All the Concerts Fit to Print

The 2017 Fall tour includes small markets like Ann Arbor, Northfield OH, Greensburg PA, Huntington NY, Allentown PA, in addition to big cities like Atlanta, DC, NYC and Boston. They finished up in Milwaukee, with no more tour dates published until June in Europe. I saw them in the end of June in Chicago, before I learned they were coming to Milwaukee. I'm glad I didn't know it at the time, or I might have skipped Chicago.

We had excellent seats - seventh row, stage right, directly in front of Pat. One guy in front of my obscured the view of the left side of Pat's kit, and the other guy obscured the view of Gavin. Otherwise, I could see everything perfectly. Since Robert faced the band, you had to be over pretty far to see the front of his guitar, and we were. We were right in front of Tony, too, so that was excellent. It was really great being up close, so I could see pretty much everything. I love watching their fingers/hands/arms/sticks/picks. I could see which parts Robert was playing versus Jakko versus Tony (yes, sometimes his stick sounded like guitar).

Being able to see the expressions on their faces was great too. You could see when they were enjoying themselves. You could see them nodding signals or counting off.

The sound was excellent. The guitars were often a bit low in the mix. The drums were often overpowering, but that was mainly due to being so close. I could hear Pat's drumming from the stage, rather than over the sound system.

The band was Pat Mastelotto on drums, Jeremy Stacey on drums and keyboards (usually nice piano or harpsichord, but also Mellotron, I think) and Gavin Harrison on drums. Across the back were Mel Collins on Saxes and flutes, Tony on Chapman stick, bass guitar and upright electric bass, Chris Gibson on keyboards and Mellotron, Jakko Jakszyk on guitar and vocals, and Robert Fripp on guitar and Mellotron.

The previous show, it took me a while to get into it, since I wasn't too familiar with the early material, or even very familiar with the cacaphony that is the many-headed beast of Crim. But this time I was fore-armed. I'd only seen them in June, plus I got the CD set of that concert. Plus we listened to Islands, Lizard, Larks' Tongues and Starless over the weekend beforehand. So it wasn't as unfamiliar sounding as it could have been.

Highlights for me included "Starless", "Lizard", "Pictures of A City" and "The Court of the Crimson King". That one I usually find a little too familiar (it's their "Stairway to Heaven"), but this time it was just perfect. Other tunes of note... "Epitaph", "Level Five" and of course "Schizoid Man." I loved the instrumental part of "Indiscipline" (but not the singing). Islands with Jakko on vocals and Jeremy on piano was a nice interlude. "Schizoid" had a bit with just Jeremy, Tony and Mel (sax), followed by a Gavin solo.

I'm still not familiar with the brand new stuff, though half of that material was drum pieces. I also didn't know "Breathless", which was from a Fripp solo album from just prior to the reformation. I didn't much care for "Easy Money". They took a detour partway in, and never got back on the road.

Having the Mellotrons along was a nice touch. It really gave the songs a feel of the old days. I love how the reediness of the sound cuts through everything and fills in. It has been remarked that Chris Gibson's contributions were lacking. Or that he was simply hardly noticeable. I don't think that's his fault - I think it comes with the territory. He's responsible for adding fairly dust, as they say, so there's a lot of atmospheric sound.

The band started about quarter to eight, and ended sometime between 11:30 and 11:45. With a 20 minute intermission, that's about 2-1/2 hours of music.

Hell Hounds of Krim
Neurotica
Pictures of a City
Cirkus
Fallen Angel
Breathless
Epitaph
Radical Action (To Unseat the Hold of Monkey Mind)
Meltdown
Islands
Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part One
Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part Two

Devil Dogs of Tessellation Row
Moonchild
The Court of the Crimson King
Indiscipline
Lizard (c) The Battle of Glass Tears
Easy Money
Starless
Radical Action II
Level Five

21st Century Schizoid Man

Tony's photos, us included:
https://tonylevin.com/road-diaries/king-crimson-2017-tour-pt2/milwaukee-show

Puscifer puts on a show.

This show included a Mexican wrestling match. Or show, really. The troupe of Luchadores, called Luchifer, put on a show of three rounds. Two teams of a man and a woman, with one more man coming out after a bit. It was goofy fun, even if it did go on for a bit. They had small bleachers set up at the sides of the stage, and they brought up the entire front row to sit on them and cheer for and boo the luchadores. They were done in half an hour and the band came out very shortly.

