F*O*C*K*ing Amazing: Belew, Levin, Jobson, Mastelotto & Slicks

ETA: I added a few things to the bottom of this post this morning (Friday)...scroll down (after you watch these incredible You Tubes, of course)

Okay, heart be still.

Here's Adrian Belew, Tony Levin, Eddie Jobson, Pat Mastelotto, and Eric Slick performing Elephant Talk.



And the above, minus Eddie, plus Julie Slick on Thela! (Though damn, it cuts off at four minutes - I'm hoping someone puts up the full version)



Oh God. Here's Larks' Tongue in Aspic. Same crew as in Elephant Talk. This is mind-blowing.



The finale: Red



And if you don't read the comments section of my blog, then you missed this, from Victor, who attended last night's show in Moscow:

"The show was frigging amazing apart from a few moments such as the opening solo spot of some russian guitarist.

Although the show had been announced to start at 8:00 PM, it was delayed by an hour (which is sadly a normal practice here in Moscow).

During the intermission after the warm up, I was able to see Adrian (what a wonderful man!) waving to the most sharp-sighted members of the audience in a funny and simultaneously kind manner only Adrian is capable of. Also from reading your blog I could figure out it was nobody but Andrea himself, who was taking some photos from the corner of the stage.

KTU entered the stage approx. at 9 PM and delivered one of the most (if not the most) powerful, heavy and driving performances I've ever witnessed in my life! The surround sound really worked very well for them. And when Kimmo and Trey were playing phrases/riffs in unison with Trey covering the lower bottom of spectrum, they really sounded like an unstoppable monster! My father was initially skeptical about the whole affair (since I'm a bigger KC fan than he is) but he was completely blown away right from the start.

A short intermission and announcement from Sasha Cheparukhin followed and then Eddie Jobson entered the stage. He played an instrumental piano composition (incorporating a little piece of "Carrying no Cross" from the second UK album) and then a violin solo. Knowing it was his second stage appearance after a long break the whole affair seemed to be very intimate and fragile with audience trying to be as kind, polite and supportive as possible. Really who would have thought he'd be back on stage ever? And even more, in Russia? Anyway, everyone just seemed to be happy Eddie's back to performing live again and promised to provide nice reception to UKZ if they ever come to Russia in Dec/Jan.

Another intermission followed with ABPT entering the stage not long afterward. Adrian seemed to be in a very uplifted mood and interacted with the crowed a lot. I'm not a huge ABPT fan myself, but I recognized some of Adrian's solo tunes (I believe from Side One). Overall the band sounded very KC'ish but with more emphasis on steady groove and Adrian's playing (obviously).

Now onto the rhythm section (I guess this is the most interesting part for you, Robin!) :) To keep it short: completely mind blowing! Julie was a bit inaudible at the beginning but then the balance was set up right and she just blew the audience away with her playing. Highlight: Julie's extended solo while Adrian was busy changing the broken string. Being a drummer myself (but not really professional) I was really interested to see Eric's playing and I was amazed at his time-keeping and how fluent he is behind the drum kit. I was able to learn a couple of things too (I was really intrigued by his manner of holding the sticks, very relaxed yet powerful drumming) since I was standing not too far from him. All in all, I can only complement you on being such a wonderful mother, Robin!

After another short break ABPT were joined on stage by Tony Levin and Pat Mastelotto. They played Thela which sounded a tiny bit messy to me (funny highlight: Tony losing one of the two funk fingers) although still very much fun. Then Julie left the stage and Elephant Talk followed with Eddie accompanying the rest of band on violin (ET played on violin?! OMG!) mostly by plucking the strings. LTiA pt. 2 featured a small trainwreck by Eddie (he proceeded onto the ascending bridge section too early, I think). Nighlight: Eddie Jobson singing the main "heavy" riff with a huge smile on his face before breaking into violin solo.

Encore: Red. Amazing deliverance. The whole band played very tightly and glued: the piece sounded as it had been originally composed to be played on guitar and violin! I remember the surrounding audience going completely ecstatic with the first chords of it (so did I!).

All in all, a wonderful evening, completely mind-blowing performances from all parties involved. Hopefully we'll see and hear more of that! The amazing David Cross band comes to mind, for example.

P.S.
I didn't take any pictures or recordings of the event, but I'm sure you'll be able to find plenty of them on the web.

P.P.S.
The word "white" can be transcripted from Russian into Latin/English as "belij" :)"

Aw, thanks Victor. I love you.

Later (after I recover from the thrill of it all)
xo

P.S. Julie and Eric are now two hours away from Philadelphia; Gary is picking up pizza, and I think I'll watch all of these videos a few thousand more times
*****
Friday, September 5, 2008

Okay, I can't resist posting the following:

A comment on my blog today from "Vladmir"

"Dear Robin,
I've been both to Kazan' festival and Moscow performance two days ago - it was absolutely amazing. The Moscow gig was the best live gig I've ever seen - Adrian was beyond any praise and Julie and Eric were unbelievable.

