Re: Robert Fripp and LoCG Sighting

["Todd Pafford" <calenlas@gmail.com>]

We saw Fripp and the League of Crafty Guitarists in our hometown of
Annapolis, Md on Halloween.  Great show.  I was surprised that (aside
from the encore) Fripp was on electric all night doing mostly
soundscapes and a bit of accompaniment/soloing.

I have to say, though, that Fripp must get a kick out of confusing the
audience and generally messing with our heads.  All evening the
ensemble played games with us:  not allowing enough time between
pieces for applause, or allowing too much, or running 3 or 4 unrelated
pieces together, inserting a long soundscape in the middle of a piece,
leaving the stage as though it's the end  (with bows, etc) only to
return for 40 more minutes of music (twice they did this plus the
encore).  Finally, at the end of the last piece after the last note
was played, Fripp held the ensemble at the ready while half the
audience began to applaud.  Now, us musicians know it isn't over until
the "at ease" signal is given so the other half of the audience was
waiting expectantly.  Slowly, the applause dwindled out and Fripp,
with a smirk on his face as if to say that he's enjoying all this
immensely, gave a slight nod and the ensemble rested, packed up and
left the stage (bows, etc).  I suppose keeping us off balance is a
unique mechanism for the musicians to entertain themselves night after
night.

One thing that bugged me, though, was that many of the pieces I love
were cut short.  Several were lopped off at the end and attached to
another piece, making for odd and somewhat disjointed medleys.

Overall though, it was an excellent show.  The musicianship was
top-notch.  This group (13 guitarists including Fripp) was very tight.
 Much tighter, in fact, than many live recordings I've heard from
various League incarnations over the years.

Todd

On Nov 3, 2007 7:58 AM, Dennis Moser <sinsofmachaut@gmail.com> wrote:
> Just a quick note: Robert Fripp and the League of Crafty Guitarists
> performed in Fall Rover, Massachusetts, last night. I was expecting an 
>all
> LoCG performance but Mr. Fripp graced us with some of the beautiful
> soundscape materials as well.
>
> My wife and I literally sat at the edge of the stage (about 8 inches 
>away;
> when the group did their final encore and the entire audience was on its'
> feet, Fripp leaned over and whispered that she and I might want to be
> sitting down for it ... lol), so I have fairly complete notes on the
> hardware and will post later today . No photos or recordings (they were 
>VERY
> adamant about cameras and cell phones).
>
> Absod*mnlutely amazing ...
>
> Dennis
>