King Crimson 2014 Dates

Yeah, I don't expect to get a personal audience with artists every time I buy a concert ticket. He is who he is, I don't understand why people get hung up on Fripp's idiosyncrasies.

 

I hope someone puts up a setlist from last night...........not on setlist.fm yet.

 

He has a nice autograph that fans would like to have as part of their KC collection. Some past tours he was generous and other tours very tough. An affordable autograph sold at the merch table would suffice.

 

I was seated in rear orchestra and also wandered around a bit near the console. From every perspective I tried, the bass could have used some top end boost. Tony was playing up a storm at both ends to the neck, but it all sounded kind of edgeless and could have used some Wetton-esque 'crunch'.

Also a pinch more volume from the non-percussion overall would have been nice. I'm not really convinced they need three drummers....the drums occasionally overwhelmed the others. Mel Collins was crystal clear in the mix though, as were Jakko's vocals, and usually Fripp too. When he assayed the old-style Fripp sustain, it sounded lovely.

 

http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/king-crimson/2014/best-buy-theater-new-york-ny-1bcfc9d0.html

 

Looks a bit shorter than the pervious nights/cities. Still was a great time.

 

I'll be at the same show, in from out of town. I must say that it seemed unlikely I'd ever see KC again after 2008 so this is a real treat.

 

I am. Well, one of them... I've got a center second row orchestra seat that I paid dearly for, but I HAD to do it! The Warfield is a beautiful venue, Fripp must have liked it from playing there previously.

 

I'm going to both San Francisco shows. 16 hour Road Trip! I've never had the chance to see them before, the last time they played where I live I was 6 years old back in '96. This is one of my favorite bands of all time, the setlist looks great. Also I read somewhere thAt they rehearsed Happy Family, is this true?

 

Attended the Thursday night NYC show and the only glitch was the line to get into the theater proper. The lines were long as each person apparently needed to be seated by staff so just as we were at the doors to enter the auditorium (this is inside the building) a member of King Crimson tour manager (or it may have been the stage manager) ordered the doors to be closed. So here we are stuck out in the hallway as the band starts the first song (which of course goes on for 15 minutes).
Everyone gets pissed and screams we paid $150 for each ticket and what the hell!
After a 5 minute standoff the security staff lets me in and I proceed quietly to the front stage right as I had second row floor seats.
I waited till the song ended and finally sat down.
Very strange, never had this happen before as we were not late for the concert.
It was the long slow line to enter the auditorium that slowed everything down.

After that the show was fine.
Thought they played great and the sound was excellent.
I was right in front of Gavin and man he is one hell of a drummer.
The highlight for me was the encore of 21st Century Schizoid Man.

Wish I could go again it was the good!!

 

Those theater district/Times Square theaters really do suck! I was disappointed they didn't do Town Hall.

 

I was fortunate enough to get to my seats 5 minutes before they went on. But I agree, it was strange have to wait to get to our actual seats.

 

they did town hall in 03. i love that place

 

I never realized that happens. I went in right when doors opened at 7, got my merch, and went to my seat.

It was also the 1st concert I ever saw at Best Buy that wasn't general admission.

 

And in 2000. Hands down best acoustics in NYC. Much great live jazz on record from there to boot. It's got some serious history. Nokia/Best Buy is just another "thought up at the last minute" s-hole someone decided to cram into some small, high-priced, unused space in Manhattan. More Little Tokyo mindset.

 

Extra ticket Chicago Friday.

 

Best buy theater is an old movie theater. The sound in that place is better than I thought it would be.

 

I believe they have time-delayed speakers in the ceiling in the that support the stage sound. I have seen Phil lesh there several times and the sound was always very good.

 

I've been to BestBuy a ton of times (usually Steven Wilson in some form) and it's usually general admission standing. This was the first time I sat down near the stage. So the staff needed to show people where to sit as it is not marked.

But that slowed the process down and the band came on at 8:20 ready or not. Their tour manager ordered the doors closed with people still waiting on the line they created.

Not sure how that benefited anyone because once I did enter, I could hear as could the band the yelling out by those doors (as anyone who was there sitting probably heard during the first song).

But the show was great so that cancelled any hard feelings.

The BestBuy Theater is also tough on cameras. No photos allowed.

 

You got in midway first song, so you missed a taped introduction from the band that was 5 minutes of "no cameras or videos".............so it was a KC edict.

When I got to my seat an hour before the show, I wanted to take a picture of the empty stage setup, and an usher told me to put my camera away.

 

I am still recovering. 3 row seats on the Fripp/Harrison side, but right next to the middle aisle so it was a great view of the band. At the end of the show, I got to wave back and forth at Mel Collins! Seems like such an awesome guy.

The merchandise gentleman was shocked to "see an American wearing a Henry Cow t-shirt", let alone from Texas. It was bright red, with the third album cover (you know, the sock). I take my prog rock VERY seriously. Rock In Opposition bands and the Canterbury scene don't get the attention they deserve.

Back on track, I loved the new lyrics to one of their old songs to make it relevant. They can also be found in the tour box booklet. I regret not getting the lithograph since they had a special one just for the NYC shows.

A live album and new studio album (in 5.1) is what I crave now.

The announcements at the beginning got laughs and lots of applause, so the band wasn't alone in agreeing with the rules.

Pat making hand gestures to the front row concerning some after party had me in stitches. Especially when he did the "squeezing hands" motion. Did he plan to cop a feel from someone or something? He also did a fantastic Jamie Muir job. The Levin/Jakko harmonies were sublime.

Only annoying thing was one of the ushers kept running up and down the aisle during the standing ovations, searching and scowling at non-existent photographers.

Must. sleep. now.

 

After reading about this I was freaking out when we were running late last night (no subway was running at all from the section of Queens where I live; traffic was a nightmare), literally sprinting the last couple of blocks to the venue, but, fortunately, the management had learned from their mistakes; people could enter and leave freely throughout the show.

 

I got there at 7:50 last night and breezed in to the venue. KC came out with both barrels blazing and never let up. It was rompin' stompin' music!
I saw maybe 3 or 4 people try to take pictures or video, and they were shut down right away Other than that, excellent crowd, folks were into the music and nothing else.

 

IMHO - Dylan is always on tour KC, not so much.

 

I took a few photos during the end of the encore and as the band waved goodbye. Also got a nice pic of Gavin's drum set (which was located right in front of me in the second row).

Glad to see the staff corrected their behavior the following nights.....too late for us but that's life.

As I was waiting on that line the other night I remarked to a fella in the line how strange that KC was playing at BestBuy compared to a Beacon or Town Hall or Hammerstein.

But the sound is pretty good in there and good sight lines.