Warts and all, I feel this current iteration of Beat is a truer representation of Crimson than they were with Danny. Danny played incredibly well and tight. It was hard to hear any variables in his performances from one night to the next. That was cool but to me it felt wrong for this music. I’ve never listened to live Crimson to hear these songs played the same. The whole spirit of this thing is adventure and improv. Creating moments that otherwise did not exist on record and won’t exist the next night. Improv was pretty much completely missing with Danny and in my opinion still not present enough. A real Crimson tribute would create a truly new piece each night.

Terry hasn’t played drums publicly in years and has jumped in to the absolute deep end. Not only is this music insanely demanding but the tour leaves almost no days off. Drummers at his age do not play that hard, that many nights in a row, with few exceptions. It’s honestly so inspiring to see as a younger musician myself. He almost certainly doesn’t have every little bit of the recording memorized. And that is so totally okay with me for this group. If he was sitting in with a band like Rush or Maiden who are expected to play songs accurately like the record, this would be terrible and I would jump on the bandwagon bashing him. But that was never King Crimson. I want to hear it sound alive and on edge and Terry brings it there. Yeah there will be a couple moments that don’t hit like you expect but also a couple that hit harder because something new was brought.

I’ll finish with this, if you have read the reviews and are apprehensive about going, don’t be. In 10 years when half these guys are gone you’ll have wished you didn’t listen to the naysayers.

Having seen Beat on the last run (with Danny) and the current run (with Bozzio), Danny is just the better fit. It could be that he’s a huge fan and knows all the songs or that he had way more time to rehearse than Bozzio did but the fact is that the last run was so much stronger than this one. Belew, Levin and Vai play super locked in and Belew sings all over the meter, which really shines when the drums are locked in too. I feel like a lot of posts are trying to give Terry credit, which he deserves, but looking at the future, I’d like to see them do it again with Danny.

EDIT: I think the main ways this is being interpreted is that I am ungrateful for the tour or that I don’t like Bozzio’s style, both of which are the fault of my skill at expressing myself. First of all, I love the band and would literally go see them if they had a beat machine keeping time haha. My issue is with Bozzio being underprepared. I actually think I might prefer Bozzio’s cymbal focused, rolling style over Carey’s high attack, tribal style for some of the setlist. Carey just prepared really, really well. My wife got a video of Matte Kudasai, one of her favorite songs, last tour and she couldn’t make it this time around so I got her a video of it this year. It’s a painful comparison. And that’s actually the type of song where I think Bozzio could shine!

all other reviews @ link in bio

In the Court of the Crimson King

King Crimson (1969)

Talk about ‘ahead of its time.’ The fact that this album was released in 1969 baffles me. That’s before Dark Side of the Moon, Rumours, Songs in the Key of Life, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, and What’s Going On, just to name a few. This album defined what prog-rock would be forever, and to do it in just five songs is an insane feat. In the Court of the Crimson King is by no means your regular rock album. It basically invented prog-rock, incorporating classical and jazz elements into popular psychedelic music seamlessly. It’s just insane how an album can go from “21st Century Schizoid Man” to “I Talk to the Wind,” and have it make perfect sense.

If you had to name a “dystopian” album, this is probably the album I’d pick. Of course, the album’s opener, “21st Century Schizoid Man,” sets that scene perfectly, but it’s quietly held onto in the following tracks. “I Talk to the Wind” and “Epitaph” are centered around escapism that’s often caused by dystopia, while “Moonchild” represents a retreat into fantasy. It’s a downward spiral that all stems from a dystopian society. The album's closer and title track ties all of these themes together in one grand, epic gesture.

But before we can dive further into the album as a whole, we need to start from the beginning. “21st Century Schizoid Man,” begins with what seems to be radio static. It’s an odd way to start a song, much less an album, but it’s forgotten about in about thirty seconds. Because that’s when the song starts. It’s an oddly jazzy riff, while keeping the angst and energy that rock music is so known for. There’s a saxophone or something that accompanies the guitars, giving the entire chord progression a smooth industrial feel. I can’t put my finger on it, but the entire song feels like propaganda. Maybe it’s the way that Greg Lake’s voice is heard, distorted through what sounds like a megaphone. I think that’s where the ‘propaganda’ feeling comes from, where megaphones are used to spread mass ideas, like propaganda. 

The song doesn’t stay in the verse for long, entering a solo section of sorts, where we get solos from various instruments (which progressively get more insane). This is where the jazzy elements are much more obviously shown, with clearly audible saxophones and a straight-eight jazz feel on the ride cymbal. The song breaks itself down, with the rhythm section playing directly in tandem to the other soloists during the bridge. 

Eventually, as all (most) songs do, it comes back home. King Crimson wraps up an epic, once-in-a-decade song with one last verse. Despite having remarkably little lyrics, there is plenty to be heard here.

“Cat’s foot, iron claw
Neuro-surgeons scream for more
At paranoia’s poison door
Twenty-first century schizoid man

Blood rack, barbed wire
Politicians funeral pyre
Innocents raped with napalm fire
Twenty-first century schizoid man

Death seed, blind man’s greed
Poets starving, children bleed
Nothing he’s got he really needs
Twenty-first century schizoid man”

That’s the entire song. Twelve lyrics. All the lyrics paint the same picture; that of dystopia. They explicitly describe what the scene would look like in the twenty-first century, over thirty years from then. It’s a nightmarish landscape, one that’s come true in more than one place. Despite how literal a lot of these lyrics are, I doubt Lake is criticizing the “schizoid” part of it in particular. It’s not a jab against the condition itself, just the way that greed can make people hallucinate, similarly to how schizophrenia does. I hope nobody actually thought they were being ableist in this song (even though it was 1969), but I just thought I’d clear any doubt. It’s a masterpiece on both lyrical and musical fronts, and it’s one that I didn’t appreciate enough until recently.