The drummer (Jeff Friedl) was front-center stage, guitar (Mat Mitchell) and bass (Paul Barker) stage right, and keyboard (Masha Zargaran, who also sang, played guitar and pounded a drum) stage left. The wrestling ring was left up (center-middle and back). Maynard Keenan and Corina Round stood behind mic stands in the middle of the ring. The stands had decoration at the top (that reminded me of bicycle sprocket rings and) partially obscured their faces. There was very little light on them - just two overhead purple lights that didn't really illuminate anything, and one very dim light that barely illuminated Carina. You could kinda see her face and arms, but she was wearing black, so that's about it. She also played guitar, banjo and mandolin, and we could barely see the instruments. But it got lighter up there as the show went on.

After a few songs, Maynard and Carina moved down to the floor. There was empty space between the drum kit and the bleachers on either side. Maynard had a red three-piece suit and a black luchador mask, open on top for his mohawk. Corina a black knee-length dress. They always seemed to be posing/dancing. Dance-posing? Waving their arms in the air dramatically, or crouching and repeatedly throwing their arms up. Maynard would sometimes stride in place.

In between "acts," the luchadores performed. The singers would periodically move back to the ring, or back down to the floor. In addition to the wrestling show, there was a cock fight in a miniature ring, that involved stuffed chickens mounted on wheels (RC cars? Roombas?). During most songs, the luchadores would dance in their bleacher seats, but sometimes they'd get up and posture at each other, and go to center stage to shove each other around. Once it was in slow motion.

But there was music too! Puscifer's music is generally dark and moody. Danceable, for the most part. The sound was mixed well, except I could never hear Carina's instruments. The band played for about two hours. There was a pause where the band sat down and Maynard took the mic to introduce them, before the encore.

The audients were under strict instructions not to take photos or videos. We were told when we entered the theater, that phones were not allowed to be in use at any time. I think Maynard has always been opposed to photography at shows (and generally doesn't want to be seen), but we were told to remain present and enjoy the show. We had great seats - ninth row. I sure wish I'd had my camera, though. I saw so many scenes that would have made awesome photos.

I'm not certain, since I haven't seen any other shows this tour, but it seemed like the Milwaukee audience was a little laid back. Less boisterous than I expected. I was also a little surprised at the age of the audients. They were all ages between 20 and 60, but it seemed the majority of people were in the forties. Must have been a lot of Tool fans.

( setlist )

The Experience Hendrix Tour came to the Riverside. Every year they do a thing with a couple dozen musicians all doing their favorite Hendrix tunes. I'm writing this three months after the fact, so I apologize for oversights.

They start out with Hendrix's own bassman, Billy Cox. He played with Chris Layton, Stan Skibby, and Dani Robinson. He sang some too. They did Stone Free and Freedom.

They had a couple of bassist and a couple of drummers who traded off. Tony Franklin and Scott Nelon on bass, and Chris Layton and Time Austin (Buddy Guy) on drums.
Eric Johnson had some great tones, but he didn't have the soul. Too smooth, I guess. Eric Gales was closer, but a little screechy for my taste. Dweezil Zappa didn't play enough. Doyle Bramhall II sounded good. David Hidalgo, Cesar Rojas of Los Lobos played for quite a bit of the show. Mato Nanji of Indigenous, also. They were sort of the house backing guitarists for much of the second half. Noah Hunt (Kenny Wayne) sang a couple.

Zakk Wylde was the low point of the show. He comes out in leather, and a huge beard, and plants his boots far apart on the edge of the stage, and wails this wanker speed solo for like five minutes. Bor. Ring. He closed out the first half with "I Don't Live Today" and "Are You Experienced." Later on, he almost ruined "All Along the Watchtower."

Second set opened with Doyle Bramhall, then Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Jonny Lang. The Special Surprise Guest was Brad Whitford (Aerosmith). Buddy Guy doing the Buddy Guy thing. The big, star-studded finale, of course.

It was quite the rockin' spectacular. Lots of fun. I'd go again, though probably not for a couple of years. It was almost three hours of music, not counting the video presentation beforehand.

