Not unlike fellow Brit hero King Arthur, prog rock juggernaut King Crimson have entered suspended animation for several extended periods since the band’s inception in the late-1960s. The most recent hibernation came in 2008, following a string of successful shows as a sextet (their first since 2004), and now the time has come for the band to rise again — Robert Fripp, the group’s mastermind and sole permanent member, has announced a fall US tour.
Despite their on/off nature, the band has never fallen out of the limelight, with their songs popping up in soundtracks, percussionist Bill Rieflin guesting on Swans’ recent output, and Fripp himself shredding through Grinderman’s 2010 lecherous cut “Super Heathen Child”. The band’s line-up for these shows includes Fripp on guitar, longtime member Tony Levin on bass, Jakko Jakszyk on guitar and vocals, Mel Collins on winds, and Pat Mastelotto, Gavin Harrison, and Bill Rieflin on drums. Yeah, you read that right. Three drummers.
This tour has long been in the making; Fripp announced his intentions to reanimate the band last September after collaborating with several members of the current line-up on different solo ventures. This past weekend, three New York shows were announced, and now the tour schedule has expanded significantly. A tour of the UK may be in the works but remains unconfirmed at this time.
The tickets for the first NYC shows (September 18, 19, and 20) are out on June 6 at noon, so be ready to hit that Refresh button unless you want to be quarreling with your uncle Joe (who “used to love groovy music back in the day”) over who saw that scalper first.
Tour dates:
09.09.14 - Albany, NY - The Egg
09.10.14 - Albany, NY - The Egg
09.12.14 - Philadelphia, PA - Kimmel Center
09.13.14 - Philadelphia, PA - Kimmel Center
09.15.14 - Boston, MA - Colonial Theatre
09.16.14 - Boston, MA - Colonial Theatre
09.18.14 - New York, NY - Best Buy Theater
09.19.14 - New York, NY - Best Buy Theater
09.20.14 - New York, NY - Best Buy Theater
09.23.14 - Madison, WI - Barrymore Threatre
09.25.14 - Chicago, IL - The Vic
09.26.14 - Chicago, IL - The Vic
09.30.14 - Los Angeles, CA - Orpheum Theatre
10.01.14 - Los Angeles, CA - Orpheum Theatre
10.03.14 - San Francisco, CA - Warfield Theater
10.04.14 - San Francisco, CA - Warfield Theater
10.06.14 - Seattle, WA - Moore Theatre
• King Crimson: http://www.king-crimson.com