King Crimson - Were You On The Road To Red?*

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by SidSmith, Jun 27, 2013.

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  1. SidSmith

    SidSmith New Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Whitley Bay, UK
    The booklet accompanying the The Road To Red is currently being compiled by the team at DGM. Were you at any of the gigs? Do you have any photographs, flyers, ticket stubs or any other relevant memorabilia from that final tour of that incarnation of King Crimson?

    If you were at any of the gigs what do you remember? Was this your first time seeing KC in action? Who were the band on with that night? How did KC compare to the last time? We’re hoping to include some selected eye-witness accounts of the final tour of 1974 in the booklet for The Road To Red so get in touch with your memories and views via thesidsmith (at) gmail dot com

    Here’s the gigs we’d like to know more about...

    Apr. 11, 1974
    Owings Mills, Maryland
    Painters Mill Music Theater

    Apr. 12, 1974
    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
    Spectrum

    Apr. 13, 1974
    Atlanta, Georgia
    Civic Auditorium

    Apr. 14, 1974
    Gainsville, Florida
    Jai Alai Fronton

    Apr. 17, 1974
    Nashville, Tennessee
    Muthers

    Apr. 19, 1974
    Tampa, Florida
    Curtis Hickson Auditorium

    Apr. 20, 1974
    Miami, Florida
    Hollywood Sportatorium

    Apr. 23, 1974
    Boston Mass., Massachusetts
    Music Hall

    Apr. 25, 1974
    Chicago, Illinois
    Auditorium Theatre

    Apr. 26, 1974
    Detroit, Michigan
    Ford Auditorium

    Apr. 28, 1974
    Columbus, Ohio
    Veterans Memorial Coliseum

    Apr. 29, 1974
    Pittsburgh, PA
    Stanley Warner Theatre

    Apr. 30, 1974
    Akron, Ohio
    Civic Theatre

    May. 01, 1974
    New York, NY
    Felt Forum

    May. 03, 1974
    Montreal, Quebec
    Forum

    May. 04, 1974
    Hamilton, Ontario
    Mcmasters University

    May. 05, 1974
    Detroit, Michigan
    Ford Auditorium

    Jun. 04, 1974
    San Antonio, Texas
    Municipal Auditorium


    Jun. 05, 1974
    Houston, Texas
    Hofheinz Pavillion


    Jun. 06, 1974
    Fort Worth, TX
    Tarrant County Convention Centre

    Jun. 07, 1974
    Oklahoma City, OK
    Fairground Arena

    Jun. 08, 1974
    El Paso, Texas
    Civil Auditorium

    Jun. 09, 1974
    Pheonix, Arizona
    Feyline Fields

    Jun. 13, 1974
    San Francisco, California
    Cow Palace

    Jun. 15, 1974
    Salt Lake City, Utah
    Terrace Ballroom

    Jun. 16, 1974
    Denver, Colorado
    Coliseum

    Jun. 18, 1974
    Tucson, Arizona
    Community Centre

    Jun. 19, 1974
    Los Angeles, California
    Shrine Auditorium

    Jun. 22, 1974
    Milwaukee, WI
    Performing Arts Centre

    Jun. 23, 1974
    Grand Rapids, Michigan
    Aquinas College

    Jun. 24, 1974
    Toronto, Ontario
    Massey Hall

    Jun. 25, 1974
    Quebec City, Quebec
    Convention Center

    Jun. 26, 1974
    Cape Cod, Massachusetts
    Coliseum

    Jun. 27, 1974
    Washington D.C.
    Kennedy Centre

    Jun. 28, 1974
    Asbury Park, New Jersey
    Casino

    Jun. 29, 1974
    University Park, Pennsylvania
    Penn State University

    Jun. 30, 1974
    Providence, Rhode Island
    Palace Theatre

    Jul. 01, 1974
    New York, NY
    Central Park
     
  2. John Buchanan

    John Buchanan I'm just a headphone kind of fellow. Stax Sigma

    Sid, I didn't realise you were a member here. Nice to see you and hope you get lots of responses. Anything further you would like to contribute to news about this set?
     
  3. Edgard Varese

    Edgard Varese Royale with Cheese

    Location:
    Te Wai Pounamu
    Thanks for posting Sid! Wish I could say I had been there but I was 7 years old at the time. :D
     
  4. Guy E

    Guy E Senior Member

    Location:
    Antalya, Turkey
    I was at the Chicago show, but haven't thought about it in years.

    Apr. 25, 1974
    Chicago, Illinois
    Auditorium Theatre

    I have to say, I don't remember the concert fondly. We were pretty far back in the balcony, the worst seats I'd ever had at the Auditorium Theater. Competition for tickets wasn't fierce back then the way it is now and I always had good orchestra level seats when I went there. Then, there were some drunk/stoned kids sitting next to us who wanted to talk during the show and engage me and my friends in their conversation. This is almost 40 years ago and it was the first time I remember being disturbed by fellow concert-goers. I was dumfounded by it. We finally managed to deliver the message that we were there to listen and then it seemed like the show was over... all too soon. 2-hour concerts were typical back in those days, but KC didn't give the Dead or Hot Tuna a run for their money.

    So... I know that's not what you were looking for, but that's what I remember about the show. The music was powerful, but I was never able to lose myself in it. I was in college at the time and we'd traveled up from Champaign-Urbana for the show... a three-hour drive. It was a frustrating experience.
     