Possible setlist:
Stone Free
Freedom
Foxy Lady
Power to Love
Ezy Ryder
May This Be Love
Are You Experienced?
I Don't Live Today

Second set:
Purple Haze
Hear My Train a Comin'
Angel
Hey Gypsy Boy
In From the Storm
Can You See Me
Little Wing
All Along the Watchtower
Fire
Spanish Castle Magic
Come On (Part I)
Voodoo Chile
Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
Louisiana Blues
Hey Joe
Red House

Robert Plant and his Band of Joy. Plant is very much a fan of Americana. He's been obsessed since he was a kid. Led Zeppelin, of course, was all about the blues (among other things), but Plant has branched out in recent years. Monday's show was rooted firmly in country music, but ran the gamut from folk to R&B. It included Rockabilly, gospel and blues in addition to middle eastern. Very rootsy.

A giant like Robert Plant can choose any musicians he cares to, and he chose some great ones. Buddy Miller, guitarist extraordinaire. Patty Griffin, vocals, guitar, mandolin. Darrel Scott, Nashville stalwart, vocals, guitars, mandolin, bouzouki, banjo, pedal steel. Byron House, basses - fretless, hollow-body, and upright. Marco Giovino, percussion. All of them sang backing vocals, and the first three took turns at lead, during which times Plant sometimes played harmonica.

The voice that made Plant a legend left him in the mid seventies, but he still has some force, when he wills it. Regardless of the tone of his voice, he still knows how to sing. I don't think he gets enough credit for his phrasing. They did a few Zeppelin tunes, but none like the originals. Back when I was a teenager, testing the stereo, to see how loud it would get without distorting (and then testing it to see if it still sounded cool with the distortion), I could never have conceived hearing a version of "Houses of the Holy" with pedal steel guitar - much less from Plant himself! It was almost surreal. It would have been surreal, had Plant not been so good at what he was doing - taking us on a journey - and the band not been so good at what it was doing - playing it for real. He opened with a slow, kinda jazzy version of Black Dog. "Black Country Woman" was somewhere in the middle. They played He ended up the main set with "Houses" and "Ramble On" which really brought the house down. Everyone was really having a good time. I guess you can't call "Band of Joy" a misnomer.

I don't remember all three songs of the encore, but they ended with "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall" (Dylan). They also did "Down to the Sea", "Monkey", "Silver Rider" (both by Low) "Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down" (Uncle Tupelo) and a rockabilly spin on "Twelve Gates to the City." (by Rev. Gary Davis). Darrel Scott sang "Satisfied Mind". "Move Up" by Patty Griffin. Somewhere Trouble Don't Go", by Buddy Miller. "House of Cards (Thompson). Aside from the exuberance of a few songs, the best mood was on the slower, darker tunes.

Plant is looking pretty worn out. He was a little hunched, and rather stiff looking in the shoulders. I'm told he still has a nice ass.

The opener was the North Missisippi Duo. This consisted of two thirds of the North Mississippi All-Stars, the Lukather brothers. Guitarist and drummer. They were pretty cool. Rough edged rockin' delta blues. For one tune, the two played an excellent acoustic guitar duet. We bouight a CD, and were not very impressed with it, but the show was great!

About three weeks after seeing Martin Barre, Cyn and I saw Jethro Tull at the Riverside Theater in Milwaukee. We sat way in the back, but since it's not an extremely large theater, it wasn't too bad. The worst part was probably that the seating was a little cramped.

The first set was acoustic, the second, electric. The acoustic part wasn't exactly acoustic. Andy switched between keyboards (used to mimic acoustic instruments, I guess) and accordion. Jonathan played his usual bass. Martin mostly played acoustic guitars, and a mandolin otherwise.

They opened with "Life's A Long Song." I was blown away. I never expected to hear that song live. It's my favorite Tull song. The second song was "Skating Away." That's my other favorite song. One thing I like about seeing this band is that there is quite a wide variety of songs that they will play. Not so varied with their later material, but they always manage to surprise with some classics. Other songs they did in the acoustic set were "Dun Ringill" (just Ian on guitar and Martin on mandolin), "Slipstream" (which Ian said they hadn't played since 1970), "Cheap Day Return," "Mother Goose" (with an extened instrumental section), "Up the Pool," "Boris Dancing," "Weathercock," "In the Grip of Stronger Stuff," and they ended with the Christmasy version of "Bouree." They played a song from Divinities, but I don't remember which.

