LIVE IN TORONTO

I started listening to King Crimson my sophomore year in college 2006-07 and by then there was no active Crimson and wouldn't be for quite a while longer. Certainly, I never thought that any future lineup would give an airing to the classic 70s material, but when this band formed, it was one of the most pleasant of surprises. Having three drummers adds even more texture to material that was already rich and complex. I've seen them live in person twice and it neat to see how the drummers trade lines, play off each other, and accentuate unusual beats and patterns. I love it how Pat Mastelotto has picked up where Jamie Muir left off in 1973 with all the unconventional percussion in addition to the regular kit. This album focuses on the 70s material, though I appreciate a nod to the underappreciated 2000s lineup with Level Five and The Construkction of Light (though I wish they hadn't cut out the vocals on the latter). The return of Mel Collins on sax and flute was really exciting, and it's especially interesting to hear him interpret songs that were originally recorded without winds, like VROOM and Level Five. Also nice that they didn't just play the hits, and instead dived into the catalog and gave great readings to a couple really great tracks from the Islands album, Sailors Tale and The Letters. See this band live if you get the chance.