I’ve seen Robert Fripp perform with versions of King Crimson several times, but only once in an extended solo set — at the Portland stop of the 1997 G3 tour with Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and Kenny Wayne Shepard. This is a show I wouldn’t have attended had Fripp not been part of it, but I enjoyed everybody’s sets regardless. For different reasons, though — Fripp’s set for approaching the sublime, and the other shredders for providing entertaining guitar histrionics.

Incidentally, I almost didn’t get to see much of Fripp that day. His set was placed at the beginning of the show, timed to begin when the gates opened — so audience members would hear his soundscapes as they found their seats. But apparently for the first half hour or so after Fripp started, only people who had bought “meet and greet” tickets were allowed inside. So fans of Steve & Satch, et al, would be getting autographs while Fripp poured his heart out onstage, and I would be stuck in line. After explaining, three times within five or so minutes, that the only guy I really wanted to see at the show that day was onstage right now, the security guard turned sympathetic and let me in. Since the place was almost empty at this point, I sat in front of the stage to see Fripp, in spite of my nosebleed ticket. When no one showed up to claim that seat, I stayed there through the entire evening. Every seat in that section gradually filled up with ticketholders except the seat I had chosen, and the seat next to me, which both remained the only unclaimed seats within view . . . (After Fripp finished his 30- to 40-minute set, a guy sitting near me asked me if I thought Fripp was done. When I nodded, he said “Huh, I thought he was just warming up — getting ready to actually play something.”)

Fripp is back on tour with G3 this year, in Europe this time, and it’s pretty funny reading reviews that reflect the wildly different perspectives this type of spectacle-rock audience can have on Fripp’s playing. From Robert Fripp’s July 4th diary entry (no permalink available), here are two reviews of the same performance. The reviews that Fripp reprinted are in italics; Fripp’s comments are not:

London: a good review for Soundscapes…

Cerulean Tue Jun 29 ’04 Royal Albert Hall, London, England, GB
Rank: 8 Posted: Wed Jun 30 ’04 4:58 pm

Well, this was the second show of this tour that I’ve seen, and the contrast between the London and Birmingham gigs was interesting. Whereas, to these ears, the highlights of Saturday’s show were Steve Vai’s performance and Joe’s extended version of ‘Always with me, always with you’, last night Fripp ruled. What an incredible piece of improvisation. As his guitar parts were sampled and looped and resampled and looped again the music built up into unspeakably beautiful and intricate soundscapes. For one man to improvise for half an hour like that with a single guitar, never playing a wrong note, and to create something that beautiful is astonishing. It is just a shame that some members of the audience didn’t seem able to appreciate any note that wasn’t a heavily distorted hemi-demi-semi-quaver. The hostility that Mr Fripp has encountered on this tour is incredible.

Obviously Cerulean didn’t go to many gigs in North Dorset during the 1960s. But in case I begin to get ideas above my station…

Ray Reilly Tue Jun 29 ’04 Royal Albert Hall, London, England, GB
Rank: 10 Posted: Wed Jun 30 ’04 5:29 am

[ Pictures and short video clips of this show will be published on my website http://www.raymond-reilly.20m.com ]————— G3 – 2004 at the London Royal Albert Hall…. What a night!!!!! Joe was on TOP form. I’ve never seen him at his best before, he was outstanding… Robert Fripp was on stage first, but unknowingly. Whilst everybody was still finding their seats all of a sudden, in a very dark corner of the stage, a ‘noise’ (if that’s what you can call it) plagues our nice quiet air space!! To tell the truth it was 30 minutes of crap. It was just pure noise. He done more twiddling on his effects rack and spinning round on his stall than actually playing…… it was awful!! Sincerely it was just utter ‘noise-crap’ (Hey, a new word!)!!! I even believe I heard someone shout out ‘Where’s Yngwie!!!!!!?’, to which some old fart shouted back ‘Shut-up asshole!!’ (Or words to that effect). Towards the end of his set whilst everybody in the audience was busy talking about what happened in the last episode of Eastenders, you look to the stage and he’s disappeared, with his effect rack still pumping out noise!! After a few moments Vai walks on stage to save us, and the crowd goes wild!!!!!….YEEAHH!!!!! Steve’s set was superb, ‘Whispering’ prayer was the song which stole the audiences hearts, just pure feeling! There were a few feedback bugs and bass problems, but it didn’t stop the enjoyment of the show. It was obvious Steve was very humbled to be playing in such a distinguished and historical hall as noted when he said “… I may even go as far to say this could be a career high-light for me”. All in all Steve was on for about an hour and at the end of the his set I remember thinking ‘How is Joe going to top that?’. After a slight interval everybody arrives back to their seats feeling refreshed. Joe walks on stage and is greeted by an almightily cheer!!! He played a lot of new songs ‘Up in flames’, ‘..love in space’ and ‘hands in the air’, but the song which done it for me was the classic rendition of ‘always with me, always with you’…. it was unbelievable. Joe’s tone sounded mind-blowing, and I hate to say it but it sounds better than his old one.

Then finally came the jam, or as Joe said ‘The G3 experience!!!’. Joe and Steve make a great pair and feed off each other immensely, but does this mean that lazy ass Robert Fripp can sit on his fat ass hiding at the side of the stage? It was ridiculous, it was laughable in fact. Joe and Steve basically jammed between themselves whilst Rob hid in the darkness pretending not to be there. He didn’t even jam, well only until Joe pointed his finger at him and put the spot light on him. This guy was SOOOOO RUDE!!!!! To tell the truth I felt like smacking him up the backside of his head!… preferably with a hockey stick!!!! Joe and Steve ran about the stage shared licks and basically fed off each others vibes, while this other guy sat hiding with his arms crossed across his guitar…. NOT EVEN PLAYING!!!!!! ROBERT FRIPP you should NOT be sharing the stage with the likes of Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, YOU ARE NOT WORTHY ENOUGH!!!! Even when it came to the end of the show, the band took to the front of the stage to bow, lazy ass Fripp still sat on his fat ass at the side of the stage in the darkness hiding!!!!!! Anyway’s, not all is bad (believe it or not). The Rocking in a free world cover was fantastic and seeing Steve and Joe on the same stage together is something I have always wanted to see! —- I managed to buy a limited edition singed G3 poster of Steve, Joe and Robert, but after seeing Robert with his rudeness and his stupid looking face on the poster I’m too embarrassed to hang it up!!! Thank’s Robert Fripp…… NOT!!!!!

Thanks, Ray — WAY! Your post is very instructive, with much to learn in it, and I’m not too embarrassed to put it up.