Hear King Crimson On Their First U.S. Tour 50 Years Ago Today

Music Features King Crimson
Hear King Crimson On Their First U.S. Tour 50 Years Ago Today

English prog rockers King Crimson embarked on their first U.S. tour in 1969, featuring the original lineup (guitarist Robert Fripp, bassist Greg Lake, multi-instrumentalist Ian McDonald and drummer Michael Giles). They also released their debut album, In The Court Of The Crimson King, that year, on Oct. 10. A month or so later, on this day (Nov. 21) 50 years ago, the band played a show at the Filmore East in New York City on that first American tour leg. Listen to the short—but sweet—set below.

King Crimson’s set from this particular evening was only 27-minutes-long, as they were opening for a scrappy young Fleetwood Mac machine as well as Joe Cocker. But they crammed a lot of energy and action into those 27 minutes, featuring the three songs “Pictures Of A City,” “Epitaph” and “21st Century Schizoid Man.”

If you’ve done the math by now, you’ve probably realized 2019 marks 50 years of bandhood for King Crimson. In honor of that anniversary, the band embarked on a comeback tour in June and uploaded their entire studio catalogue to Spotify and Apple Music.

Again, you can listen to the full 1969 King Crimson set below.

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