One problem with hearing two of my favorites opening the show is that they didn't have the sound dialed in yet. And the audience wasn't dialed in either. I'm glad we didn't have aisle seats, or we wouldn't have been able to see the band. It was a very noisy crowd. There were people talking and yelling and "woo woo"ing. And shouting song titles. Some idiot was yelling "Dr. Bogenbroom!" all the time. I think he thought he was being funny. These two guys in front of us got so excited over all these little things. Like when Ian would make those weird breathy noises on the flute. They'd be high-fiving each other. He's standing on one leg! Orgasm!

Each band member got some mic time, too. Jonathan sounded like Ian had to force him to speak. He looked a bit nervous, and sounded like he was reading cue cards. Doane made joke about not being happy with our elected president - which made up for Ian's pleasure about Bush in office again.

The electric set opened with "My Sunday Feeling." Again, not a song you'd expect to hear live. Second Song was "Cross-eyed Mary" (Doane was thunderous, but Ian's voice is too thin for that one). They also did "Pavane" (by some dead guy) "Beggar's Farm" (dedicated to Mick Abrahams, who is reportedly in poor health), "Weathercock," "A New Day Yesterday" (mostly a slow, heavy blues number mixed with some faster, harder rock, in places. And Ian on harmonica), "Farm On The Freeway," an instrumental of Martin's, "My God," and "Aqualung" to round out the set. They returned with "Wind-Up" and "Locomotive Breath." And giant balloons. I was surprised to hear "My God." That was very cool.

Sometime in the first half of the show I was pondering my favorite Tull songs. Those first two that I mentioned are both songs that while I'm listening to them, I consider them my favorites, forgetting about others. So I was trying to remember if there were others. I came up with "Wind Up," and decided they wouldn't play it. But they did!

I think they only left out two songs from Aqualung.

I wasn't quite happy with the sound. The keyboards were mixed a bit high, and the guitar was a bit low. I was unhappy with the environment, but the band was great.

Don't remember this one either. Was this the one I ran into Nate? Or was that the previous show?

Second row, balcony, right side. $37.50 (somewhat expensive). I don't recall the opening act, if any.

I sat next to some kids from Chicago. They had seen Tull the night before. They were disappointed that the band didn't vary its set from night to night. I guess they were jam band fans. They also liked to dance, but all the old people in the audience didn't, so they had to convince security not to hassle them for dancing in the aisle.

This was the Roots to Branches tour. I like the album a lot, but I'm not sure if I was a fan at that time. Probably not, since it had only been out for a month and a half. The first set was mostly later period stuff, while the second half was mostly early work. I loved that. It was the first time I'd heard much of it live, and I love the early stuff - Stand Up is one of my all-time favorites.

( set list )

Swamp Ophelia tour. Fifth row, balcony. I went by myself, but ran into an acquaintance, Nate.

Kim Zick and Connie Grauer, who played on "Dead Man's Hill" on the album, joined the band for that song. Their band, Mrs. Fun, opened, along with Big Fish Ensemble.

01. strange fire
02. the wood song
03. joking
04. language or the kiss
05. reunion
06. power of two
07. fugitive
08. galileo
09. dead man's hill
10. least complicated
11. this train revised (with sheila doyle and michael lorant)
12. ghost
13. land of canaan
14. chickenman (with michael lorant)
15. love will come to you
16. touch me fall
17. closer to fine

My sister, my friend Mike and I went to the Riverside to see Spın̈al Tap. For years afterward, I had to deal with people who didn't believe that I'd seen them, since the band was fictional. They had released their first album as a soundtrack for the movie, but after their second album, Break Like the Wind, they embarked on a tour in support of it.

Our seats were to be front row, center, of the balcony. It turned out that the movie projector was set up there, so we got new seats in a box on the side loge.

The band did their usual gags, where bassist Derek Smalls suffered some sort of technical difficulty, where he was unable to join the band onstage for the song. Their grand entrance to the stage was while flying on wires. Smalls's wires did not lower him to the stage, so he hung in the air for the whole opening song. It was a fun show.

Tonio K opened this show. That's about all I remember.