Rating: 
Summary: Adrian Belew Goes to Another Level
Review: I'm not a huge believer in Crimson lately. I find parts of their last two studio albums sophomoric, I find their music generally veering too close to heavy metal for my tastes, I rue the departure of Bill Bruford and Tony Levin.That said, I am enjoying this DVD very much. The band remains an interesting live act, and the performances captured herein are exciting, intense, and different from what other bands are able to do with electronic guitars and drums. I particularly enjoy Adrian Belew's contributions - he has been and remains a great musician, and this band challenges him unlike what another band could. The two concerts are quite good, but what really makes this a 5-star DVD and must-see is the "Improvising Crimson" section on Disc 2, which features roughly 10 song-length improvisations from different cities done by the band on their 2000 tour. THIS is what this band is and was about, and to see the improvs one after the other is a fairly awesome musical experience. Generally Mastellato and Gunn establish a nice groove of electronic drums and touch bass, Fripp does some typically intense soloing, and Belew plays staggering, creative, scarifying inside-out amplified blues from space. Belew's soloing on some of these tracks is music at the highest level. The band as well as Adrian reach some real heights on these improvised sections. I don't think there's another living guitarist who could play the rather amazing solos that Adrian plays.
Rating:
Summary: Different show each time!
Review: If you are interested in the modern version of King Crimson, you cannot go wrong with this DVD set. Two DVDs with two concerts - one from 2000, and the other from 2003. The one DVD from 2000 freaked me out at first. What makes it extremely interesting is that it inserts random improv jams into various places in the setlist. This allows for a 'different' Krim concert every time you put the DVD in. It can be a tad jarring with the slight pause in between songs, but you adjust to it rather rapidly. You can also watch the improvs on your own as well.
Rating: 
Summary: Not exactly what I wanted.
Review: It appears that I am in the minority of King Crimson fans. I thought, and continue to think, that their best albums came in the early 80's--Discipline, Beat, and Three of Perfect Pair. This collection, which has but a single song from these albums (an astonishing solo accoustic rendition of Three of a Perfect Pair by Adrian Belew), underscores the relative weakness of Crimson's recent offerings--at least to my ears. They've veered towards too much cacophany for me. I still like it, don't get me wrong. And the performances are astonishing. These may be the most talented musicians around. But I started longing for renditions of the songs I really liked--from Matte Kudasai to Man With an Open Heart to Thela Hun Gingeet--and which I'd been fortunate enough to see performed live several times. Ahh, those were the days. Still, I like this DVD. Any Crimson is better than none at all. And one note: Even though the set is called "Eyes Wide Open," that song (which I really like) isn't even included. Of course, I ordered it from a site (hint, hint: This one.) that didn't list the tracks, so it came as a bit of a surprise and a disappointment.
Rating:
Summary: Really A Good Buy (2 DVDs)
Review: It's pretty cool to actually see these guys playing. This is my first Krim DVD though I have loads of KC CDs. These guys aren't as showy as other bands in performance (Robert Fripp sits on a stool the entire time and he manages to play without a big spotlight on him for both DVDs), though Trey Gunn does some flashy stuff. The camera is mostly on Belew for the footage and while he is the front man for the group I would have liked to see a wider perspective. The performances are top notch. Mostly what's covered is material from Power To Believe and ConstruKction of Light plus some songs from THRAK. The song Three of a Perfect Pair is done solo by Belew like on Heavy ConstruKction with an acoustic guitar. I would have liked to see a performance of Red, FraKctured (or Fracture), and 21st Century Schizoid Man, but they didn't cover that stuff here. They do cover the Bowie/Eno song Heroes and they play it awesomely, though it is so strange to hear an upbeat Heroes so shortly after the scary and dark Deception of the Thrush. An interesting feature: according to the booklet, because King Crimson is a band that plays differently with each concert, a DVD professing to document this band ought to play differently each time you watch it. Consequently, on the parts where they would improvise a certain song, there are actually a few different versions of those parts that your DVD player chooses randomly each time you watch it. Pretty cool stuff if you ask me.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful and Brilliant!
Review: Just from the very first moments of the "Introductory Soundscape" I had chills running down my spine! Then I was struck by the extraordinary beauty and power of this performance. This is the very best King Crimson concert ever put on video - hands down! Nobody else plays like these guys. They are absolutely brilliant. Robert Fripp will always be my all-time favorite musician. Incredible visual light show that enhances the music even more. Words just don't do these guys justice. This DVD is worth every penny! I rate this DVD with millions of stars!
Rating:
Summary: A Killer Show for Crim fans and newbies!!
Review: King Crimson is and will always be a live band first and foremost. I first saw them over 30 years ago and have been amazed each and every time I have seen them play. The power in Robert Fripp & Co.'s music is when they play live. Their studio albums are great; however, seeing them live and watching them practice their art is what really draws you into their music. Once you see them perform live, you will forever remember in your mind the nuances you saw while they played each tune. This DVD is as close as you can get to a live Crim concert without being there. The video is a little grainy; however, there is usually smoke in the air at their concerts, so what you see is quite acceptable. The sound is OK in stereo; however, turn on the Digital 5.1 and prepare to be blown away! If you like recent Crim, these two shows will also provide you with a historical growth from 2000 to 2003 with the current four members of the band. If you are a fan of the '73/'74 power Crim (Fripp, Wetton, Bruford, et al)you will also find much to enjoy, especially in the 2003 Japan concert. If you are new to the band, this is a great place to see the modern performances of a band that helped define power rock and metal music. Robert Fripp is a musical genious and, if you watch closely, you will see that genious unfold again and again. This is, in my humble opinion, one of the strongest Crim lineups in the history of the band. Bruford may have been the best drummer they ever had and Tony Levin may have been the ultimate bass player; however, as a group, the four now together create a marvelous, well-oiled machine that shouldn't be missed. This is an essential Crim fan DVD and a good way for the newbie fan to get a taste of a classic, yet new and evolving, musical entity known as King Crimson.
