Live Review: The Crimson ProjeKct - The Hi-Fi

The local prog community is rarely treated to major tour offerings. Aside from the occasional joyous visit from Steven Wilson/Porcupine Tree or Roger Waters, there really hasn't been much action out here over the past bunch of years.

Yes have strategically avoided Brisbane on their last couple of Australian tours and, since the early '90s, visits from Peter Gabriel have become about as rare as sightings of the Tasmanian Tiger. While most are undoubtedly praying on hands and knees for the opportunity to catch a show by the new incarnation of King Crimson, KC mastermind Robert Fripp has seemed pretty devoid of interest in the past when it's come to the matter of wielding his craft Down Under. In light of this, The Crimson ProjeKct may be the closest little ol' Brissie ever comes. And thus their performance tonight really could prove to be a historical event of quite some magnitude.

"This one will go down in legend!"

The set commences on the subtlest of notes, with guitarist Markus Reuter slowly permeating the room with a vulnerable and visceral soundscape. Reuter is eventually joined by drummer Pat Mastelotto, and B-Boom is masterfully employed as a transitioning passage that takes us into the fold of more chaotic realms. The legendary Tony Levin arrives to complete his Stick Men trio, and The Adrian Belew Power Trio appear shortly after; a double trio now stands poised and ready to enter full KC mode, which is ushered in by THRAK, Dinosaur and the ever-potent classic, Frame By Frame. At this point it's already apparent that The Crimson ProjeKct is no watered-down consolation prize, but rather a glorious formation that surpasses all expectations. The onstage line-up alternates over the course of the next three hours.  Levin and Stick Men shoot off into space to explore rather refined temperaments on their own, while Belew's trio stay a little closer to home. All the while the perpetually shifting musical mazes that are the KC classics keep coming though; Sleepless, Three Of A Perfect Pair and Larks' Tongues In Aspic, Part Two are woven through the middle, while Red, Elephant Talk and Thela Hun Ginjeet pack a plethora of rapturous moments into the tail end of the set.

Bringing six virtuoso musicians (three of them KC initiates) together on the one playing field, The Crimson ProjeKct offers quite the scope. Any informed study of culture will reveal that technical virtuosity does not dictate any degree of success in creative and artistic pursuits, and can often even act as a trap that delimits. But to experience such a daring and gifted group, who exercise so much fun and freedom in playing together, can be something truly special. This one will go down in legend!