Any friend - musician or not - who I talked to told me: it was ****ing amazing!

And Lark's Tongues in Aspic - with Eddie Jobson!!! Mastelotto and Eric were playing together - best and most inventive drumming ever!

Regards,
Vladimir"

Wow, Vladimir - thank you!

And a review in a Russian newspaper today of the King Crimson Festival...again, I am relying on Google translate and would love if one of my Russian readers would do a better job for me - here's the actual link...

"The engine of progress
Progressive-rock group King Crimson made in Moscow

They included various years the group King Crimson musicians arrived at a Moscow concert immediately after taking part in the Kazan international festival "Creation of the world." If there they showed themselves separately, then in Moscow were made in the genre of worship group King Crimson.

The first number was a draft programme KTU Treya Ganna guitarist and drummer Pat Mastelotto. They were supposed to speak in Moscow, two Finnish musicians. However, responsible for electronics Samuli Kosminena not been at the concert. But bayan-player Kimmo Pohonen Spent for two. Dressed in the eastern Giant in long black dress, he once again refuted the perceived slowness of the Finns and phlegm. On the bayan in the hands, nor seconds Pohonen not conducted safely. If he does not rashazhival on the scene, the gnulsya and swings in all directions by issuing inarticulate sounds. His shamanistic rites and sometimes delivered from a panel where mixed with other noise, while Trey Gunn demonstrated mastery of guitar teppinga. Fingers flew his hands on the neck so that was even afraid to watch. Run of the Finnish psychedelics lasted longer hours, after which the musicians came out several times on stage.

The tone has changed dramatically sedovolosy concert violinist and keyboard Eddie Dzhobson, in 1970 - e to play along with King Crimson. At the scene, he withdrew after 27 - the summer lull: last spoke with a group Jethro Tull in 1981. Massacres shoulders, Dzhobson became naigryvat on synthesizer something slowly. And after 10 minutes went to center stage with a violin in his hands. The tool consisted of his iron frame and strings with restricted. The first chords were taken into custody have not yet zatihshy sound synthesizer. But tension grew violin parties with each minute until recoverable Dzhobsonom not reached the acoustic sounds similar to revuschim engine airplanes.

Mastity guitarist Adrian Belew much longer represented its audience of young protégé - brother and sister Slick originally from Philadelphia. Both were music to 10 years. Eric learned to play drums, Julie - on bass guitar. At the time, King Crimson team was standard for them. Now, clearly and another: Belew progadal not by taking them into his draft Adrian Belew Power Trio. This hour speech proved the most energetic at the concert. Umopomrachitelnye sbivki drum, bass guitar party, during which Julie incredible lush kudryami seemed Charged strength of this hurricane.

When the curtain on the stage by other participants left the concert, including behind the scenes otsizhivavshegosya King Crimson bassist Tony Levin, drummer Slick delayed on stage to play with lots of twin drum Mastelloto. During the impactor duet they happily looked at each other, playing almost blind and has never sbivshis the course.

Resulting in late 1960 - x group King Crimson is considered one of the best manifestations of progressive-rock. Experiments with timbre and rhythm, drawing from medieval horalov and Indonesian traditions gamelana - only a few features that at various times helped musicians captured at the height of intellectual fashion.

In Moscow, is amply confirmed the audience. At the concert came respectable men over 30, 40 and 50 years old, the very people for whom King Crimson - is not only the music of youth. Under it is not ashamed to even begin vzroslet and old. Let the concert and not allowed to see the group as a whole. King Crimson founder Robert Fripp, without which the reproduction of classic material, seemingly losing all meaning, categorically refused to tour.

However, the final jam of musicians made it clear that King Crimson fans not in vain kept long-standing sympathies. The fact is that not pursuing the goal to remember former, current alliance resulted in this parade of virtuoso capable at such a tight and powerful rock sound that is not within the framework of obsolete vpishesh progressive-rock, avant-garde jazz or something else. Nobody pulled a blanket, they all just played excellent and were happy to speak at the overall scene. And anyone who earlier inspired - a group King Crimson brother and sister Slick or vice versa, was no longer important."

And this just in from "Dan":

"Dear Robin, just found your blog accidentally - googling the KC festival.
I was to the Moscow show, it was AMAZING. Three hours and a half of perfect happiness - and the Trio was the best part of it. Eric and Julie were INCREDIBLE. And they fit in with Belew brilliantly.
Thank you!
I wish they came back as soon as they can, on a separate tour, pleeeeeze.
(and, yes, the Beatles are the best group of the XXth century. Undebatable)

All the best,
admiringly,
Dan "

Wow. What else can I say? Thank you all so much.

xoxoxoxoxox