King Crimson at the Beacon Theatre

Robert Fripp
(photograph by David Singleton)

From the remains of a band called Giles, GIles and Fripp in Dorset, England, King Crimson formed in 1968 in London, England. Competing musical visions, of whether to lean more pop versus more progressive caused the original King Crimson to fracture quickly, and before long guitarist Robert Fripp, who was not the main songwriter or front person, became the one remaining original member. Despite numerous splits and reformations, King Crimson has remained the most esteemed and influential pioneer in progressive rock. More than 20 members later, the current band consists of Fripp, guitarist/vocalist Jakko Jakszyk, bassist Tony Levin, saxophonist Mel Collins, keyboardist Chris Gibson, and three drummers, Gavin Harrison, Pat Mastelotto, and Jeremy Stacey. King Crimson's 13th and most recent studio album in 2003's The Power to Believe. King Crimson most recently released a box set of live recordings called Radical Action to Unseat the Hold of Monkey Mind on September 2, 2016.

At the first of two consecutive nights at the Beacon Theatre tonight, King Crimson's set was an extensive retrospective, touching on almost every album. While the entire set was comprised of the band's signature progressive rock, the extended instrumental sections and complex song structures featured different flavors, with measures influenced by hard rock, chamber-styled classical, avant garde jazz, ambient soundscapes and experimental dissonance. The adventure was that a listener would be awed by where the mystifying movements were leading. The softer songs featured Fripp gliding through melodic guitar leads and Jakszyk singing almost romantic lines, but even as the wash of sentiment took root, the vocals were replaced by intricately-conceived polyrhythmic complexity. Perhaps the most unique element to the performance was that individual soloing was minimal; the dynamic embedded almost consistently throughout the concert was that of an ensemble's interplay. That in itself distinguished King Crimson's set from that of most other contemporary prog-rock bands.

Visit King Crimson at www.dgmlive.com.

Setlist:

Set 1:

1. Hell Hounds of Krim
2. Neurotica
3. Pictures of a City
4. Cirkus
5. Radical Action (to Unseat the Hold of Monkey Mind)
6. The Errors
7. Breathless (Robert Fripp song)
8. Epitaph
9. Moonchild ("The Dream" segment only, followed by Tony Levin & Jeremy Stacey cadenzas)
10. The Court of the Crimson King
11. Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part One
12. Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part Two

Set 2:

1. Indiscipline
2. The ConstruKction of Light (part 1 only)
3. Starless
4. Lizard (segment only; "(c) The Battle of Glass Tears (i) Dawn Song (ii) Last Skirmish (iii) Prince Rupert's Lament")
5. Radical Action II
6. Level Five
7. Islands
8. 21st Century Schizoid Man (with Gavin Harrison drum solo and "Hell Hounds of Krim" trio insert)

Encore:

1. Easy Money