When the Covid-19 pandemic hit we went into a worldwide shutdown. It was some scary shit. Business closed, venues closed their doors indefinitely, and touring bands were at a standstill and forced into hiatus. Last year King Crimson had a full co-headlining tour with (Frank) Zappa Band but all of that came to a halt. Well, 2021 has live music making a huge and welcome comeback and one of the ones I’m most excited about is King Crimson.
When KING CRIMSON returns to action this July, it will be the seventh year that the band has toured since returning to performing live in 2014, a run only interrupted by the lockdown in 2020. KING CRIMSON will play with a seven-piece lineup featuring frontman Robert Fripp along with Mel Collins, Tony Levin, Pat Mastelotto, Gavin Harrison, Jakko Jakszyk and Jeremy Stacey.
The band’s shows regularly include material from twelve of their thirteen studio albums, including many songs from their seminal 1969 album “In The Court Of The Crimson King”, described by Pete Townshend as an “uncanny masterpiece.” The seven-piece lineup plays many historic pieces, which CRIMSON has never previously played live, as well as new arrangements of CRIMSON classics. There are also new instrumentals and songs, as well as compositions by the three drummers, Mastelotto, Harrison and Stacey, which are a regular highlight. A unique show, where seven of the best musicians in the world play music without distraction or adornment.
The tour kicks off in Clearwater, Florida on July 22nd and has the band playing bigger venues this time around showing the growth power of King Crimson. The first ten shows will be An Evening with King Crimson and then will be joined by the Zappa Band on August 5 in Concord, CA for the remaining dates of the tour.
KING CRIMSON 2021 tour dates:
Jul. 22 – Clearwater, FL – Ruth Eckerd Hall
Jul. 23 – Delray Beach, FL – Old School Square
Jul. 24 – St. Augustine, FL – St Augustine Ampitheater
Jul. 26 – Orlando, FL – Dr. Phillips Walt Disney Theater
Jul. 27 – Atlanta, GA – The Fox
Jul. 28 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
Jul. 30 – Fort Worth, TX – Will Rogers Memorial Auditorium
Jul. 31 – Cedar Park, TX – H-E-B Center
Aug. 02 – Greenwood Village, CO – Fiddlers Green Amiptheater
Aug. 03 – Sandy, UT – Sandy Ampitheater
Aug. 05, 2021- Concord, CA – Concord Pavilion*
Aug. 06 – Los Angeles – The Greek*
Aug. 07 – Scottsdale, AZ – Talking Stick Ballroom
Aug. 23 – Saratoga Springs, NY – SPAC*
Aug. 24 – Northampton, MA – The Pines Theater*
Aug. 26 – Canandaigua, NY – CMAC*
Aug. 27 – Lewiston, NY – Artpark Ampitheater*
Aug. 28 – Rochester Hills, MI – Meadow Brook Ampitheater*
Aug. 29 – Highland Park, IL – Ravinia*
Aug. 31 – Milwaukee, WI – Miller High Life Theatre*
Sep. 01 – Cleveland, OH – Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica*
Sep. 02 – Huber Heights, OH – Rose Music Center @ The Heights*
Sep. 04 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center*
Sep. 05 – New Haven, CT – Westville Music Bowl*
Sep. 07 – Philadelphia, PA – The Mann Center*
Sep. 09 – Forest Hills, NY – Forest Hills Stadium*
Sep. 10 – Boston, MA – Leader Bank Pavilion*
Sep. 11 – Washington, DC – The Anthem*
* Support from THE ZAPPA BAND
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