and more drums
By Greg Haymes
ALBANY — Albany was ground zero for world of progressive rock on Tuesday night, as King Crimson returned to the spotlight to play their first concert in more than six years, thrilling a jam-packed, sold-out crowd at The Egg’s Hart Theatre on the opening night of their two-night stand.
ALBANY — Albany was ground zero for world of progressive rock on Tuesday night, as King Crimson returned to the spotlight to play their first concert in more than six years, thrilling a jam-packed, sold-out crowd at The Egg’s Hart Theatre on the opening night of their two-night stand.
Led by guitarist Robert Fripp (the band’s only constant member over the years), the legendary prog-rockers have radically shifted personnel regularly over the course of their career, and their new seven-man incarnation upped the ante with three – count ‘em, 3 – drummers. And in a reversal of the usual rock protocol, the drummers – Paul Mastelotto, Bill Rieflin and Gavin Harrison – were lined up across the stage… in front of the rest of the band. Surprisingly, it never sounded like percussive overkill.
But no matter what King Crimson looks like, they’ve always managed to sound like no one else but King Crimson. It’s a big tsunami of a sound that balances power and precision. It’s all tight angles, sharp corners and jagged edges. Not mere math rock, it’s a knotty brand of calculus rock, equal parts muscle, majesty and mystery. Yet for all of the constantly shifting, oddball time signatures, powerhouse songs like the firebrand instrumental “Red,” the ominous, metalesque stomp of “One More Red Nightmare” and the dynamic “Starless” flowed with undeniable grace, ease and an underlying elegance.
With a clear focus on their early ’70s repertoire, the two-hour concert was bookended by “Lark’s Tongues in Aspic, Parts 1 & 2,” allowing each of the band members the opportunity to stretch out, with Fripp’s soaring skysaw guitar work leading the way for saxman Mel Collins, guitarist Jakko Jakszyk and the ever-inventive bassist Tony Levin.
At the microphone, Jakszyk tackled the vocals with gusto during “The Letters,” crooned his way through “A Scarcity of Miracles” with aplomb and romped through the encore of “21st Century Schizoid Man” as though it were some kind of alien blues from a galaxy far, far away.
No comments:
Post a Comment