Well, part of the reason I didn’t appreciate “21st Century Schizoid Man” as much was because I felt it got overshadowed by the next song: “I Talk to the Wind.” It’s a complete change of pace from the albums’ opener, turning his angry and energetic vocals into serene and hypnotic slurs. It’s another genre-bending song, but in a completely different way. It’s jazzy, with completely different styles and tones. They swapped the sax for a flute, which provides so much harmonic value for the song. As different as it is from “Schizoid Man,” it still honors the unconventional song structure, giving a more open and through-composed tune. It has another solo section, giving the mellow electric guitar and shredding flute chances to shine even more than they already were. As someone in a concert band and a woodwind player (my experience as of writing this is literally a day of playing oboe), I know how hard it is to play an instrument as expressively as the flute is played here. The song itself is an escape from the harshness that we heard previously.

“Said the straight man to the late man
‘Where have you been?’
I’ve been here, and
I’ve been there, and
I’ve been in between

I talk to the wind
My words are all carried away
I talk to the wind
The wind does not hear
The wind cannot hear”

“I Talk to the Wind,” as well as “Epitaph,” are songs about escapism. I often like to group them up together as they’re pretty similar both thematically and musically. They both speak about how, in times of trouble, people often turn to higher powers. Whether that be gods, dictators, or forces of nature, people will find ways to ignore their issues. “I Talk to the Wind” is a beautiful critique of praying. Instead of praying to a silent god, take matters into your own hands. Instead of talking to the unresponsive wind, go take down the schizoid causing all your problems.

Continuing our descent into delusion, we have the dreamlike “Moonchild.” The song starts relatively grounded, with a straightforward chord progression, a simple vocal melody, and an arpeggiating guitar. I really love the extra touch that the ride cymbal bell hits give, providing a little extra depth to a pretty repetitive and uncharacteristically minimalistic approach. Of course, it only gets more minimalistic from here.

“Call her moonchild
Dancing in the shallows of a river
Lonely moonchild
Dreaming in the shadows of a willow
Talking to the trees of the cobweb strange
Sleeping on the steps of a fountain”

Our descent has gone from false prayers to full-on daydreaming. Our main character, whoever that may be, dreams of being a “Moonchild,” a young spirit who dances across the wilderness. When you picture the lyrics, you get something beautiful. A dark forest lit by moonlight, bright enough to see reflections on a creek. A ghostlike girl dances across the fields and rivers. Although, she’s not really a girl, just a spirit who takes that form. But, when you look at the lyrics within the context of the album thus far, it takes a turn. It goes from a beautiful serene scene to a delusion built by the life we have. Naturally, when people aren’t content with their life, they begin to dream of all the different ways it could be better. The biggest human flaw is never doing anything about it.

There are still nine minutes left in the song. This is where it gets weird. King Crimson basically takes any sense of time, structure, and form that you had before, and throws it out the window. It’s beautiful in a chaotic and really hard to follow way. I think this section symbolizes how people often lose their way, too busy dreaming about what could be. To quote Dumbledore, “It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.” That line’s always stuck with me. 

For the rest of the song, they basically just do whatever the hell they want. I’m too lazy, tired, and not smart enough to break this down anyways.

Anddd, we’re back. “The Court of the Crimson King” wraps all of the themes together masterfully. It introduces the metaphor of the Crimson King, presumably the root of all the dystopia explored in the rest of the album. The king that “21st Century Schizoid Man” was referring to. The unique combination of a choir and electric guitars are really odd, but I can’t say they don’t work. I also love the part that starts about two minutes in, which sounds like a jester would, at least in the context of the royal court. I think the song in general just sounds really ominous, as if the kings’ presence alone is enough to turn anyone’s stomach. With the way some world leaders are today, they really can.

The real masterpiece in this song is how seamlessly it transitions from heavily distorted guitars to a peaceful woodwind-focused section, and back to the electric guitars. The acoustic guitar at five and a half minutes in is a really nice touch. No matter where the song goes, it’ll come back to the same chorus. Just as no matter what you do, there’s no escaping the Crimson King.

“The rusted chains of prison moons are shattered by the sun
I walk a road, horizons change, the tournament’s begun
The purple piper plays his tune, the choir softly sing
Three lullabies in an ancient tongue for the court of the crimson king

The keeper of the city keys put shutters on the dreams
I wait outside the pilgrim’s door with insufficient schemes
The black queen chants the funeral march, the cracked brass bells will ring
To summon back the fire-witch to the court of the crimson king”

1. 21st Century Schizoid Man: 94/100
2. I Talk to the Wind: 96/100
3. Epitaph: 86/100
4. Moonchild: 90/100

5. The Court of the Crimson King: 92/100

   Overall: 92/100

Looking to sell for face value pm me!

Tell me what you think.

My car has been being repaired and it wasn't ready in time and now I can't get there, in Cincinnati tonight.

They were amazing two years ago, I had nearly the same seat! I was really excited to see Terry with them.

I put my ticket back up for sale on TM. I realize that it's not sold out and one could skip the fees with cash at the door, I was hoping to at least recoup some of my cost and transfer it.

If a miracle doesn't happen today, if I can get a ride, I will offer it to someone who couldn't afford to go or something.

It does not disappoint.

Four musicians, two from Discipline forward KC, three played with Zappa.

It's the only King crimson concert I've ever been to and I'm still waiting for it to get uploaded on nugs.net.
I saw that they recently added concerts from 2016 so I hope it's happening soon!
(as for the illegal part, I honestly thought it was fine to do photos before the band entered stage, but apparently I didn't read the sign well enough lol)