Inevitably, a recording fails to convey the experience of being present in a room with others when, for the first time, or as if for the first time, Music leans over and takes us into its confidence. (Thank you, dear Muse, for innocent ears).

It is impossible to convey how Music wishes to be heard, accepted, embraced: closer to us than we are to ourselves. And quietly heart-breaking to experience, yet again, the efforts we make to close our ears to what is available.

What to do? We persist.

Even were a gentle audient to have been in person at the Chicago Theatre on June 28th. 2017, our current translation, from sound into sound, will not replicate their in-person experience. But perhaps it will

serve as an aide memoire for someone in the clinches. For those who were present within the event, participating and con-tributing by their presence, their experi-ence continues available to them: it may be accessed, re-entered, re-engaged. The t-shirt doesn’t quite do the same job, al-though a highly recommended adjunct to the CD.

Here, the whole is greater than the parts: during a performance, individual pieces may have clunkers, be outstanding, hon-ourable while not revelatory, breathtak-ingly audacious; but the overall perfor-mance is what attracts my interest.

So, here we are: a sonic report from a few of Music’s friends, doing the best they can for the first time, once again.

KING CRIMSON: LIVE IN CHICAGO (June 28th. 2017)

I

Q: Why another King Crimson official bootleg?A: A report from the front line, of continuing engagement with audience; in the form of a roughly-scribed love letter.

My perspective on the wider context, of forty-eight years active KC service, needs a greater level of detailed commentary and argument than available on this Friday afternoon; when I have not yet strapped on a guitar in preparation for KC’s return to the US this Autumn; and hey! the sun is shining and the garden is waiting!

Few former Crims are likely to hold views close to my own, which does not obviate the rightness of their views and perspec-tives.

There are four Definitive Formations of King Crimson:

The First Definitive Formation: 1969.The Second Definitive Formation: 1974 at the last live performance in NYC and the recording of Red.

The Third Definitive Formation: 1981.The Double Trio (1994-1997) was a special band, while not a defining band, and the whole greater than the sum of its parts.

The Double Duo (1999-2003): the whole was not greater than sum of the parts.

The King Crimson Quintet (2008): the sum of the parts was greater than the whole.The Double Trio was not able to fulfil its promise, for many good and valid reasons, and a few not so good. Overall, my sense of KC 1999-2003, and 2007-2008, was of dis-satisfaction. Something was not quite realised. This was not how I wished to let go of Crimson. So, in 2013, in a flash be-fore my mind’s eye, a picture of the Seven Headed Beast and its onstage configura-tion presented itself (July 22nd. 2013).

II

Q: Where is this Formation in the series of King Crimson incarnations?A: This sonic report is presented by King Crimson Formation 8.3.

1

The Seven-Headed Beast (2014) may be considered KC Formation 8.1; Jeremy re-placing Bill (2016) as Formation 8.2; Bill returning (2017) as Formation 8.3. But please read on…

My two prime aims in the re-formation on KC in 2013 were Redemption and Completion. Acts of redemption took place during 2014, 2015 and 2016; at which point completion was realised. A completion is a new beginning, and the eight-piece KC of 2017 constitutes a new beginning in the process of King Crim-son. This beginning-again may be called Formation 8.3, a formation becoming realised in Chicago on June 28th. 2017; at which point the process continued in motion.

The beginning-again-again of KC 8.3 as Formation Nine took place at the Teatro Metropolitan, Mexico City on the evening of Friday, 14th. July 2017. The wonderful, exceptional, generous audience enabled the transition to take place. At the com-pletion of our performances in Mexico City, on the evening of Wednesday 19th. July, 2017, the band joined in champagne

with manager/minister David Singleton and tour manager Dave Salt. I proposed a toast: to King Crimson Formation Nine.

The present formation, returning to the US in Autumn 2017, is King Crimson v. 9.1, the Fourth Definitive Formation.

III

Q: What is a Definitive Formation?A: Nothing is quite the same afterwards.

Robert FrippFriday 25th. August, 2017

Bredonborough, Middle England.

It wasn’t meant to be like this. Chris Porter, Robert Fripp and I spent several weeks this spring mixing “Live in Vienna”, a stand-out show from the 2016 European tour, ready for release this autumn. And then came the new 8-piece incarnation and the 2017 tour of North America, including this show in Chicago on 28th June. Writing in his online blog that night, Tony Levin de-scribed the show simply as “one of our best”, while Robert Fripp sent me an email saying

“IF WE ARE LOOKING FOR A KC LIVE; CHICAGO WAS EXCEPTIONAL”.

The new band had raised the bar to such a level that the proposed “Live in Vienna”, excellent though it re-mains (and it will be made available all over the world in the coming months), now felt like an archive release, not a snapshot of the current eight-headed beast.

This band in full fl ight has been aptly described as having

“THE PRECISION OF AN ORCHESTRA, THE FREEDOM OF A JAZZ BAND, AND THE

POWER OF A ROCK BAND”

– something no live recording will ever completely capture: a problem compound-ed by the fact that the two halves of the concert do not neatly divide between the two discs (the fi rst set closed with Islands and the second opened with Pictures of a City). Hopefully, however, this offi cial boot-leg based on the live board recording with no more than a few necessary edits con-veys much of the magic.

In 2013, when Robert told me that he was re-forming the band, I predicted (with one small proviso) that this would be the most popular incarnation ever. Having seen this band night after night, it is diffi cult not to agree with Jordan Zivitz, writing in the Montreal Gazette, that “Crimson has never sounded more complete or more joyous on stage than it does now.”

David SingletonDGMHQ Bredonborough

22 Aug 2017

Hand me the heart that rules my tongueDefl ate the air that fi lls my lungs

Point out the joke that I’ve becomeAnd clarify / The error of my ways

Count the convictions one by oneCriticise the line that I just sung

Why not place the bullet in my gunAnd clarify / The error of my ways

(Again)

So there’s no need for metaphorNow truth is becoming the last thing on our minds

Now in a room full of ignoranceAnd the debris of consequence

Eden redesigned

Hate or just post modern irony?Thinly veiling the jealousy

Failure left behind

Praised as you play to the galleryHailed as the saviour of losers deaf and blind

THE BANDMel Collins-Saxes & FlutesRobert Fripp-Guitar & Keyboards Gavin Harrison-DrumsJakko Jakszyk-Guitar, Flute & Voice Tony Levin-Basses, Stick & VoicePat Mastelotto-Drums Bill Riefl in-KeyboardsJeremy Stacey-Drums & Keyboards

MANAGEMENTDave Singleton-DGM Ltd.

THE CREWDave Salt-Tour Manager Renee Adams-Production assistant Jason Birnie-Stage Manager/DrumsChris Porter-Sound EngineerRuss Wilson-Monitor EngineerJohn Armitage-GuitarsBiff Blumfumgagnge-Sax & FluteMichele Russotto-Bass/DrumsAdrian Holmes-MerchendiseDavid Taylor-Audio Tech/CamerasIona Singleton-Royal Package

Live

Mixing Engineer

CHRIS PORTER

Production & mastering DAVID SINGLETON ON

BEHALF OF KING CRIMSON

DGM Logo STEVE BALL

Artwork BEARHAND DESIGN

The Errors Lyrics JAKKO JAKSZYK

Photography TONY LEVIN Except pages 8, 18-19 22-23 DAVID SINGLETON

RADICAL ACTION TOUR 2017