Rating:
Summary: A Killer Show for Crim fans and newbies!!
Review: King Crimson is and will always be a live band first and foremost. I first saw them over 30 years ago and have been amazed each and every time I have seen them play. The power in Robert Fripp & Co.'s music is when they play live. Their studio albums are great; however, seeing them live and watching them practice their art is what really draws you into their music. Once you see them perform live, you will forever remember in your mind the nuances you saw while they played each tune. This DVD is as close as you can get to a live Crim concert without being there. The video is a little grainy; however, there is usually smoke in the air at their concerts, so what you see is quite acceptable. The sound is OK in stereo; however, turn on the Digital 5.1 and prepare to be blown away! If you like recent Crim, these two shows will also provide you with a historical growth from 2000 to 2003 with the current four members of the band. If you are a fan of the '73/'74 power Crim (Fripp, Wetton, Bruford, et al)you will also find much to enjoy, especially in the 2003 Japan concert. If you are new to the band, this is a great place to see the modern performances of a band that helped define power rock and metal music. Robert Fripp is a musical genious and, if you watch closely, you will see that genious unfold again and again. This is, in my humble opinion, one of the strongest Crim lineups in the history of the band. Bruford may have been the best drummer they ever had and Tony Levin may have been the ultimate bass player; however, as a group, the four now together create a marvelous, well-oiled machine that shouldn't be missed. This is an essential Crim fan DVD and a good way for the newbie fan to get a taste of a classic, yet new and evolving, musical entity known as King Crimson.
Rating:
Summary: Eyes wide open,very open
Review: King Crimson siempre nos deja con los ojos y la boca bien abiertos cada vez que saca al mercado un nuevo trabajo.Este es el caso de su nuevo DVD llamado Eyes wide open, un video que contiene dos discos, el disco 1 es concierto grabado en japon en este año, perteneciente a la gira de su album the power to belive,el segundo disco es un concierto en inglaterra en el 2000,el cual pertenece a la gira the Construkction of light. La imagen del primer disco es impecable, el escenario sencillo,pero con una iluminacion que crea atmosferas y ayuda mucho a la produccion del video,el manejo de las camaras esta bien logrado y la cantidad de estas es la suficiente para cubrir todos los aspectos del concierto, ayudando a la fluides de la imagenes y capturando en el momento adecuado las interpretaciones de cada uno de los musicos.El sonido es surround y estereo, quedo muy bien mezclado y el nivel es el adecuado,tanto en el surround como en el estero. El segundo disco nos trae un concierto de la gira Europea del año 2000, este es mas sencillo ecuanto a la produccion, pero igual, el estandar de calidad no se pierde. nos trae tambien buena cantidad de features,ademas de un pequeño libro con alguna informacion. la alineacion de este DVD es de lujo Robert Fripp guitarra y efectos, Adrian Belew Guitarra y vocales, Pat Mastelotto bateria y percusion y Trey Gunn warm Guitar, como simpre musicos de primera linea.El sonido es muy contemporaneo y continua con la idea de los Proyekcts.Este DVD es para los amantes que continua con el culto al buen Rock.
Rating:
Summary: KING CRIMSON MINUS TONY. STILL WORTH IT
Review: KING CRIMSON WITHOUT TONY LEVIN IS HARD FOR ME TO ACCEPT. NOTHING AGAINST TREY GUNN, HE'S FANTASTIC. ADRIAN BELEW WILL AMAZE AS USUAL. I'VE NEVER SEEN ANY ONE THAT CAN SING SO WELL WHILE PLAYING ODDBALL TIMINGS ON GUITAR. HE MAKES IT LOOK EASY. PAT MOSTELOTTO(PROBABLY MISSPELLED)IS ALSO A GREAT DRUMMER. ROBERT FRIPP SOUNDS GREAT. THE ONLY PROBLEM I HAVE WITH HIM IS WHEN HE SPENDS 10 MINUTES CREATING SOUNDSCAPES WITH HIS EFFECTS UNITS. CRIMSON HAS TOO MANY GOOD SONGS TO USE TIME LIKE THIS. THAT SAID, THIS DVD IS STILL VERY GOOD AND WORTH THE MONEY.
Rating:
Summary: Intimate, less intense view of the KING
Review: My favorite era of Crimson had long been the early 70's (LARK'S and RED). It wasn't until 1995 that I got to see them live, and that double trio band I think was the BEST (and even then the high points of the show were killer performances from those 70's albums). But that THRAK tour renewed my love for these guys. The video LIVE IN JAPAN from that tour is definitly five star. The band was at a fresh peak, and the amount of sound from the six of them makes this EYES WIDE OPEN recording seem pale (but also more intimate) in comparison. I also miss the personalities of Bruford and Levin on stage here. That being said this DVD while not great is very good nonetheless. The two concerts (Japan 2003 and London 2000) are great with the band and audience in top form and having fun. Some highlights for me were having Belew sing Three Of A Perfect Pair solo, acoustic. Also lots of nice close-ups of Fripp playing leads in London. Also the Power To Believe theme that runs through the Japan show is what makes Crimson great. Compared to LIVE IN JAPAN, the filming of these shows is more intimate and accessible but also less artistic and intense.
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