  5. SidSmith

    SidSmith New Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Whitley Bay, UK
    Hello Guy - that's exactly the kind of thing we were looking for - sometimes concerts are a let-down and for all sorts of reasons. Having this kind of account helps balance things out and adds a dash of period-feel that rings true.
     
  6. SidSmith

    SidSmith New Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Whitley Bay, UK
    Hello John, many thanks for the welcome. I've been a member of the board for a few years but don't often get the time to visit and, not being an audiophile, I can't really contribute to many of the discussions here. However, I figured that there's a lot of people on this board who will be of a certain age so why not see what they can remember.
     
  7. CrimsonPiper

    CrimsonPiper Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Good to see you here Sid, Good luck with the research.
     
  8. M.Deutrom

    M.Deutrom Forum Resident

    Location:
    ATX
    I was at the 06/08/74 concert at the El Paso Civic Center. This was maybe the 2nd or 3rd show I ever went to.
    The line up was Robin Trower, KC, and Ten Years After headlining. All for $5.00 !

    I had Larks Tongues so I was excited to see KC. No one I knew had ever heard Robin Trower, so he was
    a huge surprise and really blew everyone away. I think a lot of people were confused by King Crimson since
    most of the material was instrumental, and someone was sitting on a stool playing the guitar. I have a memory
    Fripp announcing Starless and Bible Black, since I went looking for it on an album in the weeks afterward.
    He also introduced the band, during which people screamed "RocknRoll !!" at various points.

    Their sound was almost painfully loud and suffered from from a combination of excruciating treble frequencies,
    and a multi purpose venue that was more suited for car shows and wrestling. They eventually figured out that
    hanging fabric around improved the sound, and I did notice future shows sounded better.
    I do remember KC being excellent despite the sound, and my unfamiliarity with most of their set. The show was much discussed,
    with the general consensus being that Robin Trower was someone to watch, and King Crimson was really weird, but cool.
    I didn't get to see KC again until Discipline, so I consider myself lucky to get to see them in 74.
     
  9. Jody

    Jody Active Member

    Location:
    USA
    I was only 2 at the time. Watching the thread. :)
     
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  10. Roger Thornhill

    Roger Thornhill Senior Member

    Location:
    Ilford, Essex, UK
    Sid, I didn't seen any of the gigs as I was 15 and on the other side of the pond...but I do have copy no.285 of the KC book signed by yourself and members of the band that I picked up in Helter Skelter now closed sadly.

    Anyhow, thanks for the book! It's very well thumbed and IIRC been used in a few discussions on here including the infamous Lake/Fripp meeting at and after an ELP gig.

    Good luck with the project - The Great Deceiver was a revelation to me when I heard it and look forward to The Road To Red.
     
  11. Frippwire

    Frippwire Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Dearborn, MI USA
    Welcome, Sid! Wish I could contribute to the thread (but I'll be watching it). The tour in question was 2-3 years before my concert going life began. However you may count me among the staunchest of Crim supporters.
     
  12. OnTheRoad

    OnTheRoad Not of this world

    Yes !

    I was at this show....

    Jun. 06, 1974
    Fort Worth, TX
    Tarrant County Convention Centre

    Sid, I also talked to you at the Belmont Theater in Nashville when that KC incarnation played a couple of nights in August of 2008 as their 'warmup' shows !!

    I have my ticket stub right here in front of me as I type. The lineup was the same as the above El Paso recollection by M.Deutrom

    Members playing that night for KC were Robert Fripp, John Wetton, David Cross and Bill Bruford. Robin Trower played first, the KC, then the headliner 10 Years After. I had tickets on the floor a few sections back but just before KC was going to go on...I walked towards the side of the stage and saw Robert F. He was close enough for me to get his attention and I tried to converse with him extending my hand as well...but to no avail. He shrugged me off. Heck, I was just a 17 year old new fan of KC and was so excited..ya know ? It was my first time to see King Crimson.

    Well....after that attempt to say Hi, I was heading back toward my seat when I saw these people creating some sort of commotion right down in front of the stage and they were escorted away by security. I sat right down in their seat, on about the 5th row, slightly right of center in front of Robert Fripp ! The sound was incredibly LOUD...one of the loudest shows I'd ever been to. I was so stunned the whole set, which is documented on a matrix DGM release, mixing the audience tape and the soundboard. It's pretty funny to hear the Texan accents on the guys recording. I'd had the pure audience tape for several years before this DGM matrix was put together.

    It's hard to remember everything of course, but I mainly remember how John Wetton was so intense in his concentration. David Cross looked sort of nervous, always staring across the stage toward Fripp. Bruford was so ultra confident and very animated in his facial expressions. Fripp didn't have much light on him, sat in his stool, cranking out his heavy riffs. I guess what blew me away the most was his solo in their encore of 21st Century Schzoid Man. He just wails incredibly so ! Check the tape out ! Surely you have by now...

    My ticket stub:

    [​IMG]
     
  13. SidSmith

    SidSmith New Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Whitley Bay, UK
    Hi there folks, many thanks for taking the time to share your memories - greatly appreciated. Also thank you for your kind messages of support and interest.
     
  14. OnTheRoad

    OnTheRoad Not of this world

    King Crimson rules !!!!!!!!!!!!!! :edthumbs